Fauxtisserie Chicken

Our Best Bites has a neat approach to roasting a chicken in your crock pot. The chicken rests on rolled up balls of foil to promote air circulation and prevent the bottom of the chicken from getting dry and over-cooked.  I tried this out over the weekend with great results!  Check out their post for step-by-step photos and a more detailed recipe.


At $3.49 for the chicken, a $.99 garlic bulb and $1.99 for a box of fresh thyme, this came out to the same cost as a grocery store rotisserie chicken, price-wise. Taste-wise, it was way better. The meat fell off the bones and it was seasoned just the way I like it.  In the summertime, when we are growing our own herbs it would be more cost-effective.  (In all fairness, the leftover fresh herbs and garlic can be used for some yummy roasted potatoes to go along with this for a great side-dish...)

INGREDIENTS:

1 whole chicken
Seasoning salt
5-6 whole garlic cloves, peeled
Fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, and/or sage)

DIRECTIONS:
Make 3 balls of aluminum foil and place them in the bottom of your slow cooker. These hold the chicken off the bottom so the hot air can circulate all around the chicken and so it’s not stewing in its own juices.

Rinse chicken, including the cavity, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the chicken on its back so the breast is facing up and the legs are on the plate. Pull the skin up all around the chicken.  Slice a few garlic cloves in half lengthwise and stick them under the skin. You can also arrange a couple sprigs of fresh herbs under the skin. This makes a very pretty chicken when it’s all cooked and adds a lot of flavor.

Rub salt-based seasoning VERY liberally onto the skin of the chicken. Place chicken breast-up on the foil in the slow cooker, cover, turn heat to low, and leave it alone for 7-8 hours.