Go Back

Slow Cooker Lemon Herb Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours
Total Time 7 hours 20 minutes
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.