Complete Lemon Chicken Crock Pot Meal

Cooking stuffing in a crock pot usually results in soggy bread cubes overly soaked in chicken fat drippings. Side dishes blend together rather than staying separate. The best thing about this recipe is that it is truly a one-pot meal, though it has many components that usually require separate preparation.

Ingredients

1 whole roasting chicken

1 lemon

lemon-pepper seasoning

1 bag of baby carrots

3 tbsps honey

1 tbsp butter

1 bag of seasoned stuffing mix

1 can of chicken broth

1 tsp celery salt

salt and pepper to taste

Empty your bag of stuffing into the crock pot. Sprinkle with celery salt. In the center of the stuffing, place a drip bowl fashioned out of aluminum foil. This will catch a large portion of the chicken fat drippings so that the stuffing will not be too moist or fatty. Some drippings will reach the stuffing, so you won't require any butter. Pour about ½ the can of chicken broth over the stuffing (but not in the drip bowl).

Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juices over the chicken, top and bottom. Place the halves into the cavity so that the aroma and oils will permeate the chicken during cooking. Sprinkle the chicken liberally with lemon pepper seasoning. Carefully lay the chicken over the stuffing and the drip bowl.

Take another large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. Empty the bag of baby carrots onto the center of the foil, add the butter, honey, and salt and pepper to your taste. Wrap the mixture in the foil and seal the foil bag by folding over the edges to form a pouch. Tuck your carrot pouch in the crock pot under the chicken's legs.

Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or high for 5 to 6 hours. Midway through, check the stuffing. If it has absorbed all the liquid and looks dry still, add some more chicken broth.

When cooking is done, removed the carrot pouch and empty contents into a bowl. It will be very hot inside so be careful of the steam. Carefully lift the chicken out of the crock pot and set on a plate for carving. Carefully remove the bowl of drippings- reserve for another use or discard.

Stir the stuffing and check the consistency. If it is too moist you can put it in a 350 degree oven to dry it out a bit. If your crockpot has a removable stoneware basin it can go right into the oven. If not, transfer the stuffing to a baking pan.