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!
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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, provide some leftovers, or 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, and vegetables and make a chicken bone broth that can be used to make a homemade soup. You get two for one this way!
Check out all of my easy gluten free slow cooker recipes. You may also like my Gluten Free Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie recipe.
Why you will love this recipe:
You will 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 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?
This is the slow cooker I own. I bought it a couple of years ago, and it is still going strong! This Crock Pot can hold a whole 3-pound chicken and does a great job cooking!
- Holds a lot of food
- Easy cleanup
- Cooks evenly
- It doesn't have an auto-switch from high to low temp
Recipe step-by-step directions:
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.
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!
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
You can cook a frozen chicken in the slow cooker, but it will 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.
It is not dangerous to cook chicken in a slow cooker. When the chicken is done, it is essential to check the internal temperature before eating. You want to ensure your chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Nope, leave the chicken and resist the temptation of opening the lid. Your chicken will cook better if let to cook undisturbed.
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:
Recipe
Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken * see note
- 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Remove the chicken from the packaging and put onto a large plate.
- Peel up the skin under the chicken breasts.
- Slice lemon in thin round slices.
- In a bowl, combine the minced garlic, chopped herbs, and olive oil. Stir to mix.
- With a spoon, pour the herb blend under the skin in the chicken breasts. Make sure to get way deep under the skin so the flavors will slow cook into the chicken.
- Insert the lemon slices under the skin and pull the skin back over them.
- Rub the extra herb mixture all over the outside of the skin along the chicken breast, legs, thighs, and wings.
- Add the chicken to the slow cooker.
- Optional: add vegetables to the slow cooker around the chicken.
- Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on low temperature for 6-7 hours, or high temperature for 4 hours. Check the internal temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should read 165 F degrees.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- If there are giblets, remove them from their paper wrap and put them in the slow cooker.
- You can substitute butter for the olive oil if you are not dairy-free.
- The chicken will be very tender and may fall apart easily when you try to lift it from the slow cooker. Be careful of the hot juices.
- This chicken will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
If you love the recipes you find on my blog, I would love for you to sign up for my newsletter (and get my free gluten free lemon dessert e-cookbook!)
This post was updated from an older June 2015 post with more details and easier-to-follow directions.
This was guest posted by me on A Day In CandiLand back in 2019.
Meagen
This came out so well! We loved it and I love that the slow cooker does all the work for me! We will make this one again I'm sure, very yummy!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you liked it Meagen!
Lauren Kleiman
I love that you put the seasoning under the skin giving the chicken that extra flavor that makes it so good.
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you so much Lauren.
Amanda Kanashiro
This sounds so good! I love lemon and chicken, I'm gonna have to head over and get the recipe!
Sandi Gaertner
You will love how easy it is...perfect for those busy school nights!
Ashley
This has all of the info I was looking for! I will definitely make lemon chicken again. Thanks for sharing!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you liked it 🙂
Suzy
Love how easy this sounds to make! Hoping over and checking this out!
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you, enjoy Suzy 🙂