Crispy and juicy, the fat in the skin completely melts away leaving crispy chicken skin that will remind you of your favorite rotisserie chicken. Looking at the picture it would be easy to assume there is some trick to chicken that is golden brown and crispy, but still so moist! The secret? A slow cooker.
So Dinner, then Dessert is officially a month old as of this week and I’ve used this method for cooking chicken in two recipes already. Both times, Tony Roma’s BBQ Chicken and Armenian Chicken Pita Tacos I mentioned my love for this method of cooking and both times the pictures were….well… not as enticing as they deserved to be and the focus was on the other ingredients in the dish rather than the chicken. This post is more a method than a recipe.
I love staying simple with Sunday posts, I get to share our staple food items, things that are in heavy rotation and usually always available no matter what. Just like oven baked brown rice this “recipe” is a constant in our fridge. It is one of the few things I can depend on my oldest eating without complaints.
Most people who use a slow cooker are well versed in the school of thought that says “ADD LIQUIDS!!” Well, welcome to the new world here. Two of my absolute favorite ways to use my slow cooker is this chicken and Hawaiia Luau Pork. Both recipes are 3 ingredients total and both have resulted in family members crowding around the slow cooker to pick pieces off before I can even put food on plates.
Please give this a chance, you are going to want to let your slow cooker take all the counter space it wants after you see how great these turn out.
Tools Used in the making of these Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken Thighs:
Slow Cooker: Love this slow cooker and how programmable it is, it has been a workhorse for me… until…
My New Slow Cooker: For larger roasts I also brown the meat in the insert and not lose a bunch of the flavor by transferring the meat and leaving the browned bits behind. If you’re thinking of a new slow cooker, consider it if your budget is open.
Crisp & Juicy Slow Cooker Chicken
Ingredients
- 6-8 Chicken thighs , skin and bone on! (however many you can layer in a single layer)
- Kosher Salt , to taste
- Freshly crushed black pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Liberally season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper
- Put bone in, skin on chicken thighs in the slow cooker in a single layer, skin side up.
- Do not add liquids of any kind.
Cook on low for 7 hours.
Don’t be afraid to put chicken in the slow cooker with no additional liquid! Here is a shot of the chicken while still in the slowcooker. This chicken releases fat and juices into the slow cooker. Make sure the skin side is up or it won’t get crispy!
The chicken skin becomes translucent because all the fat has rendered off. 
The chicken stays very moist and tender. It is perfect for using it in any other recipe that calls for spiced chicken as well. Just add the required spices to the bottom of the slow cooker, then on top as well. No need to toss it with the chicken. 
Next time you want some chicken, please consider using your slow cooker. You’ll be so pleasantly surprised!
Thank you!! Who knew?!
I made this tonight! It was amazing! I didn’t take the lid off or open it at all the skin puffed up and became crispy looking in about the fourth hour. I didn’t drain any juice. Perfect recipe!
So after 7 hours my chicken thighs were OVER cooked – If I try this again I will try 5 hours.
Where is the garlic in the garlic chicken recipe? It said three ingredients. Chicken, salt and pepper.
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Can I use chicken breast for this great way of cooking ?
You will need to cook it less so they don’t dry out.
Would it work on high for less time?
I’m usually one for low and slow so haven’t tested it on high for a shorter time. If you decide to try, I’d love to know if it works. Thanks!
I was SO doubtful this would taste good. But it’s AMAZING! Hands down best chicken I’ve ever made. I want to buy more chicken just to slow cook it like this.
I’m so glad you decided to give it a try, Anna.
Hi. SO glad I found this. i have bone in, skin on breasts that I need to cook to use the meat for another one of your recipes. Would I just cook them a shorter time and check for 165 degrees? About 4 hours? Thanks.
Yes 🙂
Hi are you sure it won’t hurt the slow cooker without any liquid in it
Yep 🙂 The chicken will release liquid as it cooks.
Will it still turn out crispy if you use chicken leg quarters and arrange them vertically in the slow cooker (so that I can fit more) instead of in a single layer? Thank you!
Sure
I was a bit dubious about cooking chicken without any added liquid but this is now my ‘go to’ recipe for cooking chicken thighs and legs. It was just so easy to throw everything into the slow cooker and after 7 hours on slow the chicken was very tender. It does need plenty of seasoning and I added some smoked paprika as well. I’ve tried numerous other slow cooker recipes in the past which have required lots of other added ingredients and been very disappointed but not this time.
I made this yesterday. It was really awful and that was after only 5 hrs of cooking instead of 7 as per the instructions. It was way overcooked. The chicken was dry and flavorless. My husband and I were not impressed with this method of cooking chicken.
I’m sure you didn’t do it right. I’ve cooked this several times and the last word I’d use is “dry”. Did you maybe set it to High instead of low? Perhaps you used boneless breasts instead of bone in? Maybe you just lost track of time and cooked it seven DAYS instead of seven hours? Idk. In this case, the recipe is not the cause of your crash-and-burn meal…sounds like pilot error.
Does this recipe work with or without pressure .
This is a slow cooker recipe.
This is SUCH a handy trick for getting rotisserie goodness in the easiest, most hands off way possible! Thank you!
About 6 months ago I wrote a highly favorable review of this wonderful recipe. I described using my 4 qt crock pot that produced 3 delicious crispy chicken thighs. I had used fully thawed thighs.
I decided to experiment a bit and see what would happen if I used 7 frozen chicken thighs.
Yeah, I know this narrowed the odds considerably that all the thighs would come out crispy as I would be using 2 layers instead of the recommended one layer and..well..I kept my fingers crossed.
Because the thighs were frozen I set the crock pot on high for the first 2 hours and on low for the remaining 3 hours (actually at hour #4 the thighs were done and I opened the lid a tad for the last 45 minutes).
Did they turn out crispy? Yes and no. The bottom layer thighs were crispy. The top layer not so.
Was I dissapointed? Heavens to Betsy no! I was thinking worst case scenario what with using frozen thighs and everything. But no! I was quite pleased with just how delicious..I mean moist and succulent in all its rotisserie chickenness! As a single old guy I especially appreciated the fact that I was able to freeze 6 thighs for future dinners to delight my palate. Thank you, again, for such a great tasting and versatile recipe.
Thank you so much for coming back again and sharing how you doubled it! I often get reader requests on doubling recipes, so this will be really helpful from someone other than me saying it works 🙂 Glad you are enjoying the recipes!
I just made this chicken recipe and it is as good as advertised. We will definitely be making it again. Easy, moist and a crispy skin. What’s not to like.
Can you tell me what temperature & how long in slow cooker
This recipe is for a slow cooker. You’ll find the instructions in the recipe card.
Could I throw in some quartered potatoes? Do you think they would get crispy as well?
I would suggest making them separately. You don’t want to overcrowd the slow cooker otherwise the chicken won’t be able to crisp up.
Making this again for the second time. Absolute awesome reciepe. Right around the 7 hour mark I take the chicken out and broil in oven for 3 minutes. It makes the chicken skin soooo crispy. My husband has been pestering me to make more of this chicken since the first time. A+ super easy and very tasty reciepe.
can a liner be used with this recipe
No, it won’t work using a liner. Sorry.
I am going to try the no liquid thing on your say so! The one reason I like slow cooker is because I have not needed to defrost my chicken. Am guessing this is not the case with no liquid?
You’ll want to make sure to use completely thawed chicken for it to crisp up. If it’s frozen in the slightest, it’ll release all that water and not allow it to crisp up. Sorry.
Omg I just made this I cleaned it Pat it dry seasoning it and put it on low for 7 hrs n lift the lid last hr n boy it crisp up like rotisserie I couldn’t believe in a 10 qt single layer I fit 9 so delicious I did put tiny butter on each chicken but delish
I am still kinda new to crock pot cooking so didn’t know how things would go with this recipe.
If you factor in that I am an 84 year old single guy who has to watch his sodium intake
therefore I used a salt substitute (Nu Salt) instead of Kosher salt …well…I must tell you that the chicken turned out to be so delicious …crispy skin and everything!
I have a 4qt crockpot so I used 3 thighs and cooked them on low for 5 hours having opened the lid a bit for the final hour.
This recipe has earned its place as “favorite” status.
Thank you so much.
Oh my gosh, this makes me so happy! I’m so honored to be among your favorites.
Paul’s comment really made my day. I hope that I am as flexible to try new things when I am 84. God bless you, Paul. And, I hope you have fun with your slow cooker.
I have been wondering why there are so many recipes on the web that say for instance, 2-lbs chicken thighs instead of 4-5 medium size chicken thighs. That’s just for example. If you are using a package of chick that you have broken up into serving sizes, how in the world are you going to know how much they weigh?
It’s a real dilemma for some of us. I would really appreciate it if you could make the changes in the future.
