how long to cook frozen chicken in crock pot

You're going to think I'm horribly simple when I tell you what I do to cook chickens.

This is definitely not gourmet.

This method is so simple and handy — it requires almost no effort but yields tender, juicy, fall-off-the-bone chicken for sandwiches, soups, casseroles, and skillet dishes. It results in a good amount of chicken (because I cook 2 at a time) to put away for future meals.

How to Cook 2 Whole Chickens in the Crockpot

This method is shared in more detail in our online class Fundamentals — both through a video demonstration and a detailed print tutorial.

Start with 2 pastured organic chickens. Rinse and put in a large crockpot. (You can also put them upside down so the breasts self-baste in their own dripppings.) I can get 2 to fit in a 6 to 6-1/2 quart crockpot. Both birds fit, really!

Sprinkle liberally with sea salt and pepper and garlic, too. However, you don't need to season at all, because usually this chicken gets incorporated into other dishes that give the flavoring.

No need to add liquid; as the chicken cooks, its own liquids will fill up the crock about halfway and it will simmer away, staying tender.

Turn the crockpot on to high for an hour or so to get good and hot. Then I turn down to low for the rest of the day. (For a total of 8 to 10 hours.) If you're a bit behind, keep the crockpot on high from late morning until dinner time, for a total of 6 to 8 hours or so.

The chicken is done when it is falling apart.

2 Whole Chickens in the Crockpot | So simple and handy, it requires almost no effort to cook whole chickens in the Crock Pot, but yields tender, juicy chicken for sandwiches, soups, casseroles, and skillet dishes. It results in a good amount of chicken (because I cook 2 at a time) to put away for future meals. | TraditionalCookingSchool.com

Take out of the crockpot. Let it cool. Then take all the meat off the bones. Freeze or refrigerate what you're not using for that night's dinner. Use the drippings for the sauce of your meal or another meal (it will gel right up in the fridge if the bones contained lots of gelatin), or leave them in the crockpot to start stock right away with the bones.

To Start Stock

Put the bones right back in the crockpot, with or without the dripppings, and add water and a splash of vinegar, then cover and turn on low for 12 to 24 hours. You can also add onions, garlic, and herbs. Here's more info: Perpetual Stock or Broth in the Crockpot.

two raw chickens in black crock pot

How to Cook 2 Whole Chickens in the Crockpot

This method is shared in more detail in our online class Fundamentals -- both through a video demonstration and a detailed print tutorial.

2 chickens pastured organic
sea salt
ground black pepper
garlic powder

Start with 2 pastured organic chickens.
Rinse and put in a large crockpot. (You can also put them upside down so the breasts self-baste in their own dripppings.) I can get 2 to fit in a 6 to 6-1/2 quart crockpot. Both birds fit, really!
Sprinkle liberally with sea salt and pepper and garlic, too.
However, you don't need to season at all, because usually this chicken gets incorporated into other dishes that give the flavoring.
No need to add liquid; as the chicken cooks, its own liquids will fill up the crock about halfway and it will simmer away, staying tender.
Turn the crockpot on to high for an hour or so to get good and hot.
Then I turn down to low for the rest of the day. (For a total of 8 to 10 hours.) If you're a bit behind, keep the crockpot on high from late morning until dinner time, for a total of 6 to 8 hours or so.
The chicken is done when it is falling apart.
Take out of the crockpot.
Let it cool.
Then take all the meat off the bones.
Freeze or refrigerate what you're not using for that night's dinner.
Use the drippings for the sauce of your meal or another meal (it will gel right up in the fridge if the bones contained lots of gelatin), or leave them in the crockpot to start stock right away with the bones.

Check out our online class Fundamentals for more details video and print instructions for both cooking the chickens and making the stock.

What's your favorite way to cook chicken?

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About Wardee Harmon

Wardeh ('Wardee') lives in the Boise area of Idaho with her dear family. She's the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fermenting Foods and other traditional cooking eBooks, and she teaches online classes in the fundamentals of traditional cooking, sourdough, cultured dairy, cheesemaking, fermentation, kids cooking, dehydrating, allergy-free cooking, cooking outside, pressure cooking, and more. Connect with Wardee and Traditional Cooking School friends on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and Twitter

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