Dinner doesn’t get tastier than this juicy crock pot honey lemon hen! A complete hen will get slathered with zesty lemon pepper and butter, then slow-cooked in a candy, citrusy honey lemon sauce till it’s fall-off-the-bone tender.
From my juicy complete roasted hen to golden, crispy spatchcock grilled hen, we don’t fiddle with regards to hen dinners. And the sluggish cooker makes it that a lot simpler!
The day I made this crock pot honey lemon hen, all I needed was juicy, tender hen with cauliflower rice on the aspect. My needs? My command. In the long run, it was a toss-up between making my honey garlic hen once more (a ceaselessly fave) or making an attempt one thing new with much more honey and lemon goodness. And since I hardly ever make the identical factor twice, this honey lemon hen gained out. Boy, was I glad it did!
What Makes This Honey Lemon Hen So Nice
- It’s slow-cooked, fall-off-the-bone perfection. This honey lemon hen is extremely cozy and comforting and tastes such as you’ve been cooking all day, even when you technically haven’t.
- Minimal effort, most taste. I share my straightforward methods for the juiciest hen EVER. Easy tips like rubbing butter and seasonings beneath the pores and skin, stuffing the hen cavity with a complete lemon, and searing the hen in a skillet earlier than sluggish cooking make all of the distinction.
- No babysitting. As soon as this hen is prepped, you let the sluggish cooker, lemon, butter, garlic, and honey work their magic. There’s zero oven time required.
- Stretch the meal additional. We’re huge followers of complete hen recipes round right here. This crock pot hen is budget-friendly, flavorful, and excellent for feeding a crowd or having leftovers.
Substances You’ll Want
So, about our hen, right here. This honey lemon hen recipe retains issues easy with pantry staples and some recent components. Under, you’ll discover notes and straightforward swaps for each. Scroll all the way down to the recipe card for the total printable recipe particulars, together with a step-by-step afterward with pictures.
- Complete Hen – We’re utilizing a complete hen right here, skin-on and bone-in, for further taste and juiciness. Search for hen with pink-colored meat, and ensure to take away the giblets. You’ll be able to swap in bone-in hen thighs or drumsticks when you’re not Group Complete Hen.
- Butter – Softened butter will get mashed with lemon pepper and garlic to create probably the most flavorful rub beneath the pores and skin.
- Lemon Pepper – It provides this dish its signature zesty taste. Should you’re out, combine lemon zest with cracked black pepper and a pinch of salt.
- Garlic – Garlic powder works in a pinch, and you need to use about 1/2 teaspoon per clove.
- Olive Oil – Helps crisp up the pores and skin and lock in moisture. You too can use avocado oil or melted butter.
- Complete Lemon – Stuffed contained in the hen for citrusy steam and additional taste. No have to peel the lemon first; simply pierce it and toss it in.
- Lemon Juice – Shiny and tangy, it balances the sweetness of the honey. Recent is finest, however bottled works, too.
- Honey – If wanted, maple syrup and agave are good substitutes.
- Orange Juice – Provides one other layer of citrus taste and helps spherical out the sauce. Pineapple juice is a enjoyable swap when you’re feeling tropical.
- Salt and Pepper – I exploit seasoned salt for further taste on the pores and skin. Should you don’t have it, combine common salt with a little bit of paprika and onion powder. Additionally, freshly floor black pepper makes an enormous distinction, IMHO.
Recipe Ideas
- Should you use a frozen complete hen, ensure that to utterly thaw the hen in a single day within the fridge earlier than beginning the recipe.
- Brown the hen. I embrace the choice to brown the entire hen in a skillet earlier than including it to the crock pot. It’s an additional step that provides taste and provides the hen pores and skin a pleasant golden sear. It’s nice to skip this step when you’re brief on time, although.
- Don’t carve the hen immediately. After cooking, let the hen relaxation for 10-Quarter-hour. This permits all of the juices to redistribute again into the meat for a young, moist, and attractive hen with crispy pores and skin.
- Have a meat thermometer useful. The simplest strategy to examine a hen for doneness is with an instant-read meat thermometer. Insert the thermometer on the meatiest a part of the thigh (beneath the wing), in addition to the thickest a part of the breast. Take care to keep away from any bones. The hen is able to depart the sluggish cooker when the inner temperature reads 160ºF, and also you’ll wish to guarantee it reaches 165ºF after resting.
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Clear the hen. Rinse the hen and dry it totally utilizing paper towels. Take away the giblets and clear out the hen cavity.
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Separate the pores and skin. Utilizing the deal with of a wood spoon, fastidiously insert the deal with beneath the pores and skin, starting on the neck. Slowly separate the pores and skin from the meat with out tearing by the pores and skin. Put aside.
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Make the lemon pepper butter. In a small bowl, mix the butter, lemon pepper, and garlic; mash and blend with a fork till utterly included.
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Rub the hen with the ready butter. Rub the ready lemon pepper butter beneath the pores and skin, across the complete hen, and out to the thighs and legs. I discover it simpler to spoon a big chunk of the butter beneath the pores and skin; then, I exploit my fingers to unfold it round by rubbing the hen on prime.
