Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot

The other week, I bought a whole Gold 'n' Plump chicken (think rotisserie-sized) for 99 cents.  I was pretty proud of myself because it involved doubling a coupon as well as taking advantage of a sale, and I threw it in our chest freezer for a rainy day.  This weekend was pretty rainy....so it got me thinking about how I was going to cook that darn chicken.  I decided that it would be oh so handy if I could just throw it in the crock pot and ta-da!!  But, come on---how is THAT going to work??  Well, let's just say, it worked wonderfully, thank you very much.

I googled a basic crock pot recipe and came up with this unique technique.  You're gonna think this is kinda cool so stick with me here.  :)

First, I took my crock pot and waded up a few balls of tin foil.  I put the tin foil on the bottom of the crock pot, like this:

At first I was like "This is kind of kooky..." but it all makes sense to me now that I've tried it.  One smart lady commented on the recipe that sometimes she wraps potatoes in the foil and cooks them with the chicken.  Who woulda thunk it, right?  Okay, let's carry on, shall we?

Next, I washed the chicken in cool water, sprayed it generously with olive oil cooking spray and sprinkled the entire thing (inside and out) with seasoning salt.  (I used regular old Lawry's.)  Also, note here that I left the skin on.  The recipe didn't say anything about taking it off and I think it helped moisten the chicken as it cooked.  Then, I put the chicken in the crock pot on top of the foil balls---back-side down.  (Not sure why that is important but, hey, I'm following directions here.) 

I was using my medium-sized 4-quart crock and it fit like a glove.  The recipe said to cook it on HIGH for 4-6 hours.  After four hours, I checked the temperature of it and it was done.  Thirty minutes later when I decided it was supper time, it was falling apart when my husband tried to take it out.  Perfect, if you ask me!  It wasn't dry, and it was just right.  Some of the skin was cooked like you'd see on a rotisserie chicken and some wasn't.  My husband commented that you could really do anything you want to this recipe and add whatever flavors you like.  He even wants me to try it just the same but with pouring a beer in the bottom of the crock so it kind of has a "beer-can chicken" flavor to it.  Definitely one to experiment with and I'll certainly be cooking this more often.  Also, keep in mind that the chicken was so good that it would also be perfect for pulled chicken sandwiches or using the chicken for a buffalo dip or a salad.  Really, the possibilities are endless and knowing how cost-effective this meal is, it's sure to be a hit with your family and your wallet.  :)