Heather says
I honestly don’t know why this recipe is called “sticky chicken”, I have the feeling it is a recipe that has evolved over the years and doesn’t exactly resemble its origins or maybe it was a family nickname. This recipe for chicken in the crockpot was a favorite on a message board I frequented a decade ago and the printed out scrap has followed me around through a few moves. It is time to share it on Home Ec 101.
If you have a large slow-cooker, you can use a bigger bird and an oven bag will work just fine in place of the plastic wrap.
: Slow-Cooker Sticky Chicken
: Tender “roast” chicken in the crockpot
- 1 fully-thawed roasting chicken (as opposed to a fryer)
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 peeled cloves of garlic
- 4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (omit if you would prefer)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ( a few grinds) of black pepper
- Enough carrots or carrots and celery to layer on the bottom of your slow-cooker. This will vary based on the size of your appliance.
 The morning or evening before:
- In a small bowl combine all of the spices.
- Remove the giblets from your chicken and set aside (for some other recipe if you would like).
- Rinse the chicken, including the cavity well. Inspect your chicken for any remaining feathers, pluck and discard.
- Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken, yes, even up inside the cavity.
- Place the chicken either in a large resealable plastic bag or a bowl covered in plastic wrap and place back in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook it.
Day of:
- Layer the carrots and celery in the bottom of your slow-cooker and turn it to low.
- Smash the garlic cloves or chop them roughly
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and plastic.
- Place the chopped onions and garlic in the cavity of the chicken.
- Set the chicken in the slow-cooker, cover, and cook for 8 – 10 hours.
- If you prefer a crisper skin, you can carefully remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place it under the broiler for a few minutes.
- This is a matter of personal preference only.
- Serve with the cooked vegetables. (And the drippings make an excellent gravy)
Enjoy!
I love chicken in the slow cooker. Make life so much easier! I normally use paprika, oregano, onion powder, salt and pepper. Will try your seasonings soon! Thank you.
What’s the difference between a roasting chicken and frying chicken? And are they labeled that way? I don’t think I have ever noticed that before.
What would happen if you used a fryer in this recipe?
Great question:
Size and age.
Fryers are generally young chickens while roasting hens are larger and older. With fryer chickens the meat the smaller pieces ensure that the entire piece can be cooked using fast methods such as frying. Larger birds would burn on the outside before the internal temperature was safe to consume.
Roasting hens also had enough time to develop a layer of fat that bastes the meat during slower cooking processes such as roasting and braising.
In this case, the reason a roasting hen is recommended is due to the cooking time. If you have a 3 – 4lb chicken, it’ll likely be done in less time and may become over-cooked in the recommended 8 hour timeframe recommended by this recipe.