We all know that Costco rotisserie chicken is the star of easy dinners. It’s versatile, juicy, flavorful and, best of all, requires no effort on your part! While this Fauxtisserie Chicken is not 100% hands off, it really is so easy, and delivers that same delicious, flavorful, tender chicken you love.
You can slice it up like a turkey and eat with traditional sides like mashed potatoes and a salad. You can could make a big chef salad and toss the chicken on there. Throw it in chow mein, fried rice, or pretty much any casserole recipe. Chicken noodle soup, enchiladas, pot pie, BBQ chicken pizza. The possibilities are endless!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Whole chicken – You can use whatever size chicken you want, just make sure it will fit in your slow cooker.
- Salt-based seasoning – Seasoning salt, Cajun seasoning, Lemon Pepper with salt in it, etc. Just be sure salt is one of the first ingredients on the label. I like to add a good sprinkle of paprika to my chicken as well, to help give it a nice golden color, since the skin won’t really brown when cooked in the crock pot.
- Optional extras
- whole garlic cloves, peeled
- fresh herbs
- lemon
- Aluminum foil – You’ll need either some aluminum foil to ball up and keep the chicken off the bottom of the crock pot, or something else that serves the same purpose. Stainless steel condiment cups work really well!
How to Make a Fauxtisserie Chicken
- Start off by placing 3 balls of aluminum foil at the bottom of your slow cooker. This just lifts the chicken off the bottom so the hot air can circulate around it while it cooks.
- Next you’ll prep your chicken. It gets a quick rinse and pat dry, then you can prep it as desired with seasonings. I recommend separating the skin from the meat and sliding some garlic cloves and fresh herbs in there, but you don’t have to.
- You’ll cover that bird with liberal amounts of your chosen salt-based seasoning and then pop it in the slow cooker to slow roast to perfection!
Storing and Other Tips
- After the chicken is done cooking, it’s easiest to remove the meat from the bones while it’s still warm. Store any leftover cooled chicken in an airtight container and enjoy within 2-3 days for best results.
- Nitrile gloves: If you’re at all squeamish around raw meat, but even if you’re not, I highly recommend keeping some nitrile gloves in your kitchen. They make both handling raw meat and pulling the cooked meat off the bones later much easier and less messy!
- Cooking time can vary based on the size of your chicken and your crock pot. If you’re worried your chicken is getting too done and drying out, pop a thermometer in the deepest part of the meat to check it. Here’s what to expect at different temperatures:
- 165°F – Fully cooked, but sliceable and firm.
- 175-185°F (breast) – More tender and juicy.
- 185-195°F (thighs/legs) – Connective tissue breaks down and you get that juicy, fall-apart texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use them to make gravy or in any recipe that requires chicken broth!
You can use a metal roasting rack if you can find one that fits in your crock pot. Oven-safe ramekins could also work, although I have not tried this.
It’s not a good idea to cook a whole chicken from frozen in the crock pot. The meat will be in the “danger zone” temperature-wise for too long and bad bacteria could grow and make you sick!
Fauxtissery chicken is just a fun name for a chicken that’s been cooked to resemble rotisserie chickens you would find at Costco or your grocery store. Although it’s cooking in a slow cooker instead of an oven, and there’s no rotating involved, the end result is amazingly similar!
Nope. Just a crock pot!
Nope. The chicken will release some juices and that will help create steam.
No, the slow cooker traps moisture, keeping everything soft. You can place the chicken under the oven broiler briefly before serving if you’d like some crispy skin.
Fauxtisserie Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken small enough to fit in your slow cooker
- Salt-based seasoning Seasoning salt, Cajun seasoning, lemon pepper with salt in it, etc. Just make sure salt is one of the first ingredients on the label.
- OPTIONAL:
- Whole garlic cloves peeled
- Fresh herbs
Instructions
- Make 3 balls of aluminum foil and place them in the bottom of your slow cooker. These hold the chicken off the bottom so the hot air can circulate all around the chicken and so it’s not stewing in its own juices.