This is what I do when splitting up a large package: count thighs (or whatever) and divide total weight by number of thighs (etc)…adjust a bit for large or small ones. You will also get a feel for weight in commonly bought packs. For instance I almost never have a boneless/skinless thigh that isn’t about 1/4 pound or a breast that isn’t 1-1.3 pounds from my usual market. I have a scale and have occasionally checked but I’m always very close. Everyone has a different opinion on medium or large or small—giving us the weight is the best way actually
Why is there over 1400 calorie per serving that is not sociable please explain
Thank you for catching that! That definitely is NOT correct, haha. It looks like it wasn’t factoring in the servings. I’ve edited it to read correctly now.
Can you do chicken wings as well?
I don’t think there’s enough meat on them to work. Sorry
I’m doing weight watchers and can only do chicken breasts can I substitute skin on breasts in the slow cooker?
Chicken breasts tend to dry out a bit more in the slow cooker. If you know that going it, go ahead and use them. The skin on will protect it more than skinless though so that’s better.
This was so delicious! Didn’t Brown the way I’d like it but I think cause I didn’t have the full seven hr time so I had it on high For he first hr then low for about 4.5 hrs. And too much chicken in the pot. Which was fine cause now I have stock to make soup with the left overs lol. I know it would have browned if I did exactly like you wrote. Tnx great job.
Hi! Can I use chicken drumsticks instead of thighs? Thanks!
Sure, keep the side of the drumstick with more of the skin up to help keep them moist. Sometimes the skin only covers half the meat. The skin keeps things moist since there are no added liquids. You can even prop them up around the slow cooker to help crisp up too.
I want to cook boneless skinless chicken thighs in crockpot with no sauce. I will make a sauceof my choice before serving.
About another hour to go and Hoping it browns up soon! 🙂 skin hasn’t reached a golden brown yet
I have the same slow cooker, but the 8 qt version (and LOVE it!) Made this tonight adding a few garlic cloves, some Herbes de Provence, a bundle of fresh thyme & rosemary & half a lemon – turned out fantastic! I did vent the cover the last hour or so since I knew I added some liquid with the lemon. Skin turned out nice and crispy and chicken was SUPER juicy. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
How long if I wanted to do just one chicken quarter in a small crock pot? Still 7 hours on low?
I’ve never tested that amount but I would think 5-6 hours. If you decide to try, I’d love to know what timing worked for you.
Hi, do you think bone in , skin on chicken leg quarters would work? I have 4 huge ones to cook tomorrow in the slow cooker!
Yes, that’ll work.
I followed the instructions exactly and while the chicken meat was delicious, the skin was a soggy, slimy mess. It did not get brown or crispy as in the pictures. Did I miss something in the instructions?
I’m so glad it was delicious but it sounds like your chicken might have released too much liquid to not allow it to crisp up. You can either prop the lid to the side to allow some of the steam to come out for the last half hour or so or even place them under a broiler for just a bit at the end (make sure to watch so they don’t burn). Hope this helps if this happens next time too.
I LOVE my slow cooker! I totally disliked cooking until I got one. I didn’t know you could “bake” chicken in it. I did the recipe EXACTLY as outlined the same day I found it online and the result was AMAZING! The meat was moist and flavorful, and the skin was reasonably “crispy.” Although a LOT of fat was rendered, I let the meat rest on a paper towel lined pan before serving (just like after frying chicken) and it was a non issue. My husband loves chicken and could eat it every night. This is an excellent foundation recipe offering a plethora of flavor options via seasoning and rubs, and a simple way to prepare chicken to use in other recipes. With the relatively low cost of bone-in chicken thighs, my refrigerator will ALWAYS have “rotisserie” chicken for the taking. Thank you for sharing this remarkable and unbelievably easy recipe. I have one question. There was so much rendered fat I saved it in a glass jar in the fridge. I know it may not be considered “diet friendly” these days, but I remember my mother and grandmother used to cook with chicken fat, and in moderation it seems to me that this flavorful fat would enhance some recipes. Since you said you make this chicken frequently, do you have any recipes in which the rendered chicken fat could be used?
I’m so glad you love this recipe!! I don’t really have recipes for using the fat but I love to use it for roasting vegetables. It adds so much flavor!
I would use a bit of the chicken fat when making Matzah Balls for Matzah Ball Soup.
I make on the nights I am getting the kids home after school activities at dinner time. The chicken is perfect. I clean and place my veggies in a pot of cold water before I leave and rice in a steamer ready to push start. When I come home the dinner is about 20 to being put on table, (immediate if not cooking rice) from starting my rice, chicken is ready!
I’ve made this several times, big hit in my house!! The best thing is it doesn’t heat my whole house up. Thanks for sharing.
I made this recipe in my 1970s crock pot it only fitted 3 thighs, I left them in the crock pot for 5 hours, They came out crispy and very juicy. I’m a divorced male this was very easy to make and very delicious. Thank you Sabrina.
Fitted?
I made this recipe in my 1970s crock pot it only fitted 3 thighs, I left them in the crock pot for 5 hours, They came out crispy and very juicy. I’m a divorced male this was very easy to make and very delicious. Thank you Sabrina.
Do you put your meat in thawed everytime? I put all my meat in the crockpot forzen which works super well since my crockpot cooks super super hot. Just curious.
Yes, I use thawed everyt time. The issue with frozen chicken is that it will release all that liquid and not allow it to crisp up.
Cover on crock pot?
You’ll want the cover on the slow cooker for this recipe. 🙂
Hi ,I have 2 big chicken leg quarters ,(thigh and a leg) that i would like to use for this recipe do i need to change the hours cooking time
Thanks
It’s hard to say because the size determines the cook time. I would err on the side of caution and go with 7 hours. Hope this helps!
Can you use chicken drumsticks and wings in this recipe?
Yes, keep the side of the legs with more of the skin up to help keep them moist though. Sometimes chicken legs have skin only covering half the meat. The skin keeps things moist since you aren’t adding liquids.
Hi there! 8 hours is the lowest low setting hour I have, and I wont be able to switch to warm/off earlier because of work. Will the extra hour ruin it terribly??
Thanks so much!
It really depends on your slow cooker and how hot it runs.
Well i got my chicken legs cooking exactly like the recipe calls it. Its looking and smelling delicious hope it turns out great. Wish i had a bigger pot but guess itll have to do for now. I cant wait to try more of your dishes!
This recipe is incredible. Followed exactly with no liquid at all and just salt and pepper. I was skeptical leaving it dry but it was so good! I’m in medical school and I never have time to cook. This saved me so much time and I’ll be doing it every week 🙂
I’m putting 8 thighs in on low but have people coming overaround 5 or 6 PM, which means I only have 5 or 6 hours to cook it. is there a way that I can get it finished a little quicker? take em out and put them in the oven? Thanks!
Yes, you can always finish them in the oven or even broil a bit at the end if you need to quicken the process.
Hi , i have a few round slices of leftover sweet onion and red onion from a bbq we had yesterday i would like to add those onions in the crockpot with this recipe , will it work ok underneth the chicken in this recipe ???
You really don’t want to add anything else to the slow cooker with the chicken that would affect the chicken crisping up. I would suggest just sautee them on the side and add them at the end.
Never save onion for a later use. It becomes toxic as it absorbs toxins after it’s cut.
Can I use leg quarters instead?
Sure 🙂
Very good and simple.
Five stars definitely!
Thanks! This sounds so easy and delish! I’m making this now! Will have to come back and let you know how it comes out. I have a large, shallow, casserole crockpot that allowed me to put 8 large thighs in. I love that thing!
They came out delish! Will definitely be a new go to recipe. I seasoned with Badia country poultry seasoning on both sides and flavor was perfect! Whole fam loved. Skin even got slightly crisp and brown. Thank You! I wouldn’t have tried this method without your recipe 🙂
I made the chicken last night. And it was DELICIOUS!! I could not believe that I did not have to add any liquid, but I didn’t. My son said that this was better than any baked chicken I have EVER made. GREAT recipe and SUPER easy.
Thank you.
I am making this now! I’m coming up on the sixth hour. Mine is looking pretty juicy and a couple of them are just barely uncovered. I think I may pour a little out in about 20 or 30 minutes then have the lid a little open for the last hour to see if it dries them out a bit. I will report back. Let me know if there’s a better way. I’m excited.
If you forget to thaw your chicken can you put it in frozen?
No, I’m sorry but you need to use completely thawed chicken for this recipe to crisp up. If you use frozen, it will release too much liquid and make it all soupy.
Thanks for the recipe for summer crispy chicken. I’m using drumsticks, patted dry, salt pepper, skin side up. Hope it comes out the same?
could you put sliced carrots underneath the chicken to cook in the fat? Or would they burn without liquid?
