I have just bought my first crockpot and have read the basic instructions that came with the product. The impression I'm getting is that you always need to cook with a fair amount of liquid. Is this the case?
I've also been looking at the internet about cooking chicken in a crockpot and it's really scaring me with the food poisoning comments. Do you always have to sear the outside before you cook the chicken?
Thanks.
By Beverley M
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Hi Beverley,
I have cooked chicken many ways in a slow cooker: I've thrown it in frozen solid, partly thawed, fresh...you name it. I rarely sear meat before slow cooking (unless it's a beef roast). As for the liquid amount, you actually need less liquid because the slow cooker traps the steam.
This blog got me into slow cooking. You might enjoy it. Look on the left sidebar to find chicken recipes.
crockpot365.blogspot.com/
You will love your crockpot! Remember the basic rule of thumb is that you put less liquid than with regular cooking. (Rice may be the only exception)
Get on the web and search "crockpot recipes" and you will find all kinds of ideas and recipes, from simple to complicated. It's hard to go wrong with slow cooking. Experiment and enjoy.
My crockpot manual says the dish should always be at least 2/3 full with liquid. I'd go with whatever your instructions tell you.
I always brown my meat first but I don't think it's necessery, it's more of a flavor and appearance issue. Although browning does help keep the juices in.
Chicken cooks so fast on the stove that I really don't know why you would want to do it in a crock pot. I mostly use my crock pot to keep things warm while I am serving.
I have cooked many whole chickens in my crockpot, on low, for around 6 hours. I cut off as much skin as possible to reduce the fat. It comes out tender and falling off the bone every time.
The "keep crockpot 2/3 full" doesn't mean just liquid-it is referring to total amount of food in the crock pot but mine works just fine when I have it only 1/2 full when making soups and stews.
PS If you try making a whole crock pot chicken-you really do not need to add any liquid and I often add in foil wrapped, washed potatoes in with it so all I have to do is add a veg and my meal is complete.
I absolutely love a whole chicken cooked in my crockpot, tastes great and falls off the bone! I never put more than a 1/2 cup of water in mine and lightly salt it. I leave the skin on, because it, not being in the water, will crust somewhat like oven baked, plus it does not add that much fat. I don't sear any meat I put in it.
If you have a Facebook account, put in your search Crockpot girls, they have a great page and website (crockpotgirls.com) for using your crockpot, I've gotten so many recipes from them.
The website lah34a referred you to is the best, it has some great crockpot recipes!
My easiest crockpot recipe is to throw a bag of frozen chicken breasts (skinless,boneless) in the crockpot, empty 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup on top of the chicken & cook on high approximately 4 hours, then serve over rice or noodles. Sometimes I add a bit of garlic or chopped onion, but it doesn't nee anything.
The bag of chicken breasts I get at Walmart, I believe they are about 3lb. For the cooking time, my new crockpot finishes it in 3-4 hours, while my old crockpot takes 5-6 hours.
I don't normally like cream of mushroom soup, but I love this. I tried cream of chicken soup & it didn't taste as good.
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