Easy-Peasy Crock Pot Chicken

This is a true go-to meal. We all love it. It can be used in so many ways. It's inexpensive. And it's BEYOND easy to prepare! How can you go wrong with that?!

This recipe is taken directly from the A Year of Slow Cooking. Be sure to take a look because there are a TON of great crock pot recipes and you don't want to miss out!

So without further ado, check out the recipe for ....

Easy-Peasy Crock Pot Chicken

Stuff You Need:

• 1 whole chicken, skinned (4-5 lbs)
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground garlic
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp black pepper
• pinch chili powder
• 1 yellow onion, quartered
• 4 whole garlic cloves

What To Do:

1. Skin the chicken and remove neck, giblets, etc from the interior cavity.
2. In a medium bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients except the onion and garlic cloves.
3. Rub the spice mixture all over the bird, both inside and out.
4. Place the bird breast side down in your crock pot.
5. Insert the onion quarters and garlic into the interior cavity.
6. Cover your crock pot, set the timer on low for 8 hours (or if you are in a hurry, on high for 4-5 hours).

And THAT folks, is all there is to this dish! If you plan in advance, you could prepare your bird the night before - skin it and coat with the spice mixture. Then in the morning all you have to do is pop it all in the crock pot. And when you come home from work, dinner will be ready and waiting!

It's not necessary though. I usually don't plan that far in advance and by the time I have the bird thawed, I generally need to get it right in the crock pot so it will be ready by the time dinner rolls around.

Also note, that while the spice mixture has both paprika, cayenne pepper, and chili powder, this is NOT a spicy dish. Wonder Boy really doesn't like spicy food (I don't know where he gets that trait as both of us prefer food that makes us sweat) and this is one of his all-time favorite foods. If you WANT a bit more kick to your chicken, I would double up on these 3 spices and maybe even stick a jalapeno in the cavity along with the onion and garlic.

The chicken comes out moist and flavorful and falling right off the bone! In fact, it's a not the easiest thing to remove from the crock pot because it starts to fall apart from the moment you try to lift it. I usually don't bother. I'll grab what we need for that meal and then proceed to de-bone and shred chicken for storage once it has cooled.

We use this chicken as the base for so many meals. Wonder Boy likes it just wrapped up in a tortilla, fajita style. Wonder Dad prefers it on top of a big salad. As for me - I like it on its own, wrapped up in lettuce (slider style), or on top of tostones with a bit of salsa on top. It really is versatile and that is one of the main reasons this qualifies as one of my top go-to meals!

Enjoy!