You don’t want to add anything else to the slow cooker besides the chicken otherwise you won’t be able to get the crisp that you’re looking for. Sorry.
Good Morning Sabrina, i got a new 6 quart crock pot for mothers day , and I made your CRISP & JUICY SLOW COOKER CHICKEN last month June 5th ,, I did exactly as your directions ,but i used kinder bbq dry rub on the chicken .. i took the lid ajar to brown the skin the last hour and it still didnt get that brown and crispy .. the chicken was very dry and falling apart a lot …I put 5 chicken thighs bones one layer very snug and i moved them more apart from each other as they shrank done in size and i took a little bit of the fat liquid out because there was a lot of fat liquid ,,,
do i need to cook it for a shorter time so the chicken is not so dry and/ or do i not take the fat liquid out ,,, and for the skin getting crispy and brown do i need to leave the lid off longer?? ..
Lori
Next time, I wouldn’t remove any of the liquid and if it still doesn’t crisp up to your liking after leaving the lip ajar for the last hour, just pop it into the oven under the broiler before serving. 🙂
Ok so I want to make this tomorrow and I was wondering if I can use drumsticks instead of the thighs. Cause I only have drumsticks. Please let me know.
Sure, keep the side of the legs with more of the skin up to help keep them moist though. Sometimes chicken legs have skin only covering half the meat. The skin keeps things moist since you aren’t adding liquids.
Do you recommend leaving a small gap in the lid to allow steam to escape, hence keeping the skin dry and crispy?
Yes, I usually recommend doing that the last hour to vent if there seems to be a lot of liquid from the chicken.
Making this right now put 5 thighs one layer , all snug in a 6 quart crock pot seasoned them all over with Kinders Mild Dry BBQ Rub.. wanted some bbq flavored chicken
Hope the chicken comes out yummy as well as the skin coming out crispy yummy
Hi i would like to make this but with a bbq flavor any suggestions on what to use for a bbq dry rub or use of bbq sauce and for bbq sauce when would l put the bbq sauce on the chicken
thanks
You can do any type of rub you prefer but I would wait until done cooking to add any BBQ sauce. You really want to limit any liquid on the chicken while it’s in the slow cooker so it has a better chance of crisping up.
Giving it a go right now … my thinking is that if the skin is not 100% crisp to you liking you can always drop the chicken on to a baking pan and broil it for several min. Will report back.
Hi! I can’t wait to try this!!! I Got most of my questions answered from the comments but I was wondering If I’m going to be away for 10 hours do you think it’s okay to set a timer for 7 hours and it stays in warm for 3? Do you think I can add in tomato paste? How about onions?
What are some variations of this you make? Just different dry spices?
Adding anything to the slow cooker will affect the crisp on the chicken so I don’t recommend it. If the chicken stays warm for an additioanl 3 hours, you may need to pop it under a broiler for a bit (though watch it so it doesn’t burn) before serving. Enjoy!
I was curious if a lemon pepper dry rub on the chicken thighs would be OK?
Yes, a dry rub would be a great addition!
I made this tonight and it was awesome! I used chicken quarters (thighs and legs) and wings, from a whole chicken. I seasoned with some Cajun seasoning and salt and pepper and slow-cooked on low for about 7 hours, plus a few more mins with the lid off. The meat was very tender and the skin was reasonably crispy. If you want crispier skin, cook under the broker for a min or two. Next time I may cook for six hours, but I’ll definitely make this agaij. Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Lexi!
can you use this with chicken legs too?
Yes, but you’ll want to make sure they are propped up around the slow cooker with the meatier end facing down. Enjoy!
Do you think I could start with frozen chicken?
No, unfortunately not. It will release too much water during the cooking process and the chicken won’t crisp up, sorry.
I love this recipe & have made it at least 7 times. However, it IS possible to cook boneless chicken breasts in slow cooker without any liquid. Pat dry chicken & salt & pepper both sides & place however many chicken breasts as you can in a single layer & cook on Low for 3 hrs, maybe 3-1/2 if using very large pieces. It makes its own juice & comes out really tender!
Thank you for sharing your delicious recipes.
Thanks for the feedback with using boneless skinless breasts!
I have to say, I was a bit worried, but decided to give it a go…well I am so glad I did. This was the Best Chicken…so moist and juicy and the skin was crisped. I used a few more seasonings and some paprika, it was perfect. And I used the “drippings” to make chicken gravy! Thanks for a great recipe
Yay!! I’m glad you gave it a go too!
hmmmm is fantastic i like e rotisserie chicken my taste buds love this is the best recipe That’s a great idea! I hope you love the recipe.
Thank you!
I made this last night and it turned out AMAZING! I always had trouble with keeping my chicken juicy, and always used chicken breasts. I used fresh, not frozen, chicken thighs and the difference is outstanding! Skin was so crispy! ( I was very skeptical on how this would work in a crock pot, but decided to give this a try!) This recipe is going to be a staple in my house! My husband raved about it, and there wasn’t any leftovers!
Thank you so much for this recipe!
It’s such a simple yet flavorful recipe. I’m so glad you tried it and loved it!
A trick that I learned is to roll up some aluminum foil and lay it on the bottom of the slow cooker and then place chicken thighs on top of foil. This method helps prevent the chicken from sitting in all that liquid. I also use other seasonings with salt and pepper and I have used bbq sauce but wait towards the end of the cooking process before brushing the chicken with bbq sauce
I misread and cooked it on high for 4 hours. It’s on low now. Do you think it will mess it up?
Shoot, just now seeing your question. How did it turn out, Jennifer?
I made this last night for today’s lunch. OMG!!! This is fantastic. From the crispy skin to the tender juicy meat. Do you thing this would work well with chicken wings for buffalo wings??
The wings would be so much shallower and would sit in the liquid too far for a good crispy texture. But you can certainly make hot wings in the slow cooker. I’ll add that to my list to recipe test.
Just a quick question to get clarification. Throughout the comments you as well as others have said using a crockpot liner does and does not work. Is this dependent on the crockpot and how hot is runs? It just seems people’s comments/responses have been contradicting.
I usually use a liner to avoid having to scrub as hard, but if it will not work for this recipe I’d like to know before starting.
It may vary depending on your slow cooker but I don’t recommend using one for this recipe. I don’t think that you’re able to get as much crisp on the chicken by using a liner. If you plan on still trying it, I’d love to hear how it worked out for you.
When you mention “liner” are you speaking of the ceramic insert?
No, some people use the plastic liners to line thier slow cooker to help with the ease of clean up but it doens’t allow the chicken to crisp up. Hope this helps clear up any confusion.
I never use liquid when cooking meat in crockpot unless I have a lot of raw veggies in the bottom. I discovered this form of chicken awhile back. Ribs with a dry run and cooked fat up work well with this concept as well. No liquid= better flavor.
Couldn’t agree more, Debbie!
Sorry “can” cheicken breast take place of thighs
Canned chicken breast be substituted and can you add potatoes?
No, I’m sorry but the chicken breast will dry out and adding potatoes into the slow cooker will hinder the chicken from getting crisp and juicy.
I’m going on 6 hours and 45 min. Abs m chicken seems to be swimming in liquid.. At this point should I pour some off? Or put under broiler? Obviously I failed somewhere.. I don’t think this will crisp in the next 15 min!
Oh no! Yes, I would’ve poured out some liquid. Was your chicken fully thawed? Sometimes I even pat down my chicken before putting it in the slow cooker just to take off any excess liquid. Hopefully you’re able to give it another try.
Hello, Dinner, then Dessert,
Thanks be to you for this recipe. I enjoy it alot because it’s quick and simple. A family member walked by and said to put some water in that pot, and I told her: No, water was not needed. It said so in an online recipe. This is a healthy way to cook chicken. You get extra points for that. 🙂
It is such an quick and easy meal! So glad you enjoyed it.
This looks so delicious! Since I only cook 4 thighs at a time, how long should I cook them for?
Are you only cooking 4 thighs because that’s all that will fit in your slow cooker or all that you need for your dinner?
I put 5 leg quarters in my new 6 qt Crockpot and followed the directions as written. Pieces were done in three hours on low, but the skin was not at all crispy. Meat was tender, flavorful, but very greasy. The chicken pieces were sitting in about 1.5 inches of rendered fat.Would draining the fat once or twice during cooking help the skin to get crispy? Thanks!
Yes, sounds like that would’ve helped. The pieces might have just had more fat rendering down on them. So glad the meat will still tender and flavorful though 🙂
Will this work on these large quarters of legs/ thighs in those ten pound bags? Same amount of time for two quarters (about two pounds total)? Sounds delicious!
I bought one of those 10 pd. bags of leg/ thigh quarters. The sections are large. Will this method work on them? Same amount of time for two quarters? Recipe sounds so good, hope to try it soon.
