Best way to slow cook a whole chicken - and have crispy skin?

[loverstryst]

I am the new owner of a slow cooker. I want to try cooking a whole chicken.

Any cooking advice/recipes really welcome - and what's the best way to get the skin crispy? Brown before or after?

I would brown it in a pan beforehand. Although I found you never get it as crisp as when you roast it though.

I cannot imagine trying to brown a whole chicken

we have a slow cooker and have never had crispy skin on a chicken done on it. You might need to take it out of the slow cooker when its nearly done and bung it in a very hot oven for the last few mins? Stuff done in a slow cooker is very moist, your meat will have a different texture to a roasted chicken and I prefer the slow cooked version even though the skin is not crispyl

I never brown anything that I put in my slow cooker. I just bung the meat and veg in and leave it. Anything else is faff and extra washing up that defeats the purpose of an easy slow cooker imo.

It's no easy tasks and requires four hands and many large forks!

Yes I know slow cooker meat is different texture

Someone suggested making a 'sling' out of silver foil that draped across bottom of cooker bowl and over edge. Then you can cradle the chicken out at end?

Otherwise I may try browning gently before

I do the sling and bung in a hot oven for 15 mins when I want crispy skin

Make sure you don't have too much liquid in there to start with and then if you have some of that spray oil give it just a little spray Of oil (or I guess rub just a little oil in if you haven't got any spray). Then put any herbs or whatnots on top that you were planning to. Plus a knob or 3 of butter if you like it. Be careful not to use too much oil.

It isn't perfectly crispy but it's a hell of a lot better than when there's no oil on it!

Oh and a pair of turkey forks for lifting it out work wonders.

I am also learning how to use my slow cooker. I've tried two methods with chicken. 1. Brown in a frying pan, then SC, and 2. SC, then transfer to a hot oven for last half hour ( my SC has an oven proof dish so a bit easier with my model). 2. was much easier and much tastier! Plus you don't look like a lunatic as you attempt to turn an enormous recalcitrant chicken in a small frying pan!

Btw for no 2 I just put the chicken in the SC - no fat, no oil, no butter, nothing. The chicken fat rendered down and it was delicious. Then spooned the fat over as it went in the oven.

Chicken doesn't brown very well in a slow cooker. Pop it under the grill to crisp up the skin then wrap in tin foil and leave it to rest.

AFTER YOU HAVE COOKED IT Pop it under the grill to crisp up the skin then wrap in tin foil and leave it to rest.

Sorry

How long and which temp do you do it on in the Sc? On low for 10ish hours?

I did it on high for 4.5 hours then 30 mins in oven. Next time I will do high for 6 hours and 15 mins in oven. In my SC book it says chicken should always be cooked on high (although I know lots of people use a lower setting and it's fine).