Almost all of us want to have a chicken meal as the main source. Who doesn’t loves a chicken dinner? It’s the easiest recipe that one can prepare and is one of the crispilicious and juicylicious dishes that anyone can ever have.
Most recipes in our cookbook always contain a chicken recipe, and it is one the most cook dish worldwide. You can do many varieties with a chicken, either shred it, cook it whole, or have the breast part. With that, let’s try to learn the basics of cooking a chicken using a slow cooker.
Read now below to know how to use a slow cooker for chicken in three different ways.
How To Use a Slow Cooker For Chicken: Shredded Chicken Detailed Steps
Ingredients: Chicken Breats or Chicken Thighs, Butter, Seasoning/Salt
1. Place Chicken Inside
In order to get the best-tasting shredded chicken recipe, choose between using chicken thighs or breast. Once you have decided, add the chicken in one layer only so that your slow cooker can cook it evenly.
Make sure not to do multiple layers because it won’t cook the chicken in a nice and tender finish.
2. Season It
Pour your desired seasoning inside the slow cooker and sprinkle it with joy. Spread it evenly to let the seasoning stick to every end of the chicken. The seasoning will add flavor to your chicken and make it tastier after cooking.
3. Cook High or Low
Don’t overthink about deciding whether to use high or low because both will do the cooking naturally. Follow the cooking times for a perfect chicken shredded dinner, and don’t let the chicken lose its flavor.
Check afterward if your chicken has reached 165 degrees. Use a thermometer to read the temperature. When it has been cooked already, serve it while it’s HOT! If not, cook it again and add time so that it will be fully cooked.
4. Shred-it
Now for the best part, shred your chicken accordingly. The output will vary from the size and weight of your chicken. Mostly, a 10-ounce chicken breast will give you a cup of shredded chicken.
To shred the chicken, you may use a hand mixer which is the most convenient method to be used.
Remove the chicken, put it into a container, and place the hand mixer directly above it. Use low speed to shred the chicken meat. Once it is done, put it on a plate and get some sauces or gravy to finish the recipe.
Useing a Slow Cooker For Whole Chicken: Detailed Steps
Ingredients: Chicken Roast, Butter, Seasoning/Salt
1. Prepare the Chicken
In order to have the best chicken whole dinner, get a tray and place the whole chicken on top of it so that it won’t get messy. Make sure to remove the gizzard and the insides from the chicken. Cut the head next and save it for later because you can also make another recipe using it.
2. Season it with your Favorite
Everyone loves seasonings, and each of us uses our way of seasoning to make the whole chicken more tender and yummy. Prepare your own seasoning recipe and add butter and salt. This will get your chicken to be more flavorful than cooking it raw.
Use your hands to season the chicken from the inside and put the prepared seasoning under the skin to have a juicy finish on the inside. With that, the seasoning and butter will keep the meat of the whole chicken to be drippy and juicy. Don’t also forget to sprinkle more seasoning on the outside to bring out the aroma.
3. Juice it Out
Cooking a whole chicken will give you a lot of drips. Consequently, it can be used to make gravies or sauces. Get an aluminum foil or a steamer basket to juice out the whole chicken.
4. Do the Cooking
Now that you have prepared your whole chicken, now is the time to let it go inside the slow cooker. Put the whole chicken inside and make sure that it is evenly placed. Cover the lid and cook it for about 7 hours in low settings or 4 hours in high settings. Add liquid if necessary though some raw chicken in the market already has a solution added to it.
5. Serve while it is HOT!
After setting it to be cooked in a particular number for hours, get it out from your slow cooker and check the insides of the chicken to ensure that it has been cooked already. If not, you can extend the time and cook it again. Serve the chicken by chopping it to enjoy a bountiful dinner. You can also use the drippings to make a home-made sauce or gravy to partner it with your whole chicken.
Useing a Slow Cooker For Chicken Breast: Detailed Steps
Ingredients: Chicken Breast, Butter, Seasoning/Salt
1. Choose the Best Chicken Breast
Find a high-quality chicken breast in the market that suits your taste. Make sure that the chicken breast is fresh and can be put inside your slow cooker.
