Crockpot Roast Chicken

Whole fryers have been on sale at the local grocery store for 99 cents a pound. I can't pass that up. It also means the freezer is overloaded with Tom, Jane, and Phil (the kids name whole frozen chickens. I think it helps them to connect with the universe or something). Today, it was Tom's turn to go.

Unfortunately, the temperatures here have been...well...Hades-worthy. I really wanted to roast Tom without creating the 4th circle of hell in my kitchen. That's when I spotted my good friend La Crockpot, and I decided that the worst that could happen was that we ate Tom shredded on tortillas and pretended we wanted Mexican all along. It worked, my friends....it worked...

Crockpot Roast Chicken

5-7 lb whole fryer chicken
1/2 cup vinegar (white, red wine, apple cider)
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp sage
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp paprika
1 medium onion, quartered and sliced
5 tbs of margarine, cut into 5 slices

1. Rinse and dry chicken. Make sure to remove neck and/or giblets from the cavity. Place him (or her) breast-side up in 8 quart crockpot.

2. Throw onions on top, and spoon minced garlic onto chicken. Sprinkle with sage, black pepper, and paprika. Arrange margarine slices on top of chicken. Pour vinegar and water on bottom of crockpot (but not onto chicken itself).

3. Cook on high 4 hours. If you prefer your chicken crispier, transfer chicken AND juices to roasting pan and bake at 350 20 or so minutes, basting with juices every 5 minutes to keep chicken moist.

That's it. I swear. Except that I use the juice/drippings to make my gravy (the vinegar taste cooks out -- it's there for tenderizing your meat).