Slow cooker whole chicken with lemon, garlic and thyme
A whole chicken cooked until it falls off the bone, with lemony juices and sweet soft onions underneath. Finish it under the grill for golden skin.
- Time7 hrs
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £1.50 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Estimated nutrition per serving
- 667kcal
- 10.4gcarbs
- 5.3gof which sugars
- 17.5gfat
- 4.8gsaturates
- 113.3gprotein
- 3gfibre
- 1.9gsalt
A rough estimate worked out from the ingredients, for the serving size above. It is a guide only and not medical advice. If you count carbs or manage diabetes, check with your own tools and your care team.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Scatter the onions and carrots over the base of a 5 to 6.5 litre slow cooker and pour in the water. They make a rack so the chicken does not sit in its own juices.
- 2
Strip the leaves from 3 of the thyme sprigs. Mix them with the oil, lemon zest, paprika, salt and pepper. Rub this all over the chicken, and under the skin of the breast.
- 3
Squeeze the juice of one lemon half over the bird. Push the squeezed halves, the other lemon halves, the garlic and the other thyme sprigs into the cavity. Sit the chicken breast side up on the vegetables.
- 4
Put the lid on and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours, or on high for 3 and a half to 4 hours, until the legs wobble loose. The thickest part of the thigh should reach 75C and the juices run clear. Do not lift the lid while it cooks.
390 min - 5
Heat the grill to high. Lift the chicken onto a baking tray with two big spoons, as it will be very tender. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes until the skin is deep golden.
10 min - 6
Leave to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile strain the juices into a pan, spoon off the fat and simmer for 5 minutes until slightly reduced and savoury. Carve the chicken and serve with the soft vegetables and the juices.
5 min
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.
