Imagine coming home to the smell of fresh, roasted chicken with savory herbs and spices. Now imagine coming home to this smell without having to spend hours in the kitchen prepping and cooking. You can have dinner ready and on the table within a half hour making it a great weekend meal. You will find yourself using this basic recipe often for a simple, easy, healthy family dinner.

Slow cookers are great. They make dinner easy and allow you to set and forget. This recipe is sure to make your slow cooker your best friend. By adding a few ingredients together and turning the slow cooker on before you leave, you will come home to a warm, family meal with plenty of leftovers. Roasted chicken is a classic comfort food but requires hours in the oven. With this recipe, the chicken will be falling off the bone and tender and moist by the time you come home.

You can use whatever cut of chicken you like in this recipe. I have a smaller slow cooker so I usually just use two chicken quarters. If you have a larger slow cooker, you can also use the whole chicken. I have also used chicken thighs and legs with success.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken or two chicken quarters, depending on size of your slow cooker or the size of your anticipated meal
1 cup water or chicken brother for extra flavor
2 garlic gloves diced or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste

Take 3 or 4 sheets of aluminum foil and crumple into separate balls. Place the balls on the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour water or chicken stock into the slow cooker. Place the chicken on top of the aluminum foil. In a small bowl, combine the seasonings. Sprinkle the seasonings on top of the chicken in the slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker on to low and cook for 6-8 hours until the chicken is falling off the bones and has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Serve with a side salad or steamed vegetables. The leftover chicken also makes for a great chicken sandwich for lunch the next day!