Yes, it will work 🙂 Just make sure that all the chicken is completely thawed and placed in the slow cooker in one single layer. Enjoy!!
What I can’t figure out is why everyone keeps asking about adding broth, and barbeque sauce and layering the chicken on top of each other ? People this is the most simple recipe that has ever been published. Bravo to the nice lady that was kind enough to post it. Bone in , skin side up 7 hours. End of story. Stop trying to reinvent the wheel.
I made this for dinner tonight. SCORE! This is a winner. I followed the instructions to the letter, and only improvised when I added my own homemade dry rub in addition to the other seasonings. I did pour off some of the rendered fat as the chicken thighs were cooking. It turned out fantastic. CRISPY SKIN, YAAAS! Everyone loved it. Thank you so much 🙂 Going into regular rotation, for sure!
DELICIOUS!
I did mine in the oven on 120 degrees celcius for 7 hours uncovered. It was crispy, and tender, falling off the bone. My husband absolutely loved it.
Will do this recipe again for sure!
Thanks a lot!
Fantastic!
Sabrina, just had the Crispy, Juicy Slow Cooker Chicken and it turned out as you said it would. My husband who very seldom comments on a meal said, “Well that was good.” He also ate the skin which he only does when it is crispy. So happy to have a super easy meat to prep for dinner. Thank you.
I definitely take that as a compliment! Thank you for coming back to let me know that we’ve won him over 🙂
This was not as everyone says… HORRIBLE……I cook this exactly like recipe post. The chicken was dry, seem to be over cooked, no seasoning taste..
So sorry to hear this. Does your slow cooker run hot by chance? Just trying to figure out what could’ve been the issue. We use this recipe almost weekly wth success. I’d be happy to troubleshoot with you. You can contact me at [email protected]
If you forgot to start your dinner in the morning and now are in a time crunch could you do this on high for a few hours and get the same results?
No, the chicken fat really doesn’t render as fully on high. I’ve tried it and while it would be cooked it wouldn’t have the same level of doneness. Sorry ?
I made this today. So simple and delicious. The meat fell off the bone. Yum!
So glad you enjoyed it and came back to let me know!
Top on or off
Keep the lid on the slow cooker the entire time you’re cooking it 🙂
Do you thaw the chicken first?
Yes, you want them thawed. Enjoy!
I was so excited to make this chicken for my boyfriend is he’s a huge fan of dark meat chicken and of course I’m a huge fan of white meat chicken. After liberally salting and peppering the chicken, my crock pot is large enuf I laid 4 defrosted thighs skin side up in a single layer around 1 frozen breast, skin side up. I put the slow cooker on warm at 9am. When I came back at 4, I noticed the chicken looked EXACTLY as it had 4 hours earlier so I put the temp up to high and watched it like a hawk. It was finally done at 7:45pm. It was as crispy and delicious as promised but thank God I checked it when I did or we would have been going out for dinner.
I can’t imagine how yours cooked on low in 7 hours! The low setting is working on my crock pot – I used that setting for beef stew just a couple days before.
Anyone else have trouble getting their chicken to cook on low?
I feel like I should subtract a star because of the temperature setting issue I had, but the meal really was so delicious even though it was late, like I said I just wondered if anyone else had this issue…
Unfortunately, the frozen breast in the middle will greatly effect the timing. So glad you checked it and make the adjustment.
This looks great, I’m going to make it today! One question, can I put carrots & potatoes on the bottom? Still using same method with the No liquids & the chicken thighs on top, evenly lined with the skin side up??
Unfortunately, I don’t think it would work. The chicken is going to let go of a lot of fat so the carrots that are underneath would essentially be boiling in fat and I’m not sure that would taste very good and the potatoes may brown before actually cooking. Sorry but it might be best to roast the veggies in the oven instead.
I usually don’t leave comments however this was too good and easy not to. Not to mention my picky kids loved it as well!! Turned out awesome and will definitely be making this again! Thank you so much Sabrina!
It’s awesome to hear that you loved it so much, you came back to let me know! And I know how hard it can be to please everyone, especially picky kids!!
Can I use drumsticks instead of thighs
Sure, just keep the side of the legs with more of the skin up to help keep them moist though. Sometimes chicken legs have skin only covering half the meat. The skin keeps things moist since you aren’t adding liquids.
Hi Sabrina,
I just tried your recipe of these juicy crispy slow cooker chicken thighs. To be homest i was very sceptic about it for one it doesn’t look so good, meaning it looks still raw…. BUT they turned out as described, juicy and crispy
Let me tell you it was delicious and i would like to thank you for your discovery ?
Best wishes.
Hajni
Wonderful! Thank you for dropping back by to let me know how much you enjoyed it!
Thank you!!!!! I finally found something that everyone will eat!!! I just made this today and it turned out great! I followed the recipe exactly. I did have to use 2 slow cookers (3 in the smaller and 5 in larger one ) to fit all 8 chicken thighs so my cook time was at 4 hours not 7. These are fabulous and you can either eat the skin or not – everybody’s happy!!! This will be used a lot in our house – Thank you again!
Awesome! I love it when you can find something everyone will eat, a total win!! Thank you for coming back to let me know how much you guys enjoyed it!
I just bought full chicken legs with skin
Will this work?
Using chicken legs won’t work as well as the thighs, the skin on chicken legs is fairly thin to start and won’t keep the leg meat covered throughout cooking. You may end up with dried out meat if it isn’t covered.
I used full quarter legs and came out delish!!
Fantastic! Thank you dropping back by to let me know how much you enjoyed it!
Do you use frozen or thawed thighs?
Thawed things work best since frozen ends up producing more liquid and just doesn’t allow for the crisp to happen.
Will this work with frozen chicken thighs?
I would hesitate to say yes because there is so much more water in frozen thighs. I think as it melted and cooked the level of the liquid it released would rise above the level of the chicken skin. I’d also question if that skin would crisp up even if it didn’t get covered in too much liquid.
One of the best pieces of chicken I have ever made in my life. Can’t believe it was just salt and pepper. And I never comment on websites. It was that good. Thank you for this.
Thank you so much for coming back to let me know how much you loved it! I take it as a huge compliment that your first comment on a website is for my yummy chicken!!
Would it have anymore color if i sprinkled paprika on top? i have to layer mine, i can only get 4 thighs in the bottom of my slowcooker, not nearly enough for dinner…. Also, since not adding any other ingredients, do you know how to lessen the “smell of raw meat” being cooked? my son hates the smell, and i never noticed till he said something lol
Hello! Paprika and any other dry seasonings you add are certainly welcome and would add color/flavor but if you are stacking the chicken you will have no chance at the skin being palatable by the end for a couple of reasons. First, the bottom layer will stay soggy due to being under other chicken which is releasing it’s liquid. And second, the amount of liquid released by double the amount of chicken will certainly submerge the first layer since when using one layer it comes up about 60-70 percent of the way of the chicken. I think if your expectations are for it to come out looking crispy or having any color you will be disappointed and I don’t want you to be.
With regards to the smell, I can’t say I have ever noticed it? But I would imagine any spice while cooking would hopefully be more aromatic than the chicken? So maybe if you’re using garlic powder or cumin or paprika it would help alleviate the smell?
Can I ask what size slow cooker you are using for four thighs? I have a 6.5 quart, I can get 6 untrimmed thighs or 7-8 if I trim some of the excess skin butchers like to leave on the thighs.
I will use the crock pot. Does it work well as same as the slow cooker?
Also, I notice that there is steam water on the lid and it drops on the top of the chicken skins. Will it prevent it from making chicken crispy? If so, how can i do differently?
If you ever find it isn’t getting quite as crisp on top, leave the top open a crack for the last half hour or hour to let any moisture escape.
Will this recipe (with added time) work with frozen chicken thighs? (I’m sorry if you’ve already answered this – I saw not to cook it on high, but I couldn’t read through 200+ comments!) I can’t wait to make this!
I would hesitate to say yes because there is so much more water in frozen thighs. I think as it melted and cooked the level of the liquid it released would rise above the level of the chicken skin. I’d also question if that skin would crisp up even if it didn’t get covered in too much liquid.
This came out so great,we eat it weekly in my home..Thank you for sharing..Can I cook drumsticks the same way? If not, can you recommend a recipe? I was recently gifted a crockpot,so I’m excited to try new dishes.
Drumsticks aren’t a good fit for it because the skin doesn’t cover the whole leg usually and if it does it is usually quite thin so there isn’t a lot protecting the chicken from drying out. With that said, when it comes to turkey legs I do put them in the slow cooker, I find they come out amazing! I do have a pretty wide selection of slow cooker recipes you can look through too, I am a huge slow cooker fan! //dev.dinnerthendessert.com/?s=slow+cooker
The chicken came out brilliant – crispy skin and juicy, succulent meat. The only problem is the meat seasoning; the skin and base has the saltiness & kick from the sal and pepper but the rest of the meat was bland. Any advise to impart some taste/ spice it it?
