Rotisserie Chicken - Crockpot or Not

I love rotisserie chicken, but it's expensive to buy at the store. About 3-4 years ago, I discovered a recipe for homemade "rotisserie" chicken in the oven and absolutely love it! It's fast, easy, and inexpensive. [Rabbit Trail - I usually buy and then freeze 2-4 whole chickens when they go on sale for less than $1/lb at the local grocery store (my preferred buy price is under $ .79/lb but with prices going up...). Or I get whole chickens on "clearance" at the local Walmart, Target, etc. and then freeze them right away.] Anyway, I'm back from my rabbit trail. For my Crockpot Meal Challenge, I came across a recipe for "rotisserie" chicken in the crockpot and found this to be delicious and simple as well. I am including directions for preparing your chickens both ways but using the same recipe.

• 1 whole roaster chicken (5-7 lbs) - smaller broiler/fryers will work, too, just remember that the smaller the bird, the smaller the crockpot/roasting pan. You could also use 2 small (3-4 lbs) broiler/fryers if you're doing the oven version.
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried parsely
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• water
• 2 onions, quartered

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together all the spices and add water a teaspoon at a time until it forms a nice paste. Remove and discard giblets from chicken. 
2. Rinse chicken cavity, and pat dry with paper towel. Rub chicken inside and out with spice paste. Place onion into the cavity of the chicken. 
3. Place chicken in a resealable bag or double wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 to 6 hours. 

Oven Method - preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Place chickens in a roasting pan. Bake uncovered for 5 hours, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F. Let the chickens stand for 10 minutes before carving.

Crockpot Method - Place chicken in 5-6 quart crockpot sprayed with Pam (or use a slow cooker liner). Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 4-5 hours. Make sure the thickest part of the thigh registers at 180 degrees F. Let the chickens stand for 10 minutes before carving.

Tip - I make up a triple batch of the spice mix and store 2/3's of it in my empty McCormick's container for use later on. :o)