You want to cook a whole chicken in a crock pot without/with herbs and garlic and allergies to the above mentioned things.

This sounds like a "FRAT" question.
Anyway, salt-pepper-garlic, zero inspiration, cook till done serve in bowl or plate, LOL!

PS, Don't add any, pork, egg, dairy of any kind, pine nut. :)

What is a "FRAT" question? Sorry...never heard that term before.
Sorry whiteorchid. can't help you, although you could try stuffing the chicken with lemons or oranges, onions, etc. and then add seasonings of your choice.

Shelley

Orchid said not JUST with herbs and garlic. Not WITHOUT herbs and garlic.
I would put the chicken on a bed of potatoes, carrots, celery and onions. Stuff the chicken with an onion and a lemon and a few garlic cloves. Season the outside with lemon pepper, garlic, salt
I don't have any specific recipe for any dish, though, sorry.
Lisa

Not sure if this will help inspire you, but here are a lot of crockpot recipes at this site.

Here is a link that might be useful: Crockpot Chicken Recipes

Really, if I'd wanted a smart-arsed answer, I would have gone elsewhere for it changeling.

Thanks Lisa in Germany for really trying to help.

You know what? I'm outta' here. There are only a handful of people who'd miss me anyway, if that, and I haven't fit in here for a long time. Adios.

Dawn, don't know Changeling for beans, he's a newbie here and may be quite young. This would explain the smart-a** response. I was stumped by the "whole" chicken request. I was thinking a crock pot cacciatore recipe might work. But they seem to be for cut up birds. Maybe they would work for a whole bird as well.

I cut yellow onions into wedges, and use a large bag of baby carrots and put those in the bottom of the crockpot. Season the whole chicken with salt and pepper and a sprig of rosemary in the breast cavity. Put the bird breast side down in the crockpot and cook all day.

When my husband and I were working fulltime, it was so great to come home to that cooked chicken. The meat falls off the bone, but still tastes roasted. It makes its own "jus" - I usually made mashed potatoes to go with it.

Hope you decide to stick around.

seagrass

Dawn,

Please stick around my big baby belly friend:) I haven't been around here too much either. With new babies and other little ones, we are lucky to get Spaghetti'o's for supper LOL. Add to that we have one,two or three little ones added to DH and I in our queen sized bed every night so understand about the sleep deprevation.

Stacie

Dawn,
Here is a method for rotisserie style chicken in a crock pot which uses balls made of foil to raise the chicken off the bottom of the pot with the result being more of a roasted chicken.

Please stick around....I'd miss your posts....Teresa

Here is a link that might be useful: Rotisserie style chicken in a crock pot

I prep chicken for the crockpot the same way as I would for roasting (put chicken in the crock and sprinkle some kosher salt inside the cavity, stuff a cut lemon inside as well--either a whole one cut in half or whatever is left of one already cut-up and in the fridge. Place/press a few small pats of margarine in spots on the top of of the chicken--back, tops of legs, and then season with a fair am't of kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and mustard powder). Couldn't be simpler, and it comes out beautifully. If your slow cooker has a removable crock, just prep the chicken in the crock the night before and refrigerate. In the morning, pop in the slow cooker, and when you get home, roasted (stewed?) chicken!

I do a barbequed chicken in my crockpot that works out quite nicely. You can use a whole or cut up chicken, it doesn't really matter. I just put the chicken in, throw on some assorted barbeque type herbs and spices, onion and garlic powder, a little touch of oregano, a little dash of cloves, a little cinnamon, and a little cayenne or chili powder, then pour either tomato sauce or ketchup over it, about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup, and about a 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Let this cook for about 5 to 6 hours. At this stage, it's very soupy, and I do one of two things -- either drain off the stock and reduce it on the stove and add it back in, or thrown in some rice or couscous and some cooked (from a can) kidney beans and some cut up green and red pepper and finely diced onion, and let that cook and use up the juices. To serve, just dish it up. We enjoy it. Sorry, I can't be more specific about quantities, because I'm a dump and pour, visual kind of cook for most things.

For those that have done it - what's the skin turn out like?

Dawn, Ignore Changelin. Even though his comments come across snarky, I'm giving him the benefit of doubt and assuming that He was trying to be funny although that isn't how it came across.

Please don't go. Of course you would be missed. I'm not quite sure why you feel that no one here would miss you. I am wondering if you are suffering from the Baby Blues. I know it isn't easy having two young children. Please take care of yourself and don't leave us.

Ann

Oh Dawn, I know I'd miss you if you left. Please dont go.

Maybe changeling meant FRAT as in Frat House; a college student with no spices?

It's a new year sweetie! Let's start fresh. Come on, sit down with us.