Yes! The base of this recipe is in the method, but I frequently add cumin/cayenne/garlic salt or oregano/basil/garlic powder/salt/pepper or rosemary/lemon zest/salt/pepper. If you season heavily with your spices all around it you should have pretty flavorful results. Just don’t add anything liquidy to the mix 🙂
Would chicken quarters work? Also do I cook this on high for 7 hours?
Chicken Quarters? Would that be leg/thigh? or breast/wing? I wouldn’t put chicken breast in the slow cooker, but I can’t see how the thigh/leg combo would go wrong.
This is awesome! My wife and I love food hot `n spicy so all I do is dump on ABUNCH of chili powder and follow the directions. As my wife says: YUM,YUM,YUM! So you know, 3 yums is her biggest compliment. Thanks for this.
Oh man, now I want to try that! So glad you all enjoyed it!
For crispy chicken in the crockpot like drummies, create an crumpled aluminum foil bottom. You have to kind of ball it up and prop the chicken on top of it. It allows the liquid to have somewhere to go so the skin isn’t sittin in it. You can Google it for pictures. Also, if your crockpot keeps too much liquid in, try adding a tea towel under the lid (also how you can bake bread in the crock.)
Thanks Rachel! I’ve tried the foil method but find the chicken can get too dry that way (at least with my slow cooker) and slightly stringy? This works on two levels. The liquid around the chicken insulates the meat but the skin being above the liquid allows it to crisp. Maybe I can give the foil ball trick a try again and I love the towel idea!
Sorry if I missed this, but do you cook the chicken with the lid on the crockpot the whole time?
Yes! That way the delicious juices are trapped in and it doesn’t dry out.
Turned out perfect except I put the crock pot on high after the first hour and cooked 5 hours more. Chicken wasn’t completely thawed is why. Salt and pepper and a clove of chopped garlic in the bottom and salt and pepper and light sprinkle of rosemary on top.
I will be trying this tonight. It looks really good. I have roasted whole hens in my crock pot before with a similar method and no liquid added and the skin turns out fantastic, so I know this will be as good as it looks.
Omg amazing!!
I cook for 10 people every night and they’re always busy with after school sports activities. I decided to try this chicken today. I used a 7 qt slow cooker. You said not to layer but with 20 chicken thighs it was do or die. None of the 6 kids like skin anyway so if half didn’t get crisp up it was ok. The chicken eas delicious. Even the pickiest ones devoured it. We will have this again. Completed the meal with rice pilaf (boxed) and spinach. Yum. Thank you.
Perfect! Prepared just like you said. Loved it!!
Made this today. It was ok, easy enough that’s for sure. The only thing I will do differently next time is put the slow cooker on low instead of high, turned out dry this time around.
Trying this tonight but got a late start ! Can I cook on high for 2 hours than on low ?
I wouldn’t recommend it – it’s probably going to dry out the meat and it won’t be crisp and juicy anymore!
I’m new to cooking meats with kosher salt. About how much do you use?
Sorry this comment took so long to get to, it ended up in my spam filter somehow! I use about 1/2 as much salt as normal table salt.
What would happen if you used frozen chicken?
The frozen chicken has extra water added. It would raise the level of liquids and you wouldn’t have a rendered crispy skin. I would advise against frozen, sorry 🙁
I tried this with the taco seasoning mix from here http://www.thebirchcottage.com/2015/06/recipe-for-taco-seasoning/, as a rub and it turned out great. Thanks so much for the recipe. VERY simple and delicious.
That sounds great!
Can you do this with boneless, skin on, chicken thighs? That’s what I have and would love to have this for dinner.
Sorry this comment took so long to get to, it ended up in my spam filter somehow! Sorry I just found a huge number of comments over the last three months that was snared in the spam filter and I am trying to follow up with each one now even though in your case I am way too late to help. I’ve never tried with boneless but skin on. Though I do find the bone helps keep chicken moister as a general rule.
Always love new chicken recipes for the crockpot. Followed your directions exactly. No liquids. Skin side up. Cooked as directed. Chicken never got browned or crispy. But was cooked really moist. Ended up putting the pieces of chicken under broiler for a few minutes. Don’t know what I did wrong.
It’s important to make sure that you only have exactly one layer of chicken – if you overcrowd it, there will be too much fat and the tops will get soggy. If you’d like to shoot me an email, I can help you troubleshoot further!
this looks yummy how long should I keep it in if only using 4 thighs
That depends on the size of the slow cooker – if it’s a smaller slow cooker, and four thighs fit into one layer, then the time will be the same. If you have a bigger slow cooker, I wouldn’t use just four thighs – my rule of thumb is I use just enough to cover the bottom with one layer.
I just made this chicken.what a disappointment.chicken fell off the bone when I took out of crock pot.skin wasn’t even crispy.and I had lot of juice from chicken.I added nothing just chicken.my family laughed at me and said if that’s fried chicken,then we r e going to mars!##,won’t tell anyone about this recipe,
Would love to troubleshoot if you would like, we make this recipe once a week without fail and have been for years. If you would like you could email me at [email protected] or just reply here with the steps you took? What pieces did you use? How did you arrange them? How long did you cook it for?
Can I cook it on high heat with a lower time cook?
I’ve not had the same success with the skin getting crispy on high for shorter periods but I think it may have to do with more steam buildup on high heat. Let me know if you give it a try though.
Due to time restraints, how long would it take to make them on high? 4hrs on high for 4 thighs?
So sorry, this comment got snared in the spam filter! I think on high you may get steam issues that prevent the skin from crisping up. Since I am so painfully late in responding, would love to hear how it turned out.
I love slow baked chicken but not the oven heat and energy- but I had no idea this would work! It did! I took 5 good sized thighs, dried them thoroughly, sprinkled with greek herbs and salt, and let them go. It was actually almost 8 hours as hubby was late, but they were perfect! Fall off the bone, crispy skin. Most of the fat in the crock, just set them on a paper towel before serving. So good he took some for lunch today. thank you so much!
Fantastic!! So glad you enjoyed them! Thank you for coming back and letting me know how they turned out!
This recipe is so easy and even more delicious! It has become a recipe I go to at least twice a month.
It’s one of our go-tos as well! I’m so glad to have given you a staple recipe!
I’ve just put these in the crockpot! Am so excited to see how they come out!
Ooh! Trying this right now! Thanks for what seems to be a very simple recipe. I haven’t done thighs in the slow-cooker before so I wasn’t sure where to begin! 🙂
I just came across this and I’m dead keen to try it. Beautiful in its simplicity. But I have only a small cooker and can only fit three thighs as a single layer. Should I still cook it on low for the full seven hours?
I wouldn’t, I would give it a shot at first for 5 hours. See where you’re at. It can be a bit dependent on the slow cooker, but definitely start a couple of hours less. 🙂
Hi Sabrina..Your recipe looks yummy and I am anxious to try it…I read somewhere in the comments that someone was going to try putting the thighs on top of foil balls to keep it out of the fat and juices on the bottom..would this work or would the thighs turn out less moist..I am wondering because of health reasons I would prefer to keep it out of the fat as much as possible..Thanks, Nancy
yes, definitely less moist, the chicken stays pretty tender in the “juice.” My husband has patted the chicken dry after the fact a few times for the kids, but almost all the fat you’d eat in the chicken is rendered. You’ll have a slight coating of it, but I find a quick pat of a paper towel (kind of like how I do for pizza for the kids) tends to get rid of most of it.
Good flavor but very greasy!
If you want to keep more of the chicken fat away from the chicken it will be slightly less moist but you can put some foil balls under the chicken. It will keep the fat the chicken naturally releases away from the meat. But yes, thighs are going to release that fat. You can also dab with a paper towel, my husband does that at times.
I did this but added salt and pepper, crushed tomatoes, stuffed olives and bay leaves and it was amazing. Rice and green beans were me 2 sides and I was surprised at how amazing this turned out. Something that should be tried !
I made this for dinner tonite. Yummy! But the skin did not crisp up. Usually, when I try a reclpe from the Internet, I first read all the comments. This time I didn’t as it was late at night and I wanted a quick recipe for the morning. Now, after reading the comments, I realize that I should have put it skin side up. If I could make a suggestion, PLEASE put it into the directions that the thighs should be placed skin side up. I’m sure that there will be many more happy eaters!
Good point! I’ve fixed the recipe.
Question: I’m a broke grad student and I bought boneless skinless chicken thighs for about $2. Is there any way to do boneless skinless chicken thighs in the slow cooker without a ton of sauce?
