Slow Cooker Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots
Tender, juicy, and incredibly simple to prepare, Slow Cooker Chicken with Potatoes is a satisfying one-pot meal made with whole chicken, potatoes, carrots, garlic, and a hit of flavor from balsamic vinegar.
This whole chicken in a slow cooker?
It’s kind of a big deal.
It’s basically everything you’re looking for in an oven-roasted or rotisserie chicken, only way easier because all you need to do is to rub a chicken with some dried spices and drop it into a slow cooker along with some veggies.
Boom. So easy. So good.
I love that the potatoes and carrots cook right along with the chicken in the crockpot, too, so it’s basically an entire meal in one pot.
Add a quick little spinach or romaine salad and dinner is completely done.
Tips for the Best Slow Cooker Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots
For a prettier presentation, place the chicken breast-side up. For juicer breast meat, place the chicken breast-side down.
Strain the liquid left in the bottom of the slow cooker and use it to drizzle over the chicken in addition to the balsamic sauce, or as a base for soups or stews.
If you’re short on time or just want a basic option, skip the balsamic sauce and simply use the dried spice mix.
Carefully transfer the chicken to a sheet pan and broil on high for a few minutes if you want the skin to be crispy.
Serving and Storing Suggestions
Serve the chicken whole, family-style, or shredded with two forks.
Store or freeze leftover shredded chicken for salads later in the week.
A 6-quart slow cooker definitely works best for this recipe, allowing enough room for all the veggies and the entire chicken.
That way dinner cooks while I’m at work or while we’re off playing on the weekend.
There really is nothing better than coming home to dinner already done.
Especially when it’s this one!
Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker Tips & Tricks
This recipe is perfect for the warmer months because you can make an entire chicken dinner without heating up the house.
It’s also just right for cooler months, as nothing is more homey or inviting than a whole chicken and veggies for dinner.
To make this chicken extra special, I added a quick garlic balsamic sauce to flavor during the cooking process and to serve alongside for drizzling or dipping.
If you’re short on time, feel free to skip this step, but if you have a few extra minutes give it a try. It really takes the entire meal over the top.
I hope you love this one.
Now, let’s make Slow Cooker Garlic Balsamic Whole Chicken!
Recipe Adaptations and Ingredient Substitutions
1 | If you’re short on time or just want a basic option, skip the balsamic sauce and simply use the dried spice mix.
2 | Carefully transfer the chicken to a sheet pan and broil on high for a few minutes if you want the skin to be crispy.
3 | Serve the chicken whole, family style, or shredded with two forks.
4 | Store or freeze leftover shredded chicken for salads later in the week.
THIS RECIPE IS . . .
Dairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreePaleoWhole30
Slow Cooker Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 4-pound whole chicken, giblets removed
- 1 pound baby potatoes, sliced into halves
- 1 pound carrots
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Garlic Balsamic Sauce
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the minced garlic, balsamic, and rosemary. Stream in the olive oil, whisking until well incorporated.
- Add the potatoes and carrots to a 6-quart slow cooker. Add half the spice mixture (about 1 ½ teaspoon) and 1 tablespoon balsamic sauce, tossing to coat.
- Sprinkle the remaining spice mixture on the chicken, rubbing to cover the bird and under the skin.
- Place the chicken on top of the vegetables. Pour over 1 tablespoon balsamic sauce. Set aside the remaining balsamic sauce for serving.
- Cover and cook until breast registers 165 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker. It will be so tender that it may fall apart, though using two spatulas helps the process. If you’d like the chicken to have crispy skin, place it on a baking sheet and broil on high for 3-4 minutes.
- Serve the chicken along with the potatoes and carrots, sprinkled with rosemary, and with the extra balsamic sauce on the side for drizzling or dipping.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
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Looks amazing! I got a slow cooker as an early Christmas present and am pretty excited about trying it out!
Oh, yay, love that Katherine. I hope you enjoy this one! 🙂
This was so delicious, tender and juicy – and super easy! Thanks for a great recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this one, Katherine! 🙂
We made this yesterday morning before leaving for the day. My oldest measured out the seasonings and made the sauce while my youngest scrubbed potatoes. We didn’t have carrots but subbed in large unpeeled rounds of sweet potato. There is enough leftover for another meal or a blended soup and everyone liked it. I served with steamed broccoli. The bones went back in the crockpot with the skin, some veggie scraps from the freezer and extra garlic and cooked all night.
Karen, love that your children were able to assist with prep and that you were able to swap in what you had on hand. And love that you made a broth with the leftovers! 🙂
Would a 4 quart crock pot still work for this?
Alecia, if you can find a very small chicken it might work. A 6-quart is definitely the best option for a whole chicken. 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight and my entire family, even my pickiest son, all raved about this chicken! Cooking this in the slow cooker made dinner so easy, perfect for our spring ball practice nights. Thank you for a such a delicious and healthy recipe, I’ll definitely be adding this to our menu in the future!
Marissa, I’m so glad you and your crew enjoyed this one! 🙂
Honestly the most tasty whole chicken I’ve ever cooked!!! Fell right off the bone. So much flavor! Everyone loved it! Yay!
Amanda, yay, so glad you enjoyed this one!!
Wow! This was so tasty! There was a lot of "gravy" in the bottom of the crockpot, so we used that instead of the balsamic for serving. Delicious!
Yay, so glad you enjoyed this one, Heather!
I could not be more blown away by this recipe! Absolutely delicious yet so easy and simple to make. Followed the recipe exactly with one exception- I substituted with sweet potatoes because I can’t eat night shades – still delicious!
Make this you won’t be disappointed!
Britney, yay, so happy you enjoyed this one. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
I made this for my family tonight and it was AMAZING! I followed the recipe exactly and made the skin crispy in the broiler as well. My entire family loved it and the flavor was perfect. Definitely will make again!
Yay, so happy to hear this was a hit! That crispy skin definitely takes it to the next level. Thanks so much for leaving a reivew!
Can you I use turkey breast instead of a whole chicken?
Isabelle, I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work, though you might have to adjust the cook time. If you give it a try let us know who it turns out!
Made this recipe today. Followed instructions as listed. I did red potatoes in half but weren’t quite soft enough so I think next time I’ll chop them smaller. Other than that it was great flavor. Even my picky eater liked the flavor
Nicole, thanks for the note on the potatoes, we’ve found cook time can also depend on how fresh the specific potatoes are in addition to the specific variety. Definitely a good bet to cut them in quarters if they were weren’t quite cooked. Glad you enjoyed and thanks so much for leaving a review!