I'm glad you started this thread, Dawn. I have a whole chicken in my freezer that I've been wondering what to do with - I never buy whole chickens, always pieces.

Why-o-why then, do I have a whole chicken in my freezer? (you might ask)

Well.... a friend of mine's daughter was raising chickens in their house (yeah right here in the city of Houston) for FFA or 4F or some such. Apparently the survival rate for these kinds of chickens is normally not very good, so the idea is to buy way more than you need to have at the end of the growing season so that you'll have enough to show. Well all of hers survived. Every blessed one. And my poor friend ended up with a freezer full of whole chickens (yeah, sorry, they butcher them once they're done showing them). Anyway, she was trying to get rid of them and that's how I ended up with a whole chicken in my freezer.

In addition to this, I have a crock pot that I NEVER use. Just can't get into the idea of letting something cook all day. Now, I think combining the whole chicken and the idle crockpot is the perfect solution. That bird is comin' out of my freezer tonight, should be cooking it in a few days.

Just one question: Can I add liquid? I was thinking of pouring in a bottle o' beer to give it some added flavor. Will that work?

Yeah... don't mess with Dawn. Many of us just come here to visit with friends. Actually answering questions is not the priority. Picking on or being rude to any cf member, new or old, will result in your roasts being dry, your cakes falling, your toast burning, lumps in your gravy, and perhaps a whole chicken going in the out door.

hmphf!

lyra

I have made whole chickens in the crock either propped on foil or on a bed of veggies. I liked it so well on the foil that I bought a small roasting rack that fits in my crock to do whole chickens. I usually just do a bit of olive oil and herbs though, nothing exciting. I have done the BBQ chicken in pieces, but never tried it whole. I think I might try it whole, basted with the sauce, sitting on the rack to keep it above the juices. The skin does not come out crisp from the crock, but you could toss it in the oven to crisp the skin before serving. If you are going to use a sauce, you might want to skin the chicken first so your sauce does not need a lot of degreasing. Just a note, if your crock pot is newer, it will probably cook quicker than the time stated in most recipes, so keep an eye on it for the last hour or so.

Sorry if I offended you. I meant it as a Frat House type comment. Sometimes college students will draw names from a hat so to speak, such as cooking, mechanics, cars, etc,. Then they (each 1) post in a forum with a question that is sometimes off the wall.
I took your question as : How to cook a whole chicken in a crock pot without spices because you were allergic !
That would mean literally, put the chicken in the pot, turn on the heat, remove when done!
Once again, if I offended you, I in no way meant to do that whatsoever.

This recipe is for turkey breast but I have done it with whole chicken also. The meat falls off the bone with whole chicken so you have to pick those out but not too bad of a job.

Take a whole turkey breast and remove skin, remove and pat dry, add to crockpot, one large diced onion, 1 clove of chopped garlic, bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 cup beer (dark or lager), cook on low for 6-8 hours, remove breast from crockpot, using two forks shred and place buy in crockpot and without lid, turn on high and cook for an additional 30 minutes or not, the choice is yours, I like to do this because it absorbs some of the liquid and thickens it.

I'm in the Fenworth category..what does the skin turn out like?

Dawn, you KNOW I'd miss you, I've missed you in the past when you've gone AWOL.

I'm wondering if Lars' Algerian chicken would be good in the crockpot, it's yummy in the oven.

Algerian Roasted Chicken -- Lars--based on recipe by Chef Farid Zadi

1 whole chicken
4 cloves of garlic
1-1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of sumac
1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek
3/4 tsp cumin
3 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
1 tbsp minced Thai basil (or 1/2 tsp fennel)
2 lemons
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
extra herbs, 1 tsp each minced fresh oregano and basil, optional
4-5 sprigs of thyme

Start charcoal for outdoor barbeque, using large chunks of mesquite wood and charcoal Place the chicken in a roasting pan with a rack. Slide your fingers under the breasts to separate the skin from the meat, turn the chicken over and do the same with the thighs. Mash the garlic with 1-1/2 tablespoons of salt in a mortar and pestle or finely chop the garlic and incorporate the salt into it with the side of your knife or back of a spoon. Add the sumac, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, and cumin and mix to pulverize the seeds. Add butter and basil and combine to mix. Tuck pieces of the butter into the "pockets" under the skin.

Squeeze the juice of one lemon all over the chicken, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle freshly ground black pepper. Season the cavity with pepper, tuck in the lemon halves and more herbs into the cavity if desired.

Place the chicken on the barbeque and cover, leaving vents fully open to maintain heat.

Baste the chicken every 15 minutes alternating water and pan drippings. Midway through cooking turn the chicken 90 degrees. Continue frequent basting. The cooking time for a 3-1/2 pound bird is about 1-1/2 hours, depending on how hot your fire is. Cook to an internal temperature of 160°, measured in the thigh.