- Rinse chicken, including the cavity, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the chicken on its back so the breast is facing up. If you want (and I actually strongly recommend that you do UNLESS you’re looking for a neutral flavor), pull the skin up all around the chicken. This does involve sticking your hand between the skin and the breast. Slice a few garlic cloves in half lengthwise and stick them under the skin. You can also arrange a couple sprigs of fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, and/or sage under the skin. This makes a very pretty chicken when it’s all cooked and adds a lot of flavor.
- Rub salt-based seasoning VERY liberally onto the skin of the chicken. Place chicken breast-up on the foil in the slow cooker, cover, turn heat to low, and leave it alone for 7-8 hours. Try it with steak fries or Sara’s Stuffed Bleu Cheese Potatoes.
Notes
- After the chicken is done cooking, it’s easiest to remove the meat from the bones while it’s still warm. Store any leftover cooled chicken in an airtight container and enjoy within 2-3 days for best results.
- Nitrile gloves: If you’re at all squeamish around raw meat, but even if you’re not, I highly recommend keeping some nitrile gloves in your kitchen. They make both handling raw meat and pulling the cooked meat off the bones later much easier and less messy!
-
Cooking time can vary based on the size of your chicken and your crock pot. If you’re worried your chicken is getting too done and drying out, pop a thermometer in the deepest part of the meat to check it. Here’s what to expect at different temperatures:
-
165°F – Fully cooked, but sliceable and firm.
-
175-185°F (breast) – More tender and juicy.
-
185-195°F (thighs/legs) – Connective tissue breaks down and you get that juicy, fall-apart texture.
-
Questions & Reviews
My slow cooker came with a raised rack… Can I just use that instead of the foil balls?
Also, can I add vegetables? I wasn't sure if they would burn on the bottom if I added potatoes, carrots, etc.
Thanks so much for the recipe! So excited to try it!
Made this for dinner tonight, big hit with the hubby and the kids. So easy! This was very economical, it will be a regular for us.
OMG, how dumb am I? LOL. I have a meat thermometer and checked to make sure it was over 170 before pulling it out, but it never occurred to me that it might get overdone! Shaking my head at myself LOL.
We had this with your steak fries and your worlds best rolls (half of which I turned into cinnamon rolls this a.m.). You rock! My husband told me I'm not allowed to make the cinnamon rolls very often b/c they are "too good" and he can't control himself. Thanks for replying so quickly and for just being awesome!
Mary–It probably just cooked a little too long. Every bird and every crockpot is different, so I would probably just cook it for a little bit less time next time. You can also get meat thermometers pretty inexpensively and just insert it into the thickest part of the breast. When it reads 170, you're good.
Hope that helps!
So I made this tonight, and it came out dry. Any tips on what I did wrong? I made it per the recipe. It had a great flavor, just dry.
Wow I may actually have to try this. And Kate, it's so nice to know that I'm not the only one who has an aversion to meat on the bone in the shape it was when it was alive!
Thank you sooooo much! I'm going to take it out tonight, and stick it in the crock pot tomorrow morning/afternoon-ish. I'm so excited! What's your favorite seasoning to use on the chicken?
You know I knew I had seen this recipe somewhere but couldn't remember where! I currently have chicken breast thawing but think I am going to have to head to the store to get a thawed chicken to make up this dish!
I know what you mean by dealing with whole chickens… My biggest issue is remembering all that we went through when butchering them! Ugh…. But it always tastes so delicious! However we have no chickens at the no house so I don't have to think about butchering for a LONGGGGg time!!
Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome! Love this simple Fauxtisserie Chicken! This will help me out a lot and gotta love the crock pot, especially with Fall. How wonderful the house will smell when you walk in from work or errends and find this all done.
Made this tonight- worked out great but it was dry. I cooked for 8 hours, will try closer to 6 next time. The chicken was beautiful when it was done and it smelled wonderful in here all day.
I love the idea of prepping for chicken recipes this way- will definitely keep trying till I get it right.