Ingredients
- Seasoning:
- 3 to 4 pound chicken (labeled fryer or roaster)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped and minced
- Poaching liquid:
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon), reserve the rinds
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 whole lemon, quartered
- 1 head garlic, cloves separated, but left in their individual skins
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 sprigs rosemary
Preparation
Step 1
Remove bag of gizzards and discard (or reserve for stock). Wash chicken thoroughly inside and out with warm water. Pat dry with paper towels.
For seasoning: Mix all seasoning ingredients together in bowl. Using your fingers, gently slide your fingers between meat and skin, entering at either end. Without tearing skin, separate skin from meat of breast, thighs, and legs of chicken. Grab handful of seasoning and rub half of mixture between skin and meat. If you get good dollop under skin, you can lay skin back down and use your fingers to massage outside of skin and work seasoning across surface of meat. Rub remaining mixture inside cavity of chicken.
Heat large skillet to medium-high heat and coat with non-stick cooking spray. Pan-sear chicken on all sides for 6-8 minutes until outside is browned. Transfer chicken to your slow cooker--breast side up.
For poaching liquid: Combine lemon juice, soy sauce, and chicken broth. Put pan used to sear chicken back on medium-high heat, pour in half of poaching liquid and let sit until just boiling. Use spatula to scrape up any browned bits stuck to pan. Once pan is deglazed, pour mixture over chicken in slow-cooker.
Put lemon rinds (reserved from squeezing the juice), one whole bouillon cube, and a few garlic cloves inside cavity of chicken. Arrange lemon quarters, remaining garlic cloves, and sprigs of thyme around chicken toward edges of tcooker. Crumble other bouillon cube over chicken and rub it into skin.
Place lid on the cooker and cook on HIGH for 4 hours. (Note: This recipe is best when done on HIGH, but can also be done in 6-8 hours on LOW.)
Twenty to thirty minutes before time is done, pour reserved lemon juice mixture over chicken and add rosemary sprigs. (Rosemary tends to get bitter and antiseptic tasting if cooked entire time in slow-cooker.)
Remove chicken from slow-cooker and allow it to rest on carving board (or handy cookie sheet) for about 20 minutes. Meat actually continues cooking during this resting period and juices will redistribute through meat. When ready to serve, tear off skin and discard. Use your fingers to pull off legs--bones should come apart with gentle tug, but if they don't, use carving knife to wedge them apart. Keep using your fingers to work over chicken, placing meat on serving platter and reserving bones for another use (like home-made chicken broth!). Serve immediately!