Instead of slaving all day in a hot kitchen, make your whole chicken in the slow cooker instead. It turns out juicy and tender just like oven roasted, but is much easier. And it even comes with an amazing tasting gravy.
Homemade rub:
1 t. paprika
1 t. smoked paprika
1 t. seasoning salt, or to taste
½ t. garlic powder
½ t. black pepper
½ t. parsley
½ t. thyme
4 lb. small chicken
2 thick onion slices
2 T. olive oil
chicken stock/broth
4 T. cornstarch
4 T. water
Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl.
Rinse chicken with cold water; pat dry. Brush chicken with olive oil; rub seasoning into chicken.
If you don't have a little rack that sits on the bottom of the slow cooker, roll up balls of foil; place in the bottom of a 4 quart slow cooker with 2 thick onion slices. Place chicken on foil, breast side up so it is slightly lifted off the bottom of the slow cooker. Cover; cook on Low 7-8 hours or on High 4-5 hours.
Set oven to broil.
Remove chicken; place in a small pan; broil six inches from the broiler for 3-4 minutes for crispy skin, if desired. Let rest 10 minutes. Slice.
Gravy:
Remove foil and onion from slow cooker; turn slow cooker to High. Add stock/broth to make 2 cups of liquid.
In a small bowl, combine 4 T. cornstarch with 4 T. water to create a slurry.
Whisk about ⅔ of the cornstarch slurry into the drippings/stock; cook on High. You may need to add more of the slurry to get the desired consistency in the gravy. Cook about 5 minutes before serving.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve.
4 servings.