My recent obsession with slow cooking has been a revelation, never did I think that you could cook a whole chicken and have it fall-apart tender!
To be honest, I was always afraid that the slow cooking method would take too long, or somehow, the meats would still be raw because of the low heat (illogical I know!). But the Morphy Richards Accents Sear & Stew Slow Cooker has been so useful!
The advantage with an aluminium based slow cooker is that you can put it directly on the hob and brown meats, cook out spices so that they don’t have that harsh, raw taste and bring everything up to temperature before putting in the base to do it’s thing! Amazing!
This way, the cooking time is shortened. You can always still bung things into it in the morning and let it go all day. Perfect for those long shifts at work, or if you want to head out for a day of retail therapy/ fun with the family and return to a meal that has almost magically cooked itself!
This slow cooked roast chicken is definitely the best, ideal for Sunday lunch with the family, simply put everything together in the morning and it will be awaiting you proudly at lunch time.
Red onions, celery and garlic at the base of the pot.
I put a red onion and celery chopped into large pieces, with whole cloves of garlic, in the bottom of the pot, gently resting our prized poultry atop. The vegetables almost confit in the mixture of chicken stock and fat, so soft in fact, that you can enrich the gravy without having to blend it hardly at all…
Whole chicken seasoned and ready to cook.
There is no liquid added to this recipe, thus producing concentrated chicken stock from the bird itself. The chicken almost poaches/steams/braises all at the same time within its own juices. The meat is so moist, a simple prod with the tip of a knife will cause the juices to run in rivulets.
The chicken after the slow cooking process
Chicken stock with a layer of golden fat – keep this for the most delicious roast potatoes!
The juices are the base for the gravy, just skim off the fat and use in another recipe; I recommend my Crispy Roast Potatoes (coming soon!). When all the liquid has been decanted, we can proceed to sear the skin under the fierce heat of the grill. The chicken will be bronzed and triumphant!
Crisped skin and the most tender chicken you will ever taste…
Succulent Slow Cooker Roast Chicken
Succulent and moist roast chicken that will surely become a family favourite!
Ingredients
1 large chicken, approx. 1.5 – 2 kg
1 large red onion, roughly chopped
5 stalks celery, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, sliced in half
2 tbsp garlic powder
4 stalks fresh thyme (dried is fine)
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Place the roughly chopped onions, celery and garlic cloves in the bottom of the pot. Season with salt and pepper.
- Rest chicken on top of the vegetables. Season generously with salt, pepper and galic powder. Scatter thyme leaves on top.
- Pre-heat the slow cooker on high. Cook for 5 hrs* on high. The chicken will release a lot of liquid, this will help it steam/braise.
- Check the chicken after 5 hours and poke the thickest part of the breast/thigh to see if the juices run clear.
- Drain the juices, use for gravy and the fat for roast potatoes. 6.Grill the skin at 200’c until golden. Serve with all the trimmings!
- *I heated my chicken and veg on the hob for 5 mins before putting it into the slow cooker base, this shortened the cooking time. Please check and adjust according to the type of slow cooker you have. The cooking time may be longer in this case.
- You can add carrots to the base vegetable mix. Also use the softened onions, celery and garlic to give body to your gravy. Strain to get rid of any lumps if you wish
- You can add a couple tablespoons of water at the beginning to get the steaming process started.
- Try this roast chicken with my crispy roast potato recipe (coming soon).
The Kitchen Archive 