I was excited about this recipe. Two of my favorite things, beer and chicken, in one recipe? Yes, please! We’ve had quite a bit of success with whole chickens in the slow cooker, and I like to stock up when I find them on sale. When I’m not tossing a chicken in the Crock Pot, my husband likes to smoking them on his Traeger, which makes the neighborhood smell amazing, since oftentimes our neighbor has his smoker fired up, too.
While making this dish I learned something terribly exciting and life changing, and I want to change your life, too. Are you ready? One teaspoon of spices is approximately 8 dashes from a container with an averaged sized top. Dash, dash, dash, dash, dash, dash, dash, dash. BOOM. One teaspoon. Okay, so maybe not life changing, but still a fun little fact, and handy when you have a recipe that calls for one teaspoon of 4700 different spices.
Aaaand I just googled it. Apparently lots of people already know this, and my little kitchen discovery is common knowledge. Huh. How about that?
This recipe is versatile. You can use a whole or cut up chicken, or boneless breasts or thighs if you like. The spices can be modified to your family’s tastes, and any variety of beer can be used. Hard cider or wine would probably work, too. Make sure you take a drink or two of the beer. You know, to make sure it’s okay.
Crock Pot Beer Chicken
INGREDIENTS
1 whole or cut up chicken
3/4 beer (so you can take a few pulls before dumping the rest in the slow cooker)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp pepper
DIRECTIONS
Place chicken in Crock Pot, breast side down.
Pour beer over chicken.
Sprinkle spices on bird.
Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours, or on low 7-8 hours.
Remove chicken carefully from slow cooker to a platter. Be careful, it will be very tender, and will fall off the bone.
To make the gravy, skim the dripping off, put them in a saucepan, and sprinkle about a tablespoon of flour into it. Whisk it until combined, and add in either chicken broth or water, about two cups. Continue stirring, and cook over medium high heat until it begins to boil. Turn the heat down to medium low, and keep stirring it for a few minutes, or until the gravy is to your desired consistency.
Sometimes, instead of adding the flour, I cheat and use a gravy packet to thicken it up and add extra flavor.
FEEDBACK
Kim
This was pretty good. I used a whole cut up chicken, and it turned out very moist and the juices made an excellent gravy. I wish I had had tucked some spices under the skin, since we ended up peeling it off. This was super easy and I would try this again. I served it with a basic rice pilaf, butternut squash and salad. My husband said it reminded him of an Ina Garten meal, so that made my day!
Linda
My husband loved this–it was moist, very flavorful, and the gravy was delicious!! It looked like a rotisserie chicken from the deli, browned and juicy. I cooked the chicken whole, breast side down, and used lots of spices. This was very easy, and I would definitely try this recipe again.
Sarah
We thought the chicken was just OK. I used a whole fresh chicken and followed the recipe exactly. I was gone when the crock pot finished and instead of taking it out of the crock my husband picked it apart and left it cooking for another hour. This is probably the main reason ours tasted a bit dry. We did a different whole turkey recipe a few months ago. It was just as easy and twice as delicious.
Me
My husband LOVED the gravy that I made from the beer/chicken drippings, and our chicken was nice and moist. I didn’t love the beer flavor in the chicken or the skin, and our kids thought it tasted “weird.” They ate it with the skin peeled off, and covered in gravy. Like Sarah, I preferred the other whole chicken recipes we’ve done, and next time, I’ll just drink a beer, and make the chicken with the spices. And then have another beer.
Crock Pot Thursday: Beer Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole or cut up chicken
- 3/4 beer (so you can take a few pulls before dumping the rest in the slow cooker)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1 tsp basil
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Place chicken in Crock Pot, breast side down.
- Pour beer over chicken.
- Sprinkle spices on bird.
- Cover and cook on HIGH 4-5 hours, or on LOW 7-8 hours.
- Remove chicken carefully from slow cooker to a platter. Be careful, it will be very tender, and will fall off the bone.
- To make the gravy, skim the dripping off, put them in a saucepan, and sprinkle about a tablespoon of flour into it. Whisk it until combined, and add in either chicken broth or water, about two cups. Continue stirring, and cook over medium high heat until it begins to boil. Turn the heat down to medium low, and keep stirring it for a few minutes, or until the gravy is to your desired consistency.
- Enjoy!
