Aargh aargh aargh chicken in a slow cooker!

[silverten]

I thought I was being really clever there. I read a nice-sounding recipe involving chicken and slow cookers the other night on MN and was seized by the impulse to do it whilst shopping this afternoon.

I now have a whole chicken, lots of nice veg, and can't find the recipe... all I can remember is that it involved balls of tin foil and was on the mysterious slow cooker thread, which was so mysterious it seems to have vanished. I have searched to no avail.

What will happen if I just bung it all in, add a bit of water and leave it for a few hours? Will it taste nice, or be a massive disappointment that will make me wish I'd just bought the ready-made chicken pie instead?

Just bung it in. That is my tried and tested chicken in slow cooker method

I just stick the whole chicken in, no water absolutely delicious falls off the bone.

Be very sparing with water or you may be ankle deep by the end.

I have successfully kept it simple with crumpled foil (to give air flow and juices dripping space) to rest the carcass on. No added liquid.Put lid on top. Switch on. Eat after some hours.

Not even convinced about the foil either

God yes, no water needs adding. I used chopped purdies or onions to put the chikcen on as then the stock you cna ladle out of the bottom is lovely and thick and tasty ready for soup.

Thank you! I may skip the foil, but use just a tiny dribble of water to stop it sticking to the bottom to start with.

Would you recommend browning the outside bits in a frying pan first, do you think? I have a horrible feeling it might look like I've boiled someone's head if I don't- all pink and raw and weird.

What are purdies, though?

I reckon browning is a good idea

Leave till it is cooked to brown, don't do it at the start. You will be trying to colour a cold piece of meat and will practically have to cook it to make any difference. Or you will just burn odd patches.

I never brown, a whole roast will brown itself in the cooker. I chucked some chicken legs and half a jar of pesto in the other day when I was in a rush and couldn't think what else and it actually went crispy!

purdies are potatoes, sorry

Thank you. After a night of very little sleep (DD has a nasty cough) I am in no fit state to be buggering about with raw chickens.

I shall just be bunging it all in with a few bits of veg, and curling up on the settee with some hot chocolate.

[we should have a bleary-eyed emoticon]

Ugh at boiling someone's head :o you have now put me off my chicken dinner...

I've cooked a while chicken with a few herbs and maybe half a lemon up it's bum inside the cavity and no water. It tasted delicious but you need to take the skin off before serving as it stays slimy and pale. Not too sure about adding veg too though.
Was the slow cooker thread the 'i've decided to embrace Autumn' thread? Sorry I've not got time to look through it for you

whole chicken. Obviously. Bloody iPhone

I have been known to put a whole chicken in, stick the lid on and go. Sometimes life is too short to fanny about with raw chickens

I do add thyme and a lemon if I can be arsed. Occasioanlly.

Currently I have a joint of beef in some OJ in mine. Testing a christmas recipe.

I do a whole chicken on a bed of leeks, onion & carrots.

I chuck a stock cube over the chicken and just turn it on

I do crisp the chicken for about 30-45 mins (depending on size) at the end in the oven when I put the roast spuds in.

As others have said it is yummy, and the meat just falls of the bone though.

I would not add any liquid at all tbh.

Coincidentally that is almost exactly what I did, simpson, except no stock cube.

Lovely tasty chicken, however I did need to add liquid after a couple of hours because the leeks were charring, tbh. Perhaps it depends on whether your chicken has added water or not?

I have just chanelled Martha Stewart and made a pint of stock from the bones, and a chicken, leek and mushroom pie from the chicken we didn't scoff yesterday. Nom nom nom.

Tomorrow I will make roast butternut squash soup with the stock and the squash I so-thriftily roasted whilst cooking the pie.

I have loads of tender, yummy leftover chicken with which to do something else creative. With luck I should spin this chook out for the whole week!