Hey Zoey, been there too! Boneless skinless makes it kind of hard in the slow cooker because it will dry out a heck of a lot faster. I know a lot of people who will add salsa to chicken in the slow cooker, but if you did it with this recipe your chicken wouldn’t have the protection of the skin and the bone to help keep in moist.
P.S. I tried this with two turkey thighs once, but without the same good results. It just didn’t cook all the meat, and some spots were downright raw still. Any suggestions or tips for cooking turkey thighs? I much prefer turkey to chicken, but I don’t want to deal with my oven in the summer if I can cook it in the crockpot instead. Thanks!
You don’t mention what size slow cooker you use (what DO you use?), but as a single mom with only one very picky eater of a grade school aged child, I use a 3qt Cuisineart for almost all of *my* slow cooking. Besides, my 6qt is WAY too big for 99% of the meals I’d prepare, and it’s a total pain in the arse to clean it too. But I digress.
Anyway, I found your above “recipe” on accident searching for easy chicken dishes. Because my kid loves the stuff but does not love anything to TASTE like anything, I thought this would be a perfect method to try.
It has been! I salt/pepper four organic chicken thighs and layer them into the crockpot, set it for 7 hours and done. We now eat chicken several times a week, something I never thought I’d say since I’ve joked my whole life that I never eat chicken (or run) on purpose. My kid loves it right out of the cooker and onto her plate. I love it with garlic, some pesto or as the hearty protein of an entrée sized salad.
Thank you for making my mealtime planning SO much easier! Sharing far and wide.
So glad to help! Yes, I use a 6qt, even when it was just for the two of us, but only because it meant cooking less often to make larger meals. In your three quart did your turkey sit comfortably in the slow cooker? Also, I know sometimes the 3 qt. can be used for keeping things warm instead of cooking. Does yours have low/med/high for the slow cooker or an on/off switch? My 3qt is an on/off kind so I use it mostly for fondues. If yours does have low/med/high then I would make sure it is kind of a snug fit. You dont want way too much space around it because the liquid the turkey releases should come about halfway up the sides of the turkey as it cooks, leaving the skin to crisp. The best guess I can make, since you mentioned raw meat after 7 hours is that the slow cooker was possibly operating on warm? If you want to troubleshoot via email, I would be happy to help, my email is contact @ dinnerthendessert . com 🙂
I tried this tonight for the first time and oh my goodness it was delicious! We usually bake ours to get a crispy skin, but when it gets hot out I hate to turn on the oven. The skin was crispy and delicious and the chicken was so tender and juicy it melted in my mouth. My husband even raved and went on and on! Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so glad you guys loved it! This is a total favorite in our house too!
has anyone experimented with using – for either part of or all of the time – the “high” setting in order to expedite the process?
I’ve actually tried it out and the skin was never quite the same. Not exactly sure why, maybe the skin needs the extra time to render all the fat out? No scientific answer here though.
Can I cook on grill to brown after cooking for the 7 hours
No, they would fall apart on the grill. You can use a spatula to remove from the slow cooker and put onto a tray and put them under the broiler for a couple of minutes.
Will a crockpot work the same as a slow cooker? Thanks!
Yes, they’re the same thing. 🙂
If you’ve only got 4 thighs, would you decrease the time? By how much, if so?
So sorry it took so long to respond, this comment somehow got filtered into spam. Yes, for four thighs I usually do 5-6 hours.
I made this dish the other day & really liked how easy it was to make. I placed sliced onions on the bottom of the crock pot before adding the chicken thighs to keep the chicken from sitting in the grease 🙂 I made them overnight & put them in the fridge in the morning until we were ready to eat later that day. When we were ready to eat…I removed the chicken from the fridge…placed in microwave for a few seconds to take some of the chill off…then I put them in a hot skillet (fat side down) to crisp up the skin. They turned out perfect!! Thank you for this simply but yummy way to make chicken thighs 🙂
After cooking it in the crockpot, can I cook it in the grill to brown?
Can I cook it on high for half the time? Will that work?
I’ve tried it but I think the time the chicken takes to render the fat is more successful at creating a crispy skin. The chicken itself will certainly cook on high for half time but your skin may not be crisp.
Wow!! This was incredible! I have to admit, I was skeptical at first, but my boys love thighs, so I gave it a try. Eight thighs devoured in record time with two thumbs up. The meat was literally falling off the bone, it was so juicy. It took about 5 minutes to prep, and $6 to make it. Easy and cheap! Thank you so much for sharing!
Ever tried this with a whole chicken? Most whole chicken Crock-Pot recipes call for added liquid or other vegetables or a bed of onions, celery Etc. I’m going to give this a try. What do I have to lose? A few burnt spots on the side of the crockpot… Oh well I’ll get it clean! LOL
You definitely won’t have any burnt spots, but your chicken breasts are going to be very dry before the thighs are done cooking. I don’t recommend cooking breasts in the slow cooker. If you want to give it a shot anyway, I would suggest putting some large potatoes or balled foil under the chicken to prop it up so that your chicken isn’t sitting in a soggy bath of liquid after cooking.
Can you use chicken drumsticks also ?
Possibly. There is less skin on drumsticks and they’re not quite as thick sometimes, so you may have difficulty getting anything crispy. They will still be delicious though.
Can you also put in drumsticks ?
I’m a single guy in Manhattan, who’s NEVER cooked before. I just got a slow cooker and this is the first recipe I’m trying today. Just put the thighs in the cooker 🙂
What I did was I covered the chicken with some some minced garlic, smoked paprika, oregano, red pepper flakes , salt and pepper and a bit of lemon juice.
Will report back in 7 hours if my modification of your suggestion comes out any good !
Hope you enjoyed it!
Sabrina. Reporting back. The thighs with the modified spices came out pretty good .
2 questions:
1) Is the color of the chicken close to the bones supposed to be a little darker than the rest after its cooked? I was a bit concerned that it may be under cooked.. My crock pot was on for Atleast 7 hours .
2) Can you point me to some simple recipes that I can use that juicy cooked chicken. Even if it’s serving with some dressings, or using them in some sort of sauce/ gravy. I liked eating the roasted chicken , but would enjoy it more if it’s part of something more saucy.
1) Yes, it’s supposed to look that way. It sounds like it cooked fine!
2) I’ve got a few different chicken-covered-in-sauce recipes you can choose from, if any tickle your fancy:
Sriracha Brown Sugar Chicken
Honey Mustard Barbecue Chicken Wings
Baked Sticky Asian Chicken Wings
Chicken in Garlic Sauce
Sticky Honey Indonesian Chicken
Mango Habanero Chicken
Tony Roma’s Barbecue Chicken
Sabrina, you are one amazing woman.
Thanks much!
🙂 aww, shucks.
Tried a variation on the recipe with Italian seasoning and came out perfect.
Thanks for letting us know! So glad you enjoyed it!
My wife and I like to grill a large batch of skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs and then eat them for several days. Obviously, the slow cooker wouldn’t produce a large batch of crispy chicken because too many for a single layer. Could you use a large grill pan in an oven and slow-cook? Not sure the chicks would come out any better than if just grilled, though.
Sure, you could cook them at 250 for 6-7 hours and they would probably come out similar to how they would cook in a slow cooker (just make sure you salt them well!) But if you cook them at 425 for 18-22 minutes, just make sure you salt them well and they will come out delicious, but they wouldn’t be as fall-apart tender.
I tried doing your recipe but in an oven at 250 for 6 hours. First I trimmed the excess skin that my grocer leaves wrapped around the thigh so that only the top side of thigh was covered with skin. I also lined my 2″ deep baking pan with large carrots to keep thighs out of the juices released during cooking.
Results: thigh meat falling off bone tender, skin papery and defatted, but not browned. I’m wondering if I should have used a slightly higher temp to brown the skin a bit more. P.S. The carrots turned out great too.
If the chicken tasted great but you want the skin more brown, it could mean that the lid or cover you used was too tight to allow steam to get out. You might try leaving the lid or cover off for the last half hour of cooking. If that doesn’t work, you can set the oven to broil and set the chicken on the top rack for a couple minutes.
Well, I can say this, the chicken was moist and delicious. The skin? Not crispy at all. I am wondering if my crockpot might not get hot enough.
It might not be a factor of hot enough – you might have too much moisture getting trapped inside. You could try using slow cooker liner, or take the lid off the slow cooker for the last hour of cooking time, that will try it out.
Made this last week it was sooooooo goooooooood! Next time i am going to take Aluminum foil roll it into small balls and put it in the bottom of the crockpot to raise the chicken up out of the juice more.Hopefully it will crisp up better.
