Thank You and Crock Pot Question

Yes you can cook a whole chicken in a crock pot.

You may see a lot of recipes online that tell you to make golf ball sized balls of aluminum foil to put under the chicken, or they'll try to sell you a fancy crock pot rack to set the chicken on. The reason is: it's best to not have the chicken sitting on the bottom of the slow cooker, where juices will accumulate. It can make that part of the chicken soggy.

But don't do the aluminum foil ball technique. Instead, get a couple of cheap sturdy thick carrots and lay them on the bottom of the crock pot. Use them to set the chicken on. They add flavor, and they're preferable (in my opinion) to aluminum foil. You can also use potatoes or thick celery stalks.

Important: make sure the chicken is patted dry. Use a paper towel to dry the skin.

So, the basic technique is:

Pat the chicken dry, make sure any giblets have been removed. Lightly season the skin with some paprika, or Montreal Steak Seasoning for Chicken, or just some salt. Lay the chicken on some big old carrots (or sturdy celery stalks, or even large chunks of potatoes) in the crock pot. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.

Use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken has reached 165 degrees. Let the chicken rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Don't slice it until then.

If you want more color on the skin (because regular crock pots won't brown things), pop the chicken under the broiler for 3 minutes or so until the skin becomes golden. Or just remove the skin and enjoy the chicken.

I don't use liners but you can. I don't put water in with the chicken. Just season it and throw it in the crock pot. Turn it on, put on the cover and wait for the heavenly smell of chick to loft through your house. Chicken makes a lot of juice plus its covered so it'll be moist and tender..

I throw a whole chicken or a bone in turkey breast in my crock pot all the time. My latest thing that I do is super easy:
1. Trim off any excess fat (also make sure you took out the giblets pack if there was one)
2. Rub a package of lipton onion soup mix all over including under the skin
3. If you are using a crockpot liner (I can't live without these) then just throw it in and cover - no liquid necessary. Otherwise, if you aren't using a liner, maybe oil the bottom of the pot a bit.
4. I do one hour on high and then last 5 - 7 hrs on low, but if you are doing it in the morning and aren't going to be around to switch the temp you can do the whole thing on low.

Tips: If using a turkey breast, also stick a couple of pats of butter under the skin in a couple places. Turkey tends to dry out a bit more than chicken. Make sure that your poultry is totally thawed (check the middle/cavity) as that will throw your cooking time off if it is still frozen in spots. Use the juice in the bottom when you pull the bird out to make a gravy. Don't forget to use your carcass after you are done to make bone broth/stock in your crockpot!

You didn't ask this, but since you commented on the stock and I just did this over the weekend...

I take a big ziplock and throw any chicken and turkey carcasses in it, plus any leftover chicken and toss it in the freezer. I add to it anytime I have leftover chicken or turkey. When I have a few carcasses, then I make a big pot all at once. I use any meat that comes off of the bones plus the cooked carrots and celery and some of the stock for the best chicken soup ever and any leftover broth gets frozen as stock.

Just happy to hear that you like the Bittman book! Have fun cooking delicious dishes through these cold winter days!

do not put frozen meat in the crock pot. I know many say you can, but I say no,.

I put chicken broth in my crock pot with the chicken and I actually poke holes in the chicken to absorb the broth. If the broth doesn't cover the chicken? I put water in to cover the rest of it.

I also use an Instant Pot (IP) great thing to have!!

I would recommend that you retire that very old crock pot of yours and get an Instant Pot. It is also a pressure cooker.