No need to run to the grocery store… you can make an amazingly flavorful and crispy rotisserie chicken at home, right in the slow cooker!
Having a rotisserie chicken on hand is like the ultimate ace in the hole… you can serve it up as is, or shred it and use it for SO many recipes! Now you don’t have to pick one up from the grocery store… you can make your own, with your own seasonings, with barely any work required!
If you’re like me, you use store-bought rotisserie chickens quite a bit. I mean, they’re just SO versatile! But they can also be expensive, and elusive. Our local grocery store only has so many, and if you’re not one of the lucky few to grab one, you’re out of luck. Boo to that!
So when I saw a method for cooking a whole chicken in a slow cooker, I knew I had to try my hand at making my own “rotisserie” style version!
The result? An amazing rotisserie style chicken that’s every bit as tender and juicy as the store-bought variety!
HOW TO MAKE ROTISSERIE CHICKEN AT HOME
There are two main ways to make one at home… the slow cooker and the oven. You could also make one on a grill, but for most people that’s not a year-round option.
HOW LONG TO COOK ROTISSERIE CHICKEN IN AN OVEN
For a 4-5 lb chicken, you’ll want to roast it at 425 F degrees for 70-85 minutes, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 F degrees. To keep it from drying out in the hot oven, baste periodically with the juices accumulated in the pan.
HOW TO MAKE ROTISSERIE CHICKEN IN THE SLOW COOKER
The tips you’ve been waiting for!
- Make sure the chicken will fit into the slow cooker without touching the lid. I don’t have any problems in my 6 or 7 quart slow cooker, but smaller ones might be a problem.
- You want to keep the chicken off the bottom of the slow cooker, so it won’t be sitting in liquid. The easiest way to do this is to create 4 balls of aluminum foil (or a long foil snake), and rest the chicken on top of that.
- Make sure you’ve taken out the gizzards and any other innards. The chickens at my grocery store come with the innards in a bag inside the chicken, which is easy to remove.
- Pat the chicken dry, both inside and out.
- Don’t add any liquid to the slow cooker. I know it may seem odd, but the chicken will give off plenty of juices as it cooks.
- For the crispiest skin, drizzle cooked chicken (after it’s finished in the slow cooker) with olive oil and broil on HIGH for several minutes until skin is crispy.
Once you try this recipe and see how incredibly EASY it is to make rotisserie chicken at home, you’ll be making it often!
WAYS TO USE A ROTISSERIE CHICKEN
You can slice it up and eat it as is, maybe with a side of horseradish mashed potatoes and crispy cheddar broccoli… or here are a few great ways you an use the shredded chicken.
- Chicken Taco Mexican Pinwheels
- Cheesy Tortilla Chicken Casserole
- Chicken and Mushroom Chowder
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip
Not only would this rotisserie chicken recipe be fabulous for a weeknight dinner, it’s amazing for a weekend family meal, or even gracing your holiday table this year!
TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS ROTISSERIE CHICKEN RECIPE
- Slow Cooker – this slow cooker is large, and has a clamp-down lid… it’s my go-to, and is really affordable!
- Aluminum foil – the heavy duty variety is best here, as it doesn’t squish down as much.
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Ingredients
- 4 - 5 lb whole chicken, innards removed
- 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add 4 balls of aluminum foil to bottom of large slow cooker to create a rack for the chicken to cook on. Prepare chicken by removing innards and patting dry, both inside and out.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients, then rub mixture all over chicken. Place chicken in slow cooker on top of the foil balls.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours, until juices run clear and chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 F degrees.
- For crispy skin, preheat broiler to HIGH and place chicken on a large rimmed baking sheet that's been lined with foil (for easy clean up). Drizzle chicken with olive oil and broil for several minutes, or until crisped to your liking.
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Chef Tips
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
LT says
Great! Recommend substituting halved potatoes for aluminum foil balls- then you have baked potatoes for a side!
Susan Stockman says
I’ve made this before & it was very good. The recipe is a bit thyme-heavy, so, you might want to use less. I used the foil balls underneath, so the chicken didn’t sit in the liquid & I broiled it afterwards to make the skin crispy.
Z says
Followed recipe to a T! Except at the end I drizzled the chicken with melted butter before broiled on high cause yum! Lol was perfect
Christine says
Tried it and liked it a lot!!
Carla Harold says
The last time I tried this it turned out a little dry. I’m making it again today. I’m rubbing the spices under the skin and am going to cook 2 hours then check the temp. I love how easy it it!
Alison says
This was fab. I slow cooked it on low for 6 hours it was so tender it didn’t come out of the cooker in 1 piece so next time I’ll do it on high for 4 hours- sliced the breast and put it in a Cesar salad
Terri says
Made this beginning of summer. It turned out soooooo good. Making it again on Packer Sunday……can’t wait to have it again. 🏈
Bob mck says
I cooked in crock pot for 8 hrs on low ; and a little dry but no rotissary taste and I used the recipe Sorry to disappoint🙈🙈🙈
The Chunky Chef says
Everyone has different tastes, and it sounds like this just isn’t the recipe for you.
Donna says
When placed in the slow cooker, is it breast side down? Or up??
Amanda says
I do breast side up 🙂
Kristal says
Hi Amando thanks for the delicious recipe. How long do I cook it on high in the crock pot for??? Thanks again 😊
Amanda says
Hi Kristal 🙂 Generally about half the time for cooking on high.
Carol mantia says
I put potatoes on the bottom instead of foil it was delious
Mesha says
good idea, I will try the potatoes on the bottom.
Ryan says
Reply to Mesha & RC* – I cooked a chicken using RC*’s suggestion to add veggies underneath the chicken. Not something I will do again. The chicken tasted like a roast chicken, not a rotisserie chicken. I believe adding the veggies created more liquid and so the chicken basically steam cooked. I should have listened to Amanda’s point about not adding any liquid to the pot. I made it again using the original recipe and doubled the smoked paprika and it turned out just like the one’s I pick up at the warehouse stores.
RC* says
Along with the potatoes, you can also add in carrots, onions, etc. Use your favorites.
Marcy Decker says
I’ve made this several times from your recipe and it’s delicious! Thanks for the simple and clear recipe about how to make Rotiserre Chicken at home.
Colleen B says
Thanks Amanda, I made this and it was top notch and have added it to my list of will definitely make over and over. Looking forward to more recipes you have to offer
Lygia says
Tried this on Low for 8hrs. Fall-off-the-bone good!
Broiled for 2mins. Beautiful!
Dorie says
Cook on low for how long?
Amanda says
I would say about 8 hours.
Penny Lee Kudrick says
There was a spice I didn’t like but I didn’t know which one it was. I used a bed of big carrots and put the chicken in breast side down. I cooked for 2 hours on low and 1 hour and 45 minutes on high and it was falling apart. I have a really hot slow cooker, I have to really watch it.
Nancy says
I made this today with great results. Some commenters said their chicken was dry. I used a chicken with one of those pop up thermometers. It popped up around 3-1/2 hours on high in my crock pot. So maybe you can use that as a guide on cooking time for a juicier bird.
Kent A. says
looks like a tasty recipe, but I would recommend slow cooking breast side down so it can absorb some of the juices, and then flip and broil to crisp the skin. This is similar to the upside down turkey method that works so well for keeping the white meat from drying out.
Cindy says
Tried this recipe using 8 chicken drumsticks, only! UM-Um good! The chicken was very moist and flavorful. I followed the directions with only 1 small variance: i drizzled d oil over my drumsticks prior to doing the rub. Cooked in my slow cooker on High for 3.5 hours. Chicken turned out crispy, golden brown! Love it!