Slow Cooker Roast Chicken with Gravy
This was submitted by a Pure Poultry Client - that said this recipe was great because she was not used to cooking a whole chicken, and this turned out wonderful! So way to go and do not be afraid of the whole chicken, we have lots of recipes!!
In the past, I’ve always had crappy results when I’ve tried to cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker. The bird would always be overcooked, stringy, mushy, and dry. Super icky. Last night, I cooked a whole chicken in my slow cooker and it was AMAZING! I‘ll never prepare a whole chicken any other way again. Yes, that was a hyperbolic statement but I’m sticking with it.
The method I followed was a mash-up between Sarah Fragoso’s Spice Rub Crock Pot Chicken and the chicken in a pot recipe from Slow Cooker Revolution. I heart both, so how could I fail?
Ingredients:
4-5 pound PURE POULTRY chicken (I prefer the taste of the salt-washed bird)
2 tablespoons of ghee
2 onions, chopped medium (or 2 cups of your favorite alliums)
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon tomato paste (you can use up to a tablespoon to add more umami)
¼ cup chicken stock
¼ cup white wine (replace with ¼ cup extra chicken stock if on Whole30)
Sunny Paris seasoning (or your favorite seasoning)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Here’s what you do:
Gather and chop up your veggies…
…and melt the ghee in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions and garlic (I threw in some scallions, too)…
…and add the tomato paste.
The aromatics should be softened and lightly browned after 8-10 minutes. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste.
Then, deglaze the pan with the wine and/or chicken stock, and transfer everything to your slow cooker. Dry off the bird and season it well – inside and out – with salt, pepper, and your favorite poultry seasoning. (I like Sunny Paris seasoning from Penzeys Spices.)
Place the chicken breast side down in the slow cooker, put on the cover, and set it to cook on low for 4-6 hours.
This bird was close to 4 pounds, so I aimed for about 4.5 hours of simmering.
When the chicken’s finished cooking…
…take it out of the slow cooker and let it rest for 20 minutes.
De-fat the braising sauce…
…check for seasoning, and blend it with an immersion blender…
… to make a delicious gravy.
This gravy is kickass!
Rip up the chicken up with your hands like a true cavegirl or caveguy…
…and serve it with the gravy.
My favorite thing about this recipe is the breast stays moist! Love it! Don’t ever cook chicken longer than 6 hours on low!
And DON’T FORGET TO SAVE THE GRAVY! It’s pretty much incredible on everything.