2. Fill it in
Throw the chicken breast inside your slow cooker and ensure that you have put enough. The reason is that it would cook the chicken breast thoroughly and more quickly. Consider also the size of your slow cooker since it is a factor in how many chicken breasts you may put inside your slow cooker.
3. Add some butter and seasoning
The best part of getting a tasty chicken breast dinner is to add some butter and seasoning to it. This will give a flavor to your chicken, and in fact, it will make the chicken juicier.
4. Let your slow cooker do the cooking
Now that you have prepared your chicken breast inside your slow cooker. The next step is to slow cook it. You may use either low or high, which depends on your preference. If you are in a hurry, use the high since it will be done in just 4 hours, and if you have to run errands, do it slowly and wait for 6 hours. Once done, check the chicken’s temperature to see if it has been cooked already. If not, cook it again and add some time to finish it.
Is it okay to throw a raw chicken inside a slow cooker?
Of course! That’s the way to do it. Cooking a raw chicken in a slow cooker is one of the easiest meals you can prepare for your family or even at family gatherings.
Just throw the chicken inside the slow cooker, add some spices or vegetables, then slow cook it for about six hours to have a special chicken home-cooked delivery.
Does the size and amount of chicken matter when cooking it in a slow cooker?
It doesn’t matter as long as you cover and fill up until the bottom of the slow cooker. Make sure that everything is set in place inside and the chicken meat is thoroughly even so that you can have the best chicken dinner ever. You can make use of the space in your slow cooker by making the chicken stand on the sides.
Is water important in cooking chicken in a slow cooker?
This is very essential in slow cooking. Adding water will allow the slow cooker to cook properly any chicken dressing that you will put inside. It will add the moisture or liquid that it needs to evenly cook it with the heat generated from the slow cooker. To add water into your slow cooker, just put enough amount that your chicken can sit well from it. The water can also produce chicken broth after the slow cooking process, and you can use it for another recipe.
Adding water also keeps the chicken inside from drying out. It will serve as moisture when it slow cooks the chicken. However, you must set it low if you slow cook it to produce the best results.
Can I cook chicken in a slow cooker for 2 hours?
Cooking a chicken requires 4 to 6 hours, depending on which part of the chicken you are preparing. If you want to cook chicken breast, it would be cooked for about 6 hours, while smaller pieces can be just about 4 hours on low heat. If the chicken hasn’t been cooked yet, add time as required.
Is it difficult to cook a full chicken in a slow cooker?
Cooking a full chicken in a slow cooker is very simple and convenient since all you have to do is throw it inside your slow cooker and wait. A full chicken can give you the initiative to save money rather than cooking with small pieces. The larger the chicken that you will slow cook, the more it becomes tender as time goes by. Hence, cooking a whole chicken in a slow cooker will be even juicier.
Is it better to cook a whole chicken on a high setting?
You may cook a whole chicken on a high setting for about 4 hours, and you can also cook it in a low setting for 6 hours or so. However, be sure to get a glimpse of the inside of the chicken to check if it has been thoroughly cooked.
Is it okay to cook a frozen chicken in a slow cooker?
No, it is not wise to cook a frozen chicken. Not only can it give you an extended time to cook, but the result will not be the way you wanted it to be. Ensure to thaw the frozen chicken first before preparing it to be cooked.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to preparing nutritious meals, slow cookers are best because of their flexibility in slow cooking. You just need to sit, relax and wait for it to be cooked. Cooking chicken is one of the best things that can be cooked in a slow cooker. However, it does not give you a crispy texture, but it does more on tendering it to slide down your throat easily.
Having a chicken dinner with your family is the best thing that you can have. And using the best slow cooker, America’s Test Kitchen, will be very worthwhile. Not only that you can have a full stomach, but the bond that you create with your slow cooker and family will also be one of the dreams that you want to reach forever. Grab a chicken now and have a happy chicken dinner!