Did you know you could cook an entire chicken in a slow cooker? That’s right. It’s one of the Test Kitchen’s favorite methods for cooking whole chicken. Not only does it allow you to keep the oven off or free it up for making sides dishes or dessert, slow cooking chicken leaves you with a juicy, tender bird.
Slow cooker lemon thyme chicken is the perfect springtime recipe to have on hand. Make it to serve for dinner on the patio as the weather warms or for your Sunday meal prep. You could serve it for dinner on Sunday and save leftovers to toss into salads, tacos, or rice bowls throughout the week. Winner winner chicken dinner, indeed.
Lemon thyme chicken is especially delicious thanks to a homemade herb butter we put under the skin before cooking. Use a Hamilton Beach® hand mixer to whip butter until it’s light and fluffy. Add parsley, thyme, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and black pepper and beat until the herb butter is well blended. Then use your hand to spread the butter under the skin of the chicken breast. It gets a little messy but it’s totally worth the end results.
Quarter an onion and add half to the slow cooker crock and gently place the chicken on top. The onions will help lift the bird off of the bottom of the crock, so the lower half of the bird won’t cook in the juices and get soggy. Stuff the cavity with the rest of the onion, herbs, and lemon for a beautiful presentation and to add extra flavor to the meat. Cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
Slow cooker lemon thyme chicken puts the spring in spring chicken. Garnished with extra lemon slices and sprigs of fresh thyme, this beautiful bird will surely fly off the table. Serve with a simple spring salad or shred leftovers for meals throughout the week. No need to pick up a rotisserie chicken at the store when you can make your own whole chicken at home in your slow cooker.
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 (5 to 6 lbs) whole chicken
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme, divided
- Thin lemon slices, if desired
- Using an electric hand mixer, beat butter on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add parsley, thyme, lemon juice, salt, lemon zest and black pepper. Beat until blended, about 1 minute.
- Gently slide one hand under the chicken skin over the breast to loosen the membranes.
- Spread butter mixture under the skin of chicken breast.
- Add 1/2 of the onion to slow cooker crock. Place chicken on top of onions. Fill cavity with remaining onions and 3 sprigs thyme. Cover and refrigerator overnight.
- Cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Chicken is well done when meat temperature registers 165°F in the breast or 175°F-180°F in the thickest part of the thigh.
- Garnish with fresh thyme and lemon slices.
Test Kitchen Tip: USDA recommends 165°F as the safe eating temperature for chicken. Chicken is done when meat temperature registers 165°F in the breast or 175°F-180°F in the thickest part of the thigh. For more information on food safety, visit foodsafety.gov. Follow steps 1 through 5 to prepare chicken the night before. Cook the chicken following steps 6 and 7.
TAGS: chicken, lemon, slow cooker, spring, thyme
CATEGORIES: Everyday Recipes, main courses, Slow cooker
Chicken in a slow cooker is so moist and delicious. And we still have stove top stuffing.