Lemon herb chicken from the slow cooker, for friends

I have some of the best friends a girl could ask for. Proof: We actually get together to cook.  I know, we're geeks. But sometimes you just need someone to get dirty in the kitchen with you. (Not like that!)

We got together for dinner a week ago, and we each were in charge of a course. It was at my house, so I took the main dish. And in the effort of keeping the kitchen fairly clear once people got here, I chose to do a slow cooker recipe. That way anyone who needed the stove or oven had free reign.

It was my first attempt with the Crock Pot, and I'm pretty impressed with how it turned out. I went with a lemon herbed chicken, and it was moist and had a good amount of flavor. Next time I might throw more garlic in, cuz that's just the kind of girl I am, but otherwise, it was pretty tasty. And for sure, I'll definitely make more. We only had one piece left at the end of the night, which I was pretty surprised about.

Lemon Herb Chicken in the Slow Cooker

Seasoning rub:

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 T olive oil

1 t sea salt

1 t thyme

Poaching liquid:

1/4 cup vegetable stock (mine was homemade)

2 T soy sauce

3 T lemon juice (I had to use 1.5 lemons)

2 T orange juice (half of an orange)

Half of a lemon

Half of an orange

Half of a head of garlic (leave whole, in skins)

3 pounds chicken

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Directions:

Mix the seasoning rub. Rub under the skin of the chicken. I used a mix of legs and breasts, with bone in and skin on, but you could certainly use a whole chicken. Either way, take the meat and sear the skin in a non-stick pain. It'll take about six minutes or so on each side to give you a nice crisp to the skin. 

I didn't use nonstick, and I paid the price later...

Once you do that, transfer the meat to the slow cooker. Whatever you do, do not wash your pan yet. You'll need to deglaze it first, to get all the flavorful bits. Mix your poaching liquid, and pour half into the pan. Heat it until just about boiling. Scrape so that you get all the bits off of the pan. Transfer this into the slow cooker. Now you can wash your pan. (Or leave it until later, you rogue.)

Toss the rest of the ingredients into the cooker, except for the rosemary sprigs. Cook on high for 4 hours, or 6-8 hours on low, if you must. (It really is better on high, for less time, especially if you aren't using meat with the bone and skin.)

With about half an hour left, add the rosemary. If it cooks any longer, it can leave a strange, Lysol-like flavor. Not good. 

Once things are done cooking, let the meat cool before you slice it. This will redistribute the juices and make everything extra delish.