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Season the hen. Then, rub the highest of the pores and skin with olive oil and season it with seasoned salt and black pepper. Non-obligatory: At this level, you may also brown the hen in a skillet for about 5 minutes per aspect, or simply till golden.
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Add the entire lemon. Pierce the entire lemon throughout with a fork, then place it contained in the cleaned-out cavity. Switch the hen to the sluggish cooker.
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Make the honey citrus juice and cook dinner. Mix lemon juice, honey, and orange juice in a small bowl; whisk it till included. Pour the ready honey sauce into the sluggish cooker, cowl it with a lid, and cook dinner on Low for six to 7 hours or on Excessive for 4 to five hours, or till the inner temperature of the cooked hen registers at 160˚F.
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End and serve. Fastidiously take away the entire hen from the sluggish cooker. Then, take away the lemon from the cavity and squeeze the juice out everywhere in the hen. Let the hen relaxation for 10 minutes earlier than reducing and serving.
To stress cook dinner a complete hen, add a trivet to the Immediate Pot and place the hen on prime; set to Excessive Stress for 25 minutes. Permit for pure stress launch, after which examine to make sure the hen is totally cooked to an inside temperature of 160 to 165˚F.
Serving: 8ounces | Energy: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 27.5g | Protein: 29.3g | Fats: 12g | Saturated Fats: 5.8g | Ldl cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 100.5mg | Fiber: 0.9g | Sugar: 24.9g
Dietary information is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values could differ based on the components and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed information.
Make Crock Pot Honey Lemon Hen
That is a type of set-it-and-forget-it recipes (truthfully, my finest sort). We’re taking a complete hen, rubbing it with lemony butter, after which cooking it low and sluggish to fall-off-the-bone perfection within the crock pot. Right here’s methods to make it occur, step-by-step!
- Prep the hen. Begin by eradicating the giblets and giving the hen an excellent rinse. Afterward, pat it utterly dry with paper towels. This helps the pores and skin crisp up just a little, even within the sluggish cooker.
- Loosen the pores and skin. Subsequent, seize the deal with of a wood spoon and gently work it beneath the pores and skin, beginning on the neck. You wish to create area between the pores and skin and meat with out tearing it.
- Make the lemon pepper butter. In a small bowl, mash collectively the softened butter, lemon pepper, and chopped garlic. It ought to seem like a spreadable paste.
- Rub it in. Spoon the butter combination beneath the hen pores and skin, after which use your fingers (on prime of the pores and skin) to unfold it throughout. I prefer to put on gloves once I do that. In any other case, ensure that to scrub your arms nicely earlier than and after.
- Season the surface. Now, rub olive oil excessive of the pores and skin, then sprinkle with seasoned salt and black pepper.
- Non-obligatory however tasty: Brown the hen. In case you have the time, sear the entire hen in a sizzling skillet for about 5 minutes per aspect till golden. It’s completely non-obligatory, nevertheless it does add good taste and just a little shade.
- Add the lemon. Afterward, pierce a complete lemon a number of occasions with a fork and place it contained in the hen cavity.
- Combine up the sauce. In the meantime, whisk collectively the lemon juice, honey, and orange juice. Pour it into the underside of your sluggish cooker.
- Cook dinner low and sluggish. Switch the hen to the sluggish cooker. Cowl, and cook dinner on LOW for six to 7 hours or HIGH for 4 to five hours. The hen is prepared when the inner temperature reaches 160°F away from the bone, and the juices run clear.
- End and serve. Fastidiously take away the hen from the sluggish cooker. Take out the lemon from the cavity and provides it an excellent squeeze over the hen earlier than letting the hen relaxation for 10 minutes.
Lastly? Don’t toss that liquid gold left over within the sluggish cooker! Drizzle these flavorful honey-citrus juices over your hen and your aspect dish of mushroom rice or Vesuvio potatoes. See the Serving Solutions above for extra concepts.
Immediate Pot Methodology
To make this honey lemon hen within the Immediate Pot, place a trivet contained in the pot and set the seasoned complete hen on prime. Lock the lid and cook dinner on Excessive Stress for 25 minutes. As soon as it’s executed, let the stress launch naturally. Then, examine that the inner temperature has reached 160°F to 165°F earlier than serving.
Storing and Reheating Leftover Hen
- Refrigerate. Let the cooked hen cool utterly, after which retailer it in an hermetic container within the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Leftover hen is nice to shred into hen salad or roll up in hen wraps.
- Reheat. To reheat, pop the leftovers into the microwave or heat the hen gently in a lined skillet with a splash of the cooking juices. It stays juicy and flavorful, good for tossing into hen salad, wraps, or a fast rice bowl the subsequent day.
- Freeze. First, take away the meat from the bones and let it cool utterly. Subsequent, retailer the hen in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag, label it, and freeze for as much as 3 months. Whenever you’re prepared to make use of it, thaw it in a single day within the fridge and reheat as wanted.
