Crock Pot Roast Chicken

When I’m in a rush and I really just have no time to make dinner, or I know I won’t have time after work, I make crockpot roast chicken. It’s a really simple recipe that doesn’t require very much prep. It’s very popular with my children. It takes about 15 minutes to prepare it. However, there is a slight catch, because you must prepare it 8-12 hours ahead of the time period that you will need it. What I like to do is the night before a very busy day I will prepare crock pot chicken and put it on low overnight in my crockpot.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 whole chicken prepared for cooking
• 4 baby potatoes
• 4 carrots
• 4 celery sticks
• 2 onions
• 1 Tbsp butter
• salt
• pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Select a healthy sized whole chicken from your freezer and thaw in a bowl in the fridge the morning before you cook.
2. Wash all vegetables and quarter the baby potatoes, the carrots, the celery sticks, and the onions.
3. Place the quartered vegetables in the bottom of your crockpot. Arrange so that each quarter of the crockpot has its own potato, carrot, celery stick, and half an onion.
4. Place the tablespoon of butter sliced thinly over each quarter of the crockpot’s vegetables.
5. Rinse off the chicken and place breast side up on top of the vegetables.
6. Cover the crock pot with its lid and place on low for the next 12 hours.
7. Be sure to check the crockpot at 8 hours with a meat thermometer to see if the chicken is finished cooking early. When the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit it is finished.
8. Serve one potato one carrot one celery stick 1/2 an onion and one quarter of the chicken to each guest. This serves for people.

TIPS:

• Generally speaking, it is best to plan this meal in advance. It can be used for Sunday dinners or to get dinner on the table quickly after ball practice. It is also great to bring to potlucks because it stays warm and can feed a crowd.
• Other spices can be used such as Cajun rub, cayenne pepper for an extra spicy dish, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, or even Gram Marsala. A favorite way to cook this dish is to add diced tomatoes, Rosemary, and oregano, about 15 minutes before serving.
• While no sides are necessary for this dish, it does pair well with a side salad or a light fruit salad.
• Make sure to check the temperature of the chicken before serving with an analog or digital meat thermometer to make sure it’s safe to consume. Poultry should always be 165 degrees Fahrenheit in order to be considered thoroughly cooked. To check the temperature of poultry, place the meat thermometer deep into the breast of the chicken and wait until the meat thermometer is finished. For a digital thermometer it will usually beep to signal that it is finished taking the temperature. For an analog thermometer or a dial thermometer it will simply stop rising on the dial or the glass.
• Always use a meat thermometer and never a candy or fever thermometer for checking if meat is thoroughly done.