Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken

Name: Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 240 min
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken; 1 lemon; 1 teaspoon fresh thyme; 2 teaspoons fresh parsley; 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

If you love a moist, juicy chicken that is bursting with flavor and is super easy to make, wait until you try this delicious gluten free Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken recipe!! Even your pickiest eater will love this easy slow cooker chicken recipe! This recipe is naturally gluten free, paleo, dairy-free, Whole30, and keto!

top view of a whole chicken cooked in a slow cooker

Click for Table of Contents:

Why you will love this recipe:
Ingredients you need:
Instructions:
FAQ and Common Questions:
More Gluten Free Slow Cooker Recipes:
Side Dishes to Serve:
📋 Recipe

Fall is here and as the weather cools, I love to pull out my slow cooker so I can slowly cook our dinner all day. Flavors mesh together slowly, and penetrate the chicken in a scrumptious way! This healthy chicken dinner is always popular!

This chicken can feed a family of four, plus provide some leftovers...or it will feed one growing hungry teen boy :-). I am kidding but wow, a teen boy can sure pack away the food! This chicken dinner is a great budget recipe.

Top Tip: When the chicken is done, you can boil the bones with water, salt/pepper, vegetables and make a chicken bone broth that can be used to make a homemade soup. You get two for one this way!

Why you will love this recipe:

You are going to love this crock pot lemon chicken recipe because it is so easy to make. directions to show you how to cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker.

This is what I call a dump and go recipe, meaning you put all of the ingredients into your slow cooker at once, cover, and turn it on. There are no pre-cooking steps needed!

Ingredients you need:

A whole chicken - I try to aim for 3 pounds but if your slow cooker is small, it is okay to make a smaller chicken.
Lemons - you will need fresh lemons so you have slices to insert under the skin.
Fresh herbs like thyme and parsley.
Garlic - you can mince garlic cloves or use jarred minced garlic.
Olive oil - you can also use butter if you like a buttery chicken.

This slow cooker recipe has all of the good stuff, fresh herbs, juicy lemon...and it tastes incredible. If you love using fresh herbs in your cooking, why not try growing fresh herbs in your kitchen?

Instructions:

There are only three simple steps to make this gluten free slow cooker chicken recipe.

Step 1: Add your chopped herbs, minced garlic, and olive oil to a small bowl and mix.

a raw chicken with seasoning stuffed under the skin

Step 2: Peel up the skin and use a spoon to pour some of the herb mix under the skin. Spread it around. This delicious flavor is going to slow cook right into your chicken! Rub the extra seasoning on the outside of the chicken.

Step 3: Insert the lemon slices under the skin over the herb seasoning.

Step 4: Cover and turn it on high to cook for 4-5 hours and low to cook for 6-7 hours. That is it! It is a very popular dump recipe!

FAQ and Common Questions:

Can you cook a frozen chicken in the slow cooker?

You can cook a frozen chicken in the slow cooker, but it is going to take an EXTRA 4-6 hours to cook your chicken. In my recipe, it will be harder because I season the chicken under the skin so that the flavors seep into the meat. This can't happen if your chicken is frozen.

Is it dangerous to cook chicken in a slow cooker?

It is not dangerous to cook chicken in a slow cooker. When the chicken is done, it is very important to check the internal temperature before eating. You want to make sure your chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Should you flip the chicken when it is cooking in the slow cooker?

Nope, leave the chicken and try to resist the temptation of opening the lid. Your chicken will cook better if let to cook undisturbed.

How do you prevent the chicken from drying out?

When cooking a whole chicken in the slow cooker, it will release a lot of moisture. This will prevent your chicken from drying out.

More Gluten Free Slow Cooker Recipes:

If you are into easy recipes, here are more delicious easy 5 ingredient slow cooker recipes:

While you are here, you may want to check out all of my delicious Gluten Free Chicken recipes on the blog. They are kid-approved and super easy to make.

Side Dishes to Serve:

If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave me a rating and a comment. I LOVE hearing from you!! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest to see even more delicious recipes!

📋 Recipe