Frozen whole chicken for the crock-pot - thaw or not?

[betterthanabox]

I have a small whole frozen chicken about 4 pounds. Can I put it in the slow cooker as is or do I need to defrost it. I have placed other meat in the slow cooker when it was frozen, cooked it on low for 8 hours and had wonderfully cooked meat. I wasn't sure if a whole bird would work the same way. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[Andy M.]

Don't slow cooker instruction books usually tell you not to start with frozen meat/poultry?

 

[babetoo]

i would thaw it in the fridge first. it would take a long time to thaw and reach a safe tempture.

 

[mmq]

safety first with chicken..... defrost, if you have to do it faster than in the fridge for a day plop it in a pot of cold water and cover, should be good to place in your slow cooker 6 hours later.

 

[Mama]

Definitely defrost it first. I never put frozen meat of any kind in the slow cooker. Here are the recommendations from the USDA for Crock Pot Safety