Crock Pot "Rotisserie" Chicken

I love my crock pot. It is easily the most used kitchen gadget I own simply because it makes my life easier and I spend less time standing over a stove when I use it... a big deal for someone like me. What do I mean by that? When I stand my body exerts the same amount effort as when you are moving at a brisk walk or even run depending on the day- it's just a part of having POTS. There are some days where everything is awesome and I can stand for a long time or even exercise but there are others where I need to be sitting, or lying/reclining for the majority of my day. Changing my eating habits and other lifestyle changes have drastically reduced the days where I need to be lying down and even increased the amount of time I can sit, stand and exercise on a daily basis significantly but there are still days when it is impossible for me to do do more than nuke a meal I made last week and froze on a good day... or grab a plate of whatever is in the crock pot. Basically my crock pot has become my best friend and I have adapted quite a few recipes for it to help me out. This one is a newer one to me but I recently added whole chickens to my grocery list because:

1. They are cheaper than purchasing the individual cuts of meat separately.
2. I get to keep the bones for yummy bone broth or stock... saving more money
3. They feed me for several days or longer if I make up frozen portions... bulk cooking, I love it!

I make chicken in so many ways in the crock pot- Chicken Ragu, enchilada chicken, chicken curries, soups with chicken, shredded chicken (for other recipes like chicken salad, chicken enchilladas, stuffed veggies and 'pasta'... so many things!)... there are endless possibilities! The only problem is crispness. When you make something in the slow cooker the moisture does not evaporate very much. This is great for stews, stocks, and things you want to be moist and tender after hours cooking but not so great for things that you want to end up crispy. Using foil balls under the chicken will keep it from sitting in the juices that come out during cooking and negate some of this issue to give you a more authentic rotisserie chicken experience with so much less work.

If you want to toss some carrots, sweet potato and onions in the bottom of the crock amongst the foil balls you can make this a one-pot meal. I would make sure the vegetables you use aren't ones that are delicate or they won't hold up as well in the crock pot and you will loose the texture. Greens are an example of something I would not put in the crock pot all day- put them about 15-20 minutes before serving and they will absorb some of the flavors of the rest of the dish and be wilted nicely but still retain their texture and color.

INGREDIENTS:

• whole chicken, 4-5 pounds (insides removed)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp Italian spices (Basically this is just equal parts basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, and parsley if you want to make your own instead of purchasing a pre-made bottle at the store)
• 1 Tbsp paprika (smoked has the best flavor)
• dash of dry mustard, optional
• dash of cayenne, optional
• any veggies you want, optional

TOOLS:

• slow cooker with crock large enough to hold your chicken
• aluminum foil
• bowl for mixing spices

PROCEDURE:
1. Mix the spices together in a bowl.

2. Rinse the chicken and pat dry.

3. Rub spice mixture all over your chicken. You want to get the outside as well as the inside (and, if you want to, on the chicken breasts under the skin... it feels odd but you will get some super flavorful chicken out of it!).
4. Roll up some foil balls and place them in the bottom of your crock pot.

5. Toss any veggies you have decided to add to the pot, if any, into the bottom of the crock pot. If you are using a small crock pot you may not have room depending on the size of your chicken- I have a large 6 qt. crock pot.

6. Place chicken atop the foil balls and cover with lid.

7. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. If you need it sooner you can cook it for 4-5 hours on high but make sure that the chicken is cooked through before you remove it. A meat thermometer should measure the internal temperature at 160 F or greater.

8. Carefully remove the chicken from the crock pot. It will be very tender and may even fall apart when you remove it... if you are big on meal presentation then take this into account. 
NOTE: If you want a crispy skin you can finish the chicken in the broiler for a few minutes once you remove it from crock pot.


9. Let the chicken sit for a few minutes before cutting or removing it from the bones if you are doing so (and save the bones to make bone broth in the freezer!). Bon appetit!

Rotisserie Spice Rub

It get's costly to purchase a store bought rub or spice mix any time I want to make something (and there are usually added sugars and other chemicals that I don't want to eat) so I mix my own spices in bulk for things I make regularly. For me this means that, in addition to the dozens of individual spices I have in my cabinet, I have small mason jars of mixes and rubs in the pantry all of the time. It saves me money but, even more importantly on days I get home tired and need to cook still, it saves me time and effort. $1.50 for a packet of taco seasoning or $0.25 or less using quality ingredients and no fillers... let me think... easy decision, right? Right now I only have a couple homemade mixes on the shelf as I have been a little lazy lately and just thought "I'll do it later" when I ran out of things but I have: BBQ dry rub, Rotisserie rub and taco seasoning. This is the recipe for the rub I used on tomorrow's post on the Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken. One note: It does cost more upfront to purchase all of the ingredients to make your own spice mixtures but the per portion cost is lower... so if you are like me and on a budget it might be easier to start with one mix at a time and see how often you use it before mixing up another batch of something so that you don't have unused spices sitting for months on end.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tbsp dry mustard
• 2 Tbsp cayenne pepper 
• 3/4 C sea salt
• 1/4 C Italian seasoning... if you want to make it yourself just add equal portions of basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, and parsley together and store in an airtight container. For this recipe you can add in the following to replace the store bought mix:
• 1 1/2 tsp basil
• 1 1/2 tsp marjoram
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp rosemary
• 1 1/2 tsp sage
• 1 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 1/2 tsp parsley
• 1/4 C paprika (smoked has the best flavor)
• 1/4 C onion powder
• 1/4 C garlic powder
• 1/2 C ground black pepper

PROCEDURE:
1. Mix all spices together well. You can use a spoon, a whisk, or (if you want a really fine powder that is more consistent) you can even use a Magic Bullet or other processor. 

2. Store in an airtight container.