This is totally going into the crock pot tomorrow! I am taking both kids to the doctor tomorrow and I am sure cooking is the last thing I’ll want to do when I get home! Thanks for the dinner save…AGAIN!
Good luck at the doctor, and I hope you like it!
Just made this! Used a good Craft beer. Dirty Blonde from Attwater Brewery in Detroit. Loaded the crock pot with a whole cut up chicken, 4 extra drumsticks and thighs. Coated the chicken with the spices before putting it into the pot. Added the beer after the chicken. Cooked on high for 4 hours. The chicken was so tender. I made the gravy but it wasn’t really needed. Will definitely make this again.
DONE. Say no more. I am in. 100%. Dinner for next week is taken care of right now! Pinning this immediately! :)-Ashley
Sweet! Enjoy!
Question, could I use hard apple cider? I have buckets full left from Thanksgiving. Help me Obi-wan!
This is the perfect use for cider. Save the beer for drinking!
Looks amazing! I’ll be trying it out for sure!
I hope you love it!
can you just use boneless breasts?
if so, how many would be equivalent
No disrespect to this fabulous recipe…but as your neighbor we prefer when you use your smoker! It DOES make the neighborhood smell delicious… 🙂
Sometimes I come home, smell the smoker from the car, and pray it’s coming from my house and not the neighbors.
I have a whole package of frozen chicken breasts has anyone used a few of those instead of the whole bird? I’m wondering if it will be as moist. Also wondering if I use chicken breasts how many would equal the amount of meat of a full chicken. Let me know if you have any thoughts, thanks!
I haven’t used breasts, but it should work well. I would make sure the spices cover all of the meat. My bird was maybe 5 lbs, but I don’t remember exactly. That would be about 2 1/2 lbs of meat. Let me know how it turns out!
I made this last night. It was the best whole chicken I’ve ever made! And I’ve made quite a few. The gravy came out lovely, as well. I used an unfiltered white beer, and the chicken didn’t taste of beer at all, but did have a great flavor.
I’m so glad you loved it! White beer is a great idea, and I’ll try that next time!
what do you use to make a gravy with the drippings?
To make the gravy, I skimmed the dripping off, put them in a saucepan, and sprinkled about a tablespoon of flour into it. Wisk it until combined, and add in either chicken broth or water, maybe two cups. Continue stirring, and cook over medium high heat until it begins to boil. Turn the heat down to medium low, and keep stirring it for a few minutes, or until the gravy is to your desired consistency.
Sometimes I cheat and use a gravy packet to thicken it up and add extra flavor instead of the flour.
Good luck!
Thank you!! I have a gravy packet I will use!
Do you think adding carrots and potatoes would work?
I did not know about the teaspoon measuring equivalent – so there you go – you were definitely not the last one to know!! Thanks for the tip!!
Think of me when you don’t have to wash that teaspoon, Tara!
How do you make gravy??
To make the gravy, I skimmed the dripping off, put them in a saucepan, and sprinkled about a tablespoon of flour into it.
Wisk it until combined, and add in either chicken broth or water, maybe two cups.
Continue stirring, and cook over medium high heat until it begins to boil.
Turn the heat down to medium low, and keep stirring it for a few minutes, or until the gravy is to your desired consistency.
Sometimes I cheat and use a gravy packet to thicken it up and add extra flavor instead of the flour.
Enjoy!
Aw thanks so much for the reply!!!
Pardon me, I’m not a beer drinker. And so please forgive my ignorance. how much is 3/4 beer, are you talking about 3/4 from a 6, 12, 16, 18 or 24 oz can? Thanks
Loved this recipe. It was supper Easy to make and it came out so moist and flavorful. I stuck it in the broiler for a little while to crisp the skin. Will definitely be using this again.
This turned out great. Shredded it and served it over rice. Delicious.
I made this recipe this evening for my family. I opted to use an Orange Bud Light for the beer. Additionally, I added some rosemary, rubbed sage, and poultry seasoning to the combo of spices. I rubbed some of the spices under the skin on the breasts before putting the bird into the crockpot, then poured the beer over it and doused it with the remaining spices to cover it. After 5 hrs on high, I needed my bbq claws to pull it out of the crockpot, it was so tender. I mixed in about 1-2 tbs of flour with 1/3 cup of chicken broth and stirred that in with the beer and juices to make the gravy. Needless to say, since I’m writing this long script, my family absolutely loved it. I’m looking forward to the leftovers.