Let rest covered about 30 minutes before carving. Squeeze fresh lemon juice into the roasting juices, and pour into a gravy boat. Add salt, if needed. Serve with roasted potatoes, green salad, and French or Italian bread.

Changeling, many of us have been here a long time, long enough to recognize a regular poster and their style. Dawn has been a regular for quite a while.

Annie

Well, now I want a chicken in MY crockpot...

See what you've done? Now I have to go to the grocery store.

I have poached many a whole chicken in the crockpot. Leave it whole,rinse it well, put it in the crockpot and cover it with broth (preferably homemade, but low sodium storebought will do), and then add whatever aromatics you want (celery, onion, garlic, mushrooms, black pepper) and let it simmer until tender.

Why broth instead of water? If you use water the flavor of the meat leaches into the water and the meat ends up rather insipid.

The resultant broth is more flavorful than what you started with. You can then poach another chicken in that, and after two or three chickens the broth is potent enough to raise the dead. Great stuff.

Arley, that is a fabulous tip!
I'll have to stow that information away for this summer when I want chicken for something, but don't want to heat the house!!

Yeah Dawn was here before I became a regular...

The skin is somewhat soft, not crispy like it is from the oven, but still good. The chicken itself is usually softer than from the oven, too. More like it would be cooked in a pot on the stove or in the oven I suppose.

I don't add any liquid to the bottom of the crock, BTW, although you certainly could if that's your preference. Usually the chicken makes it's own juices and you can serve them as is, strained, or used to make a real gravy.

The chickens we get from a local place are not very large (bet 3-4 lbs), so they do cook pretty quickly in the oven. Sometimes though, just knowing that it will be cooked and ready to eat when we get home is incentive to cook it in the slow cooker, and sometimes we do so just for a change of texture/taste.

Our favorite whole chicken recipe:

Put the chicken in the slow-cooker. Be sure to remove any bagged giblets, though you can stick them in the crockpot outside of the chicken. Cover chicken with 1 cup water, put lid on the slow cooker. Cook on low for about 6 hours, high for 3-4 (depending on your cooker; my old crock-pot used to be okay up to 10 hours on low but it was weird.) Remove from crock pot for 15 minutes before carving. Skin was okay but we never ate it!

Serve with "old fashioned noodles". We always buy Grandma's Frozen Egg Noodles and prepare according to package directions with one exception: instead of cooking in water, we use 1/2 that amount of the juices from the chicken. (We may have to cut that back due to hubby's new "healthy heart diet.")

DonnaR/CA

I made "Spanish Chicken" in my new crockpot last weekend.

Take a whole chicken (3.5-4.5 lbs), remove giblets.
Rub melted butter over the chicken, including under the breast-skin.
Then make a spice mixture of paprika, garlic powder, pepper, & salt (1/2 teaspoon or so each, or whatever amounts look good to you), and rub that all over the chicken, including under the breast-skin.
Put the chicken in the crockpot.
Then combine a 6-oz can of tomato paste with a half cup of beer and a five-oz jar of pimento-stuffed olives including the liquid the olives are in.
Pour the tomato/beer/olive/olive juice mixture over the chicken.
Cook on low for about 9 hours.
Serve with rice or noodles.

It's heaven in a crock pot.

Dawn?? I hope you see all these great recipes!!

Mandogirl, that sounds wonderful! that's exactly what I'm going to make. Will let you know how it turns out. Thanks for posting.

whiteorchid75, i really didn't mean anything derogatory in what I said. Once again I am truly sorry if I offended you!

One thing that no one seems to have said is that when you are cooking in a "Crock Pot" seasonings have a greater effect/power! So, if you are cooking something and the recipe calls for a teaspoon for instance, cut back just a little to 3/4 of a teaspoon.
Try to use fresh ground pepper when pepper is called for, from a pepper mill.
Don't get carried away with to many spices! I still have a hard time with anything better than pepper, salt, maybe a little thyme.
Another good combination is pepper, salt, and "Italian seasonings" (like used to make spaghetti sauce). Just remember to go easy on the spices when using a crock pot.

With all of the above try and put 3 to 4 slices of onion on the bottom of the crock pot regardless of any other instructions! Just trust me!

lowspark...hope you like the Spanish Chicken. I can't take credit for the recipe, though. It was on the box my new crock pot came in! But it was absolutely delicious. Enjoy! I'm making it again tomorrow! ;-)

Stacy hit the nail on the head :

" With new babies and other little ones, we are lucky to get Spaghetti'o's for supper LOL. Add to that we have one,two or three little ones added to DH and I in our queen sized bed every night so understand about the sleep deprevation. "

Drake is teething like crazy and was vax'd Thursday and won't go to anyone else and won't play in his exersaucer or on the floor, he has to have momma. That's why I needed a recipe for a whole chicken in the crockpot, I didn't have the time to take it apart, and didn't want to use the oven.