So glad you loved it! If you ever find it isn’t getting quite as crisp on top, leave the top open a crack for the last half hour or hour to let any moisture escape. Thanks for coming back and letting me know you enjoyed it!
I hate using my oven so much, but I never thought to put chicken thighs in a slow cooker and have it be crispy. I want to try this soon, but would the time change at all if I’m cooking only 3 or 4 pieces? I have a small cooker and it’s just me (so I’d be cooking for a few meals), so I’d hate to overcook!
Yes, as long as you only have one layer of chicken, also maybe lower cooking time to 5 and a half or 6 hours. Hope you enjoy it!
Just thought I’d reply again and say that I’ve done this so many times now and have shared the “secret” of slow cooker crispy chicken with my sisters… Today, I went to do this again and could not for the life of me remember the time for 4 thighs… Went here on a whim (new laptop, lost all my links!) to see if the comments would give me an idea on time and lo and behold, here again was your answer to me from last year.
🙂 Thanks again. This is seriously my go-to for chicken!
I’m always here for you 😉
Hi Sabrina, love reading all your comments. I just got the idea to ball up tin foil into like tennis ball size, and put them in the bottom of the slow cooker. Layer the meat on top , sprinkle on the spices, add your lid and cont. on from there. Then pieces like wings and drumsticks would get soggy and the skin would crisp. Let me know what you think please.
Yep, totally works!
THIGHS IN MY SLOW COOKER. WHICH TEMP LOW OR HIGH FOR 7 HOURS….THANKS
low 🙂
Slow-cookers temperature at “low” varies tremendously between manufacturers. It would be helpful if you put a thermometer or thermocouple in yourslow-cooker so others could better replicate your outcome. Mine has adjustable temp and digital readout of actual temp.
My slow cooker on slow hovers between 198-205 degrees. Hope that helps!
Can it be use with the legs and wings as well? I have a mixed pack I need to use.
Legs probably yes, the very tops would still be out of the liquid the chicken releases. Wings would submerge pretty quickly so I would avoid them.
Just finished our Sunday dinner featuring the slower cooker chicken thighs. My husband loves dark meat chicken and he was impressed! I thought it was very tasty also. I wish the skin was not so soft. I’m wondering if I should have trimmed some of the extra fat off of the pieces before cooking. There was a lot of fat left in the cooker, however, at no time did it cover the chicken while cooking. Should the skin be crispy? We will definitely prepare this again!
So glad you enjoyed it! Let’s trouble shoot the soft skin issue. Did you put frozen thighs in or super wet thighs, like if you rinsed them or something? If you find they have too much moisture I would recommend patting super dry with a paper towel. I also like to salt the tops, I find it helps dry out the tops. I did have one reader who used a slow cooker liner and it steamed the chicken from the moisture proof seal it created. When she removed the liner she got crispy skin. Last ditch effort I suggest possibly leaving the top partially open for the last hour, let any moisture out that you can. If the thighs have a ton of fat it could be you had so much they couldn’t render and if they can’t all render out the skin has no chance at getting crispy. So try trimming a bit and if you want to trouble shoot more I am always around! contact @ dinnerthendessert . com 🙂
Thank you Sabrina. I think the issue I had was not enough salt. Will be trying it again soon.
My pleasure! Hope you enjoy it!
So I’m wanting to try this, I’m a huge chicken lover, I could eat it every day & be happy! I have chicken legs in the freezer, would you adjust cooking time since they’re not thighs? Hoping to try this tomorrow, taking legs out of freezer today!
I would defrost first or the extra liquid on the chicken legs would melt off and submerge the chicken in the slow cooker. Other than that, legs should work fine. Sorry for the delayed response, I hope it turned out well!
I tried this chicken recipe last night! It came out just as pictured and was delicious. Seriously, my new “go to” we will be eating this a lot!!! Yummy
Yay! I love when people try this “recipe” out, it is one of our go-to methods. Thank you for coming back and letting me know you enjoyed it.
do you think this would work if i put some veggies — onion, celery, garlic, maybe a little broth and white wine – UNDER the chicken and layer the chicken on top with the skin up? or would that introduce too much moisture to crisp up the skin?
No, that wouldn’t work. The additional liquid that is in the chicken will drain out during cooking and it will raise the water level above the chicken, poaching it instead of keeping it crisp and juicy.
This looks so yummy! I’ve read thru all the comments & what I couldn’t find is my question. Can I use BONE-IN skin ON chicken breasts? Don’t eat dark meat but would like to try ! Does this idea make enough juice?
Sorry, but the fat throughout the dark meat is what keeps the meat moist. If you tried this method with breasts, it would dry out the meat in the time it took to cook. Your best bet is to dry the skin with a paper towel, add salt, rest for 30 minutes (so the salt call pull out the moisture) and roast in a 425-degree oven for 18-25 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken.
btw i vastly prefer white meat to dark also, but since i started cooking with chicken thighs i’ve not looked back. with braising or slow cooking they really are the way to go. much better flavor. it’s not like roasted dark meat. just my experience.
OK…. We frequently eat bone in chicken thighs… I am constantly trying to find a way to have them come out with crispy skin and moist meat without frying.. I am constantly finding disappointment because of the liquid ingredients called for in every recipe..
I’ve read this page a half dozen times today and I have to try your method.. I am thawing 6 nice thighs at present.. I will get them as dry as possible tomorrow and pop them in the slow cooker Friday morning.. Fingers crossed… ;o)
Hoping to come back and light up all 5 stars… :O)
I hope you enjoy it! If you want to try and make crispy-skin chicken in the oven, you can dry and salt the chicken, put it on a baking sheet and put in a 425-degree oven for 20 minutes – that’s a method we use when we don’t have a lot of time.
:O) I should have mentioned that my disappointment was in slow cooker recipes.. I use mine as often as possible..That’s why your recipe intrigues me… The thighs go into the slow cooker this morning..
Excellent method …. Easy on me, big hit with our company.. :O)
Great! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I have done this method/recipe several times now. It’s is amazing that chicken can come out this good in the Crockpot. As many people, I stopped cooking chicken in the Crockpot because it was always just mush. I think the key is using chicken thighs, bone in, skin on. Do not try and make this with boneless breasts. I think it would come out terrible with super lean, and no skin. But if you are good with thighs, this is the way to go. Plus, bone in, skin on, chicken thighs are SO cheap!! Thank you, thank you for experimenting Sabrina!
Thanks, Anne! The skin on the thighs is what keeps the meat moist!
it was really good and the meat fell off the bone,i made gravy with the juice and put over rice,simple and very good?
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for coming back and letting me know what you thought of it.
Hey there. How would using half thighs, half drumsticks work?
Sure, keep the side of the legs with more of the skin up to help keep them moist though. Sometimes chicken legs have skin only covering half the meat. The skin keeps things moist since you aren’t adding liquids.
Does it just have to be one layer to get it to be crispy? I started a new job and have a large family and 8 pieces won’t be enough. So can I put the thigh and legs in on top of each other and will I get the same effect?
Yes, one layer. I have done it with legs, the part pointing down won’t get the same effect, but In a pinch I have leaned the chicken thighs up against the side of the slow cooker to get more inside. Depending on the amount of saline your chicken is pumped with you run the risk of the chicken releasing more liquid than the layer you put down when you line the sides differently. Worst case scenario, if I open and it isn’t quite as crisp, I leave the slow cooker lid off a bit for the last hour to vent it. Congratulations on the new job!
Can you use frozen thighs?
I would hesitate to say yes because there is so much more water in frozen thighs. I think as it melted and cooked the level of the liquid it released would rise above the level of the chicken skin. I’d also question if that skin would crisp up even if it didn’t get covered in too much liquid.
I am 3/3 on recipes I’ve seen from yours and have pinned. Came for the fat witch brownies and now I can’t leave! You had me at love/eh with chocolate.. I am same way. I’ll always take salty first but I love a good brownie. So impressed so far.l I am going to keep browsing but I think it’s safe to say you have a new follower… And I usually don’t follow specific blogs!
I’m totally honored! Thank you for coming by and giving the blog a chance! That brownie is absurdly good and I can’t recommend it highly enough! The other amazing baked treat I always recommend to people is the Jacques Torres cookies (also on this blog). Every chocolate chip cookie you’ve ever eaten won’t feel like it compares, haha.
im getting hungry just looking at this .
Thank you!
Finally got around to trying this out and it was FANTASTIC! Such an easy thing to throw in the crockpot in the morning and then make a couple of sides later to complete a meal. As a mom of 3 boys and a foodie hubby, this passed the test with flying colors with all of them. I might even add a little Old Bay seasoning next time for a little kick. Thank you!
Awesome! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
How long can you leave the chicken in there??
Also can it cook on keep it warm because I work all day and I would love to make this for dinner but I always make things that take no less than 1 hour because it’s usually late .
