Crockpot Rosemary Chicken with Orange

Published: Apr 17, 2025 · Modified: Jun 30, 2025 by Nicole Kendrick · This post may contain affiliate links · 71 Comments

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When you need an easy, delicious dinner, you can't beat this crockpot rosemary chicken with orange. Adding rosemary, orange, and aromatics to the cavity of a whole chicken gives it a wonderful, aromatic flavor, and adding potatoes and carrots makes it a full, slow cooker chicken dinner that's so easy!

Overhead shot of cooked chicken, potatoes, and carrots in bowl.

Chicken is always a great choice for dinner. It's tender, juicy, and meaty, and can be paired with many other flavors. The only thing better than a chicken dinner is an easy chicken dinner, if you ask us.

Easy, flavorful chicken recipes like tray baked chicken thighs, baked chipotle chicken, and air fryer boneless chicken bites make it simple to get a delicious meal on the table with very little effort, and that's the tastiest combo.

You'll see what we mean when you try this slow cooker rosemary chicken. The combination of rosemary, orange, and aromatics lends the chicken a classic flavor, and the potatoes and carrots make this easy recipe a complete one-pot meal, eliminating the need for extra dishes. For an even more flavorful experience, we highly recommend pairing it with our dairy-free corn muffins and this lemon loaf cake recipe.

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Flavor Variations
Instructions
Expert Tips
Pairing Suggestions
FAQ
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💬 Comments

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Simple Ingredients: All you need is a whole chicken, potatoes, carrots, aromatics, an orange, and some seasonings. It's all basic stuff found in any grocery store.
So Easy: This slow cooker rosemary chicken recipe only takes a few minutes of prep. After that, just walk away and let the slow cooker do all the work.
Classic Flavor: The combination of rosemary, orange, and aromatics gives the chicken a classic, citrusy herbed flavor, and the potatoes and carrots are time-honored veggie sides.
Versatile: This makes a great weeknight dinner, as well as a meal for special occasions, especially when paired with a classic dessert like our gluten free dairy free banana cake.

Ingredients

Whole Chicken: A whole roasting chicken stays juicy and tender while it slow cooks in the crock pot. We prefer Springer Mountain Farms whole roasting chickens becuse they never use antibiotics or hormones, and they never add animal by-products to their feed.
Potatoes and Carrots: Potatoes and carrots are the classic vegetable pairing for chicken and make an entire meal of this recipe.
Aromatics: Garlic and onions add an aromatic flavor with a bit of sweetness and bite.
Orange: A cubed orange added to the chicken cavity gives it a sweet, citrusy flavor.
Rosemary: Fresh rosemary added to the chicken cavity and dried rosemary in the seasonings for the skin gives the dish a classic piney, woodsy note with hints of citrus.
Chicken Broth: Chicken broth gives the chicken and vegetables the moisture they need to cook and adds more flavor.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.

Flavor Variations

Chicken: You can use a whole chicken or chicken breasts, thighs, or drumsticks for this recipe. Adjust your cooking time accordingly if you use chicken pieces rather than a whole roaster.
A Little Heat: Add a bit of red pepper flakes or cayenne for a subtle warmth that accentuates the other flavors in the dish.
Slow Cooker Lemon Rosemary Chicken: A lemon gives a brighter, citrus flavor with more bite than an orange.
Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes add deep, sweet flavor in place of regular potatoes.

Instructions

Roll two large pieces of foil together and connect them to form a ring. Place it in the bottom of the crockpot.
Stuff the cavity of the chicken with fresh rosemary, cubed orange, and some of the onions and garlic. Then, tie the drumsticks together with twine.
Add the vegetables and the remaining onions and garlic, and some fresh rosemary to the center of the ring.
Add the chicken to a bowl and coat it with olive oil. Then, combine all the dry seasonings in a small bowl and rub them into the chicken.
Pour the chicken broth over the vegetables and top them with the seasoned chicken. Top with a few pieces of rosemary, cover, and cook on high or low until the internal temperature of the breast reaches 165 degrees.
For a crispy skin, transfer the crockpot vessel (NOT the entire crockpot) to the oven and roast at 400 for a few minutes. Enjoy!

Expert Tips

Keep the size of your crockpot in mind when choosing your chicken. You want a bird that easily fits into the dish while sitting on top of the foil ring.
Cut the potatoes and carrots to uniform sizes so they finish cooking at the same time.
To easily tie the drumstick legs together, wrap them in a figure eight. Then, pull the string to tighten. After that, a simple knot should hold them in place.

Pairing Suggestions

This crockpot rosemary chicken is a full meal all on its own. However, for more flavor, consider serving these keto air fryer mushrooms alongside it.

The deep, complex aromatic and citrus flavors of this chicken pair well with bright citrus desserts. Or, for a deeper flavor that echoes the deep flavor profile of the chicken, try pumpkin cream cheese muffins.

Overhead shot of whole chicken cooked chicken in a crockpot.

FAQ

Why do you cook a chicken on a foil ring in the crockpot?

The foil ring elevates the chicken, allowing for more even cooking and a better texture.

How do you know when a whole chicken is done?

To check a whole chicken for doneness, use a meat thermometer. The temperature should register 165 degrees in the center of the breast.

How do you use a meat thermometer?

To use a meat thermometer, insert it into the center of the thickest part of the meat to ensure an accurate reading. Be careful not to go too shallow or too dip or touch a bone. Doing so will cause the thermometer to deliver a hotter reading that's inaccurate.

How long do you cook a whole chicken in a crockpot?

Depending on the crockpot and the size of the chicken, a whole chicken can be cooked on high for 3.5 to 4 hours, while it may take 6 to 8 hours on high.

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