I’ve never been a huge crockpot girl, but I attribute that mostly to the fact that since I’ve been a cook, I’ve been lucky enough to not have to leave the house for a “real” job.  I have several friends, however, who swear by their crockpots and use them faithfully.  One friend in particular wouldn’t be caught dead putting a whole chicken in the oven; she swears she’s tried it and that the crockpot produces the best fall-off-the-bone chicken she’s ever had.

But I’m a skeptic.  Slow-roasting a nice, juicy bird in the oven, especially one that’s been slathered in spices, butter and sometimes citrus, with nice crispy brown skin is one of those things in life that just makes me happy to be alive!  But not being someone who’s able to resist trying something new, I decided to give the crockpot method a go.

And, oh my, I’m really glad I did!

I used one of my favorite spice mixtures to coat the ol’ bird, set it up on a nice bed of onion, and walked away for about six hours.

The result really was fall-off-the-bone chicken, probably the most tender I’ve ever eaten.  In fact, when I lifted it out of the crockpot onto the cutting board, both leg bones fell right onto the plate, no coaxing needed.  The flavor was amazing, too!

If there was a downside, it was that you’ll never get nice, crispy skin this way.  But the upside to that downside is that although you won’t get to enjoy the flavor of the crispy skin, you also won’t get all the fat that comes with it.  And this chicken is so delicious, you really won’t even miss it!

smoked paprika roast chicken

• 4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika (you can use regular paprika, too)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large roasting chicken
• 1 cup onion (I ususally use about two medium onions, even though it’s more than a cup)

Combine all the spices in a small bowl.

Rinse chicken and pat dry.  Rub spice mixture over the entire chicken, including some under the skin.  Put chopped onion in bottom of crockpot…

…and place chicken on top.

Cover and cook on low for 4 – 8 hours, or until the chicken is ready to fall of the bone!

This rub can also be used on kabobs!  Just ask Ann Brennan, who sent me this awesome photo:

The leftovers – if you have any – can be turned into any number of delicious dinners.  I love using leftover chicken meat to make enchiladas, but we’ve been eating so much mexican food lately that I thought my family might appreciate a change.  So I decided to make…