Cheap, flavorful, and simple to make. Plus, it’s a big hit with the kids. It’s the perfect dinner recipe, so I thought I’d share it here through play-by-play photos. And if the sight of raw chicken makes you sick, you’ll want to just scroll down to the bottom.

Before any preparation takes place, be sure needy babies are in good, capable hands.

The star of the recipe is a whole chicken (or two if you’re cooking for a house full of growing boys). We buy ours at Costco for $.89 a pound.

The seasonings and spices: onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, thyme, coarse kosher salt, and pepper (you can always take out what you don’t like and add what you do like; this is a very forgiving recipe)

Combine all the seasonings and rub onto the chicken. Be sure and put some under the skin too–this way, if you’re not a fan of chicken skin, you still get the flavor.

Once the chicken is well seasoned, put it into a gallon-size bag and stick it in the fridge overnight to let the salt and spices do their work.

Around noon the following day, gather an onion or two,

cut it into quarters,

and put it inside the chicken. If the whole onion doesn’t fit, place the extra pieces next to the chicken in the crockpot.

Place the stuffed chicken into a crockpot, and cook on low for about five hours. (new crockpot on low setting)

(14 year-old, wimpy crockpot on high setting)

After five hours, pull the chicken out, cut it up and serve with your favorite comfort food–like peas and mashed potatoes. Yummy.

Roast Sticky Chicken

• 1 large roasting chicken
• 1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 3 teaspoons paprika
• 4 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices. Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin. Place in a re-sealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight.

• Chicken prepared last night
• 1 cup onion, chopped

When ready to roast chicken, stuff cavity with onions, and place in crockpot. Cook on low for 5 hours. The pan juices will start to caramelize on the bottom of pan and the chicken will turn golden brown. Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the meat is thoroughly cooked (180° is well done for a whole chicken). Let chicken rest about 10 minutes before carving.