Slow Cooker Citrus Honey Chicken
Another deliciously easy weeknight dinner recipe in the slow cooker!
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We’ve tried a lot of slow cooker chicken recipes in our kitchen, from chicken and stuffing, to Hawaiian chicken, and even butter chicken. While these recipes are delicious in their own right, sometimes you just need a classic dish. Enter: lemon pepper roasted chicken. The key to this succulent dish is the homemade lemon pepper butter. By rubbing butter underneath the skin and throwing the chicken in the frying pan for just a few minutes, you get that flavorful, fall off the bone effect, even in the slow cooker!
We prepared the chicken with a sweet and tangy orange honey sauce, and threw in a few sprigs of fresh rosemary. Feel free to add your favorite spice combinations! This chicken recipe pairs perfectly with seasonal roasted veggies. Try our favorite roasted veggie seasoning mix, with balsamic, cinnamon, and curry powder!
Slow Cooker Citrus Honey Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 whole roast chicken
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons lemon pepper
- 1 whole lemon
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- 1 garlic head, cut in half
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- Salt, to taste
Preparation
- Rinse and dry chicken. Clean out the chicken cavity.
- Heat oil over medium, in a large skillet.
- Mix butter and lemon pepper in a small bowl; set aside.
- Carefully insert the handle of a wooden spoon underneath the skin of the chicken, and separate from meat, without tearing. Rub lemon pepper butter under the skin by spooning a good sized portion under the skin, and spreading with fingers by rubbing the top of the chicken. Cover the entire chicken.
- Once covered in butter, place whole chicken in prepared skillet and cook for 8 minutes on each side.
- While the chicken is cooking, pierce the whole lemon all over with a fork. When chicken is done, place the lemon in the chicken cavity, and transfer to slow cooker.
- For the sauce: whisk lemon juice, honey, and orange juice together and pour over the chicken.
- Place rosemary and garlic halves in the slow cooker, and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 4 hours.
- When chicken is done, remove the lemon from the cavity, and squeeze over entire chicken. Serve hot, with roasted veggies for a complete meal!
Recipe adapted from Diethood.