Lazy days are just as much a part of life as busy days. Slow cooking is a perfect choice for a lazy day in the kitchen. When I've got lots of irons in the fire, and I'm juggling everyone's schedule, that usually means I don't get to spend quite as much time putting together our meal as I would like. I almost always make my own dry rubs, and in fact, I prefer to concoct my own creations. Shocking, yes? ☺ However, like most of you, some days I find myself too busy, and I turn to a prepared rub to simplify my life, you know, on those "don't sweat the small stuff" kind of days.
The rub I used for this slow cooker chicken was a seasoning blend with smokey undertones. Paprika, garlic, granulated onion and a hint of applewood flavoring, along with other spices for added flavor. We love garlic, so, I added a couple of cloves of fresh minced garlic to the seasoned butter to give it an edge. The simple brine really infuses the chicken with moisture, and the apple flavor that we love. Slow cooking the chicken makes it fall off the bone tender.
You'll need:
51/2-6 lb. whole chicken
5 cups sparkling apple cider or apple cider divided
2 Tbs. applewood rub plus add'l for sprinkling [I used Grillmates]
4 Tbs. softened butter/margarine
2 minced cloves of garlic
The night before:
Mix together 4 cups of apple cider with 1/4 cup of salt. Stir until the salt dissolves. Wash the chicken, removing the giblets, then pour the brine over the chicken and refrigerate. Turn occasionally.
To prepare:
Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray and set on low. Remove the chicken from the brine, and pat dry. Mix together 2 tablespoons of applewood rub, two cloves of minced garlic and 4 tablespoons of butter. Rub all over the chicken. Loosen the skin around the breast and leg portions and tuck some of the mixture under the skin, too. Sprinkle the top with additional seasoning and center in your slow cooker.
Pour 1 cup of apple cider around the chicken and place the lid firmly on top. I used sparkling cider, simply because we love it. Plain apple cider or apple juice will work, too.
Cook for 6 -6 1/2 hours then check for doneness. Depending on how your slow cooker cooks, and the size of your chicken, it may take a little longer. My chicken was 5 1/2 pounds and it was perfectly done in 6 hours. Allow to rest covered until serving.
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