Thanks for the recipes, ya'll.

Changeling, it's ok. It wasn't entirely you, and I forgive you anyway. I just don't cook the way I used to. It's exactly like Stacy said, some nights I'm lucky to get a can of anything opened for supper. I simply don't have the time or sanity to prepare an elaborate meal. And the forum has changed since I first started posting here, not saying that's bad, just saying that I haven't been able to keep up with the changes because of the direction I've gone with my life.

Lyra had it right, too - I come here to visit old friends more than to post about what sides might go with apricot-chili pork loin. I don't have the opportunity to drop in often because of my two little ones. If I'm AWOL, it's because of them. : P

I made the spanish chicken sunday, it was wonderful.

Dawn -

Sounds like Drake is a Klingon (or Clingon, your choice). Either way, congrats and 'this too shall pass', BTDT, hang in there.

FWIW, even as a full time mom with teenagers in school, I too mostly scramble for dinner and rarely cook like I want to. So I'm also here for the people and drool over the food porn and contribute when I can! I haven't seen much judging about any of that for anyone.

Group hug!!!

lowspark, I made the Spanish Chicken for the 2nd time over the weekend, and I have to say I must have one powerful crockpot, because this time my 4.5 lb chicken was DONE in about 4.5 hours, and that was on low. The first time I cooked it the chicken was partially frozen and it took about 8.5 hours. So, to anyone else making this recipe...check your chicken with a meat thermometer after 4 hours or so!
And it was just as delicious the second time, by the way. ;-)

Ah, yes. I remember the days when I had a full time job, two toddlers, and very little domestic help from the other adult in the house. Those were my "Ricearoni and fish sticks" days. And I had been such a good cook before then! I used my crockpot if and when I had time to assemble something before work or the night before. Even that was tough to manage. Seems I was always exhausted, the house was always a mess, and the laundry was never done.

Dawn, a lot of us have been there, and we just love YOU, so post when you can. I remember when Ashley was small she was so demanding that there were days when I didn't even get a shower, let alone dinner. Add some teething and shots and a cranky baby, and it's impossible to do much beyond peanut butter or cold cereal.

The forum HAS changed, and so have we, I think. I don't cook nearly as much as I used to because it's just me now, with Ashley in college and working full time. Elery likes to cook but I only see him a couple of times a month, and then there's that "low fat and healthy" diet thing I need to keep doing.

Some of us have kids, some are in school or have gone back, some have divorced or married, it's the ebb and tide of life. Like Lyra said, it's a social thing, much of the time, and cooking is simply the glue that brought us together. Our concern for each other keeps us here.

Annie

" Seems I was always exhausted, the house was always a mess, and the laundry was never done. "

Exhaustion, check! House a mess, check! Laundry not done, check! LOL Add to that achy back from toting around an 18 lb 6 month old, and a liberal dose of grouchiness, blend well, season with a 3 year old boy and a husband who doesn't know where the dishwasher or laundry hamper is, fold in gently, bake for 24 hours 7 days a week, and you might get chili mac for supper... again. Or you might get my life.

Don't get me wrong, I love my guys, I really do. I'm sorry I was grouchy here.

Jessy, Klingon is right! Well, minus the forehead ridges. But he's got the growling down, he likes to bite and has sharp teeth with which to do so, LOL. Clingon.... *giggles*

Annie, thanks. :)

Ok, I'll post when I can, drool over the food porn, and know in my heart that I will eventually serve nice dinners again instead of Zatarains.

mandogirl,
yes, I forgot to mention that! When I read the recipe for time I expected it to say 4 hours. It said NINE! I thought, no way it's going to take 9 hours for this bird to get done. I checked it after about 5 hours and it was done done done. But still very moist, I guess because all that liquid was keeping it moist.

As for clean houses & done laundry, well, when kids are young, there's no time for that! There will be plenty of time once they're grown!

Dawn don't feel bad, I am not cooking or posting as much as I used to. I am working three jobs and almost constantly on the road with one thing or another related to a job. I often don't even have time to pack a lunch and eat breakfast before I'm out the door, so I'm eating a lot of pre-packaged stuff which is death to the figure and the palate. It bums me out too.
One trick is when you do squeeze in some time to cook, make a huge batch of whatever it is and freeze for later. That's what I do. My freezer is now my lifeline. Doesn't work for everything, but chicken and soups in the crockpot are ideal for doing that. Other meats too, but since I don't do meat I don't have that much experience. I almost always make soup on Sunday though, and have soup every day of the week afterwards, sometimes for 7 whole days!