Hi Carla, sorry for the delay I was at a food blogging conference all weekend. I usually put it in around 8 am for 7 hours on low. Then I let it “keep warm” until dinner 🙂
I love recipes like this that seemingly go against what we usually do, but produce amazing results! I will definitely try this in my slow cooker this weekend. It would be great to make several batches to have on hand for recipes during the week.
I hope you love it!
I never liked chicken growing up and never cooked it, but am making this dish all the time. I may have to get another slow cooker so I can have an assembly line.
Hahaha, I am so glad you have a new favorite! I remember you asking me for less chicken at cook dates. I should’ve had this in the mix then!
I made the chicken again without a liner in the slow cooker and left the cover ajar for the last 45 minutes or so. Skin crisped right up. I am trying it again today with a liner and will leave uncovered toward the end.
I’m so glad that fixed it! 🙂
Made this last night with 5 big chicken thigh, however at low 6 hours. My chicken thighs were very overcooked. 🙁
May be I should have gone 4 hours?
You cooked five bone in, skin on chicken thighs on low for 6 hours and it was overcooked? Wow. I have gone as long as 8 and they haven’t been. Does your slowcooker run hot? Or do other recipes cook in the same time the directions call for and taste like you would want?
Trying to think why this could be. When you pulled the skin back off the thighs did it look like my photo at all? Or was it dry. Sometimes if you put it in the fridge then reheat it, it may not be as moist when reheated. But right when it comes out, it should be super juicy. I do have one friend who made a chicken dish in her slow cooker and even at much less time her dish burned completely (this was a slow cooker cashew chicken dish) whereas mine was still saucy.
Sabrina,
The skin was not crispy. The skin pulled back was so dry, the meat tasted powdery 🙁
Next time I will try to reduce the time.
Sandrine
Wow, that does not sound great. I had a friend who made it and she said she didn’t have crispy skin but we narrowed it down to the liner in her slow cooker keeping in too much moisture. I made the dish again a couple of nights ago and we actually left it in all night and I didn’t have that issue. I would say reduce the time but yours wasn’t even cooked for a terribly long amount of time. Are you sure your temperature isn’t running really high?
If it’s too wet it will not crisp for you. Taste REALLY good, but not crispy .
I’m so glad you enjoyed the taste! Next time you make it, make sure the chicken is fully thawed and use a paper towel to dab off any excess liquid before placing into the slow cooker. Also, try propping the lid open for the last hour or so to help crisp up. Hope this helps!
Mmm, this looks amazing! I ‘ve never made a slow cooker rotisserie before. Looks so good.
The chicken look delicious! It is especially nice that it is made int he crock pot. My kind of cooking!
That chicken looks super delicious. I always love using my slow cooker!
Thanks!
That looks delicious! I have never tried cooking chicken in a slow cooker. I will definitely try this.
Thanks, I hope you love it!
I didn’t realize you could get crispy chicken in the slow cooker. I am going to have to try this! I love using that rotisserie meat in other recipes.
That is what we usually do too. I make one large tray of thighs, keep 3 or 4 for a recipe and leave the rest to eat plain and in sandwiches. You also will lose at least one thigh when it cooks because it is impossible to not keep taking bites as you take it out.
I never thought to use my slow cooker to get crispy chicken. I used it last night to make Bacon Racon Chicken. Thanks for the new recipe. Can’t wait to try it.
I know right?! It sounds so against what we think of slow cookers, but it is just so good! I hope you love it too!
YUM’d! This looks delicious. Please come share your blog posts over at the Home Matters Linky Party! We’d love to have you for a visit. The Door is OPEN. http://lifewithlorelai.com/2015/05/28/home-matters-linky-party-39/ 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
How sweet of you! Thank you, I would love to join!
This chicken looks sooooo good! I would have never guessed you used the slow cooker. I find often chicken seems stewed when cooked in the slow cooker but this looks like you did it in the over. That skin!!
Yes! I used to hate putting meat in the slow cooker, it was grey and mushy. I swear this changed everything. The trick is NO LIQUIDS and it basically crisps the skin and braises the meat. I love it!
I am so excited to try this! I feel the same way. I am a working mother of five and am short on time. I love my slow cooker, but do feel like foods often come out bland. If I can get crispy chicken out of the slow cooker, this will be fantastic! Maybe my husband will even enjoy it! We do a lot of boneless skinless chicken breasts around here, but the price of bone-in can’t be beat! 🙂
Just make sure you don’t make a second layer and your don’t start with frozen chicken. If the top skin layer stays out of the liquid it should crisp up nicely. If you really want the best outcome I would even pat the top dry with a paper towel if your chicken is in a lot of liquid from the store. Hope you love it! 🙂
I always pan sear meats first before putting them in the slow cooker so they will be crispy or caramelized. I didn’t know you could put chicken in the slow cooker and it would come out crispy. Now that is awesome! Can’t wait to try this!
YAY! If you do try it, come back and tell me what you thought of it!
Can you cook this on high for 2-3 hours?
No, the chicken fat really doesn’t render as fully on high. I’ve tried it and while it would be cooked it wouldn’t have the same level of doneness. Sorry 🙁
This looks amazing. I didn’t know you could make chicken crispy in a slow cooker! I pinned this for later.
Thanks for the pin!
This does sound good, I will try it.
I hope you love it!
I shared this to my FB profile wall so I can make it. Needed something to do with chicken as it was buy one get one free so we are up to our eyeballs in chicken. Haha.
How sweet of you! Thank you so much for the share! I hope you love it!
This is such a delicious chicken recipe. I Murat try it out because I love crispy chicken!
This looks really good. I love the cook in my slow cooker on the weekends. I will make this next week.
I hope you love it!
With chicken breast I add cream of chicken soup. Just falls apart so tender
I love slow cooker recipes and I also love simple. These recipe looks super simple and it looks like it came out spectacular.
Yes, haha can chicken salt and pepper even technically be considered a recipe? lol. It is basically just, hey slow cook it with no water. But I swear the discovery of it changed how we make basic dark meat chicken in the house permanently.
Could I use a light basting of barbeque sauce on this?
The moisture in the barbecue sauce will prevent it from getting crispy. If you want the skin to stay crispy but get some barbecue flavor, you could try a dry rub.
Can I use Chicken Breasts w.the skin instead of thighs? Thanks G
Sorry this comment took so long to get to, it ended up in my spam filter somehow! I don’t recommend chicken breasts in the slow cooker as they will dry out. The extra fat in the chicken thighs helps keep the meat moist.
Really? I never knew you could do this before! I can’t wait to try when we get back to the States. So easy!
Yep! I discovered it after doing something similar with pork shoulder. It’s so good! We always have some in the fridge!
What if i don’t want to cook with skin? Still no liquid?
The problem with cooking without skin is that the skin keeps the chicken moist. If you cook skinless with no liquid the top of the chicken will dry out and look kind of leathery.
Just made a batch and skin is yukky. I think it’s because I put it in skin side down.
What’s your method?
Yeah if you put skin side down then the skin would’ve had no chance at becoming crispy because it sat in liquid. The chicken needs to be skin side up, then add salt and pepper to taste. The drier the skin you start with the better so if you want to dry with a paper towel ahead of cooking you’d be even better off. Hope that helps!
One layer in the slow cooker? That’s only like 3 or 4 pieces. Suggestions?
Unfortunately yes, depending on the size of the slow cooker. I have a 6.5 qt one I can fit 5-6 thighs in, but if you layer then the liquids will rise above the first layer and it ruins the method.
Skin side up
Cain’t youread? The directions clearly say ” skin side up. “. Still, the skin is soggy.
I just made this using organic fryer chicken, two breasts and 4 legs, but I know thighs are fattier so i used a very small amount of bone broth in the bottom of the slow cooker, maybe 1/4 cup, honestly I don’t know if it needed it, and it came out perfect! The chicken fell of the bone and the skin was crispy. This is my new go to slow cooker recipe.
So glad to hear how much you loved it and that it’s your new go to recipe! That’s a huge compliment!
Can I preheat the Crockpot on high & cook this on high for 3.5 hours?
Not that I’ve successfully tested. This recipe is meant to be cooked on low heat.
I used this recipe and cooked the thighs for about 4 hours (without preheating), and they came out beautifully. Simple, wonderful recipe.
Awesome. Ill be trying the 3-4 hour method for this particular recipe. Ive cooked plenty of juicy chicken in that time but normally add a bit of juice haha.
Won’t the veggies burn without liquid?
This recipe doesn’t include veggies, just chicken 🙂
I’m going to do the chicken right now but what did you do with the pork butt? Did you do it the same as the chicken? …
Check out my Crispy Cracklin’ Pork Shoulder recipe 🙂 It’s fantastic!