Savory Slow Cooker Lemon Herb Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables

There’s something about the way a whole chicken breaks down in the slow cooker that just feels like a little hug in a plate. When I first made this recipe, I was just trying to get dinner off my plate for a busy week, but it ended up becoming a weekend favorite because of how tender the meat turns out and how the root veggies soak up that lemon-herb magic. I like to start it in the morning, add a splash of broth halfway through, and then let the kitchen fill with that comforting smell as the kids finish school.

Slow Cooker Lemon Herb Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 7 hours hrs

Total Time 7 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 237

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

chicken

• 1 whole chicken (about 4 to 5 pounds) Ask your butcher to remove the giblets and pat the cavity bone-dry

root vegetables

• 1.5 pounds carrots peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1.5 pounds parsnips peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 pound turnips peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks

aromatics

• 2 lemons lemons one sliced into thick rounds, one halved
• 1 head yellow onion quartered
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 0.5 teaspoon black pepper

liquid

• 0.5 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Method

 

prepare and season

1. Pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels, then rub the olive oil all over the outside and inside the cavity, followed by the salt, pepper, and half the thyme.
2. Toss the carrots, parsnips, and turnips with a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl.

arrange in slow cooker

1. Layer the root vegetables in the bottom of the slow cooker, then place the onion quarters in a circle around them.
2. Nestle the chicken on top of the vegetables and place the sliced lemon rounds inside the cavity and over the back.

cook

1. Pour the chicken broth into the cooker, add the halved lemon, and scatter the remaining thyme and rosemary over everything.
2. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours, or until the chicken reaches 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh.

finish

1. Remove the chicken to a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes, then shred or carve while the vegetables continue to cook in the pan juices.
2. Stir the pan juices with a fork to break up the herbs and lemon bits before serving over the meat and roasted vegetables.

Notes

Don't rush the low-and-slow cook; the chicken's skin will stay tender rather than turning rubbery. If your slow cooker lid is glass, crack it slightly at the end to release steam so the veggies finish roasting instead of steaming.