1. Peel and cut in to generous chunks the vegetables you'd like to add to the slow cooker. I used two large potatoes and three carrots.
2. Spray the inside of the slow cooker with olive oil spray, and layer the sliced vegetables on the bottom of the pot and sprinkle with dried thyme and season with salt and pepper.
3. The next step is to prepare the chook. (I was able to buy a free-range organic chicken, with no added hormones, so it wasn't a large chicken, but I knew the flavour would be delicious.) Wash the chicken, including inside the cavity, and dry the bird off with some paper towel. I gently pulled the skin of the chicken away from the meat and spread the inside with some Dijon mustard. I then put a handful of sage and half a lemon in the cavity and seasoned the skin with salt and pepper.
4. Place the prepared chicken on top of the layer of vegetables.
5. Pour boiled chicken stock over the chicken and vegetables, and a cup of dry white wine.
6. Place the slow cooker on high and cook with the lid on for about 3 and a half hours, or 4, depending on the size of the chicken.
7. To finish, place the chicken and vegetables in a roasting pan and drizzle with some olive oil, and put it in a hot oven until the chicken skin is brown and crispy.
This method results in a lovely juicy chicken and very flavoursome vegetables!
There will be some lovely juices left in the slow cooker, so you may wish to make a gravy. Another option, which is what I chose to do, is to use the liquid to make some tasty chicken rice, with peas and corn. The flavour it gives the rice is amazing!
Enjoy...
