Slow Cooker Chicken and Vegetables

Slow Cooker Chicken and Vegetables aka my dear friend Heidi's "chicken in a pot" is a ridiculously simple slow cooker meal. In it, a whole chicken cooks with carrots, onions and celery until incredibly tender and falling off the bone. Serve with mashed potatoes for a comforting meal.

Course Mains & Entrees

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken, crock pot, dinner, easy, slow cooker, vegetables

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Additional Time 15

Total Time 5 20

Servings servings

Calories 168

Author Laurie McNamara

Ingredients

2 carrots trimmed and sliced
2 short stalks celery trimmed and sliced
2 medium onions peeled and sliced
4 pound whole chicken
1 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
4 cups mashed potatoes see notes

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add the sliced carrot, celery and onions to your slow cooker.
Place the whole chicken on top and pour in the broth.
Season everything with salt, pepper and basil.
Cover and cook on low for 7 to 10 hours or high for 3½ to 5 hours.
Now you can either a) place under your preheated broiler to crisp the chicken skin, slice and serve with gravy.
Or option b) remove the chicken to a cutting board. Pour the cooking liquids and vegetables into a strainer set into a large bowl or measuring cup. Add the vegetables back intot he slow cooker. Pour the liquids into a fat separator and once separated, add the juices back to the slow cooker - leaving the fat behind. Carefully remove and discard the chicken skin. Pick the meat from the bones and shred, adding it back into the slow cooker with the vegetables and strained liquids. (save the bones to make chicken stock or discard.)
Add 1 cup mashed potaotes to the slow cooker and stir it into the chicken and vegetables until combined. This will add a creaminess to the sauce.
Spoon some mashed potatoes into bowls and serve a generous cup of the saucy chicken and vegetables over top.
Season with black pepper, snipped chives or parsely and with soft rolls.

Notes

**For lighter mashed potato, try my Buttermilk Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes.

Nutrition