This Slow Cooker Engagement Chicken is a whole chicken kicked up a notch, it also makes enough broth to prepare a decadent gravy.
I found this recipe for engagement chicken about the same time I found the recipe for Land your Man Baked Beans. I’m a very curious person and had to know how good these recipes were since they have such confident names. This is an vintage recipe that supposedly if you make this for your boyfriend, you will get a proposal. As you know I have no interest in getting married again, one time is enough for me, LOL. My poor husband, I made this elaborate meal (you must see the video at the bottom) and what he got was his plate heated in the microwave when he arrived home from work since I do all my filming at 3pm most days. He said the honeymoon is over. We had a good laugh about it, we have a great time joking about our relationship since we’ve been married for 15 years this next month.
I’ve made many whole chicken recipes in the crock pot, but seriously nothing this tasty. I don’t know if it was the garlic, wine or butter, or possibly a combination of the 3 things being cooked with the chicken that made this recipe stand out from others that I have tried.
The best part of this recipe is the gravy, it is made from the drippings and broth that is created while cooking the chicken. I researched the best way to make gravy from hot broth and I found this method. What I did was, I ladled the grease off the top of the broth, used that to make a roux with flour in a skillet, then whisked in the broth. Easy peasy and there are measurements below in the recipe box to get the same results I did. I am going to use this gravy method next thanksgiving, we usually use cornstarch in cold water, this method with the drippings and flour makes the best gravy ever. The gravy made from this chicken broth has lots of great garlic, butter and wine flavor.
See my YouTube video below about how to make this engagement chicken and gravy. You can follow me on YouTube, here.
What do you think of this recipe? I’ll make it again just for that gravy! I hope you try it.
- 2 large sweet onions, sliced
- 1 small whole chicken (about 5 pounds)
- 2 heads of garlic, cut in half
- 1 lemon
- ½ cup melted butter (1 stick)
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 cup dry white wine (I used chardonnay)
- ¼ cup flour
- ¼ cup grease (from under chicken after it's cooked)
- 2 cups broth (from under chicken after it's cooked)
- 6-quart or larger
- Remove any extra parts from the inside of the chicken and discard.
- Add the onions to the slow cooker, and lay chicken over them.
- Add the garlic head halves around the chicken wherever they fit.
- Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juices over the chicken.
- Pour over the melted butter, then sprinkle over the salt, pepper, thyme and paprika.
- Pour the wine down the side of the chicken.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours, or 7 if your chicken is larger.
- When the cooking time is done, remove the chicken to a serving platter, and strain out the onions and put them next to the chicken.
- Let the juices from the chicken sit for a minute so the grease will rise to the top. Carefully spoon off the grease, you will need a ¼ cup for the gravy. And measure out 2 cups of the broth that's left in the slow cooker as well.
- In a skillet on the stove top set to medium high heat, add the ¼ cup of grease. Stir in the flour with a whisk, keep whisking and let the flour and grease cook for 1 minute. Stir in the 2 cups of broth whisking constantly. Keep whisking until a smooth gravy forms, it will take about 5 minutes for the gravy to thicken.
- Carve the chicken and serve with the onions and gravy.
- Enjoy!
I used my 6.5 quart touch-screen Crock-Pot® for this recipe. Though any 6-quart or larger slow cooker will work fine.
You may also like: Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken Penne
omg sounds and looks delicious xxx thank you Sarah xxxx
Sounds so yummy!! Thanks, Marie Goodson
I don’t like wine could I just use broth?
Yes, that would be fine!
Is there any way to adapt this to use chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken? I’m new to the whole cooking thing and not quite ready to go for a whole chicken yet! 🙂
Hi Ashley. I would do bone in, skin on chicken breasts. Should work fine 🙂