Slow Cooking A Whole Chicken
Sorry this is so basic but there may be some who haven't used a slow cooker to slowly cook a whole chicken.
Whole chickens are cheaper and if cutting it up doesn't sound like fun, you can get the meat to fall off the bone in a slow cooker.
Ideally, you'll need at least a 6-quart slow cooker and can find a smaller size whole chicken since the food in a slow cooker should sit within the first 2/3rds. of the slow cooker to insure proper cooking.
I admit that since I have a newer slow cooker that cooks hotter than the older versions, I allowed the chicken to sit beyond the ideal 2/3rds height and cooked it on high for 4-5 hours until the meat fell of the bone. I can't recommend you ignore the manufacturers' guidelines as there is a great variance in cooking times in different slow cookers. Ignoring the guidelines could open the door to food-bourne illnesses. Picture below shows the chicken almost even with the rim. . . which is not recommended.
I know that my slow cooker runs at a higher temperature because we've used a meat thermometer to monitor the temperature. Unless you know for sure, how high your slow cooker heats, don't do this at home.
Prior to cooking the chicken I liberally season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, taco seasoning. . etc. I stuff the cavity with diced onion, celery, carrot. . . whatever I have on hand.
When the chicken is done, you can easily pull the legs off. It's not pretty but it's cooked, moist and ready to use in another recipe.
Whole chickens are cheaper and if cutting it up doesn't sound like fun, you can get the meat to fall off the bone in a slow cooker.
Ideally, you'll need at least a 6-quart slow cooker and can find a smaller size whole chicken since the food in a slow cooker should sit within the first 2/3rds. of the slow cooker to insure proper cooking.
I admit that since I have a newer slow cooker that cooks hotter than the older versions, I allowed the chicken to sit beyond the ideal 2/3rds height and cooked it on high for 4-5 hours until the meat fell of the bone. I can't recommend you ignore the manufacturers' guidelines as there is a great variance in cooking times in different slow cookers. Ignoring the guidelines could open the door to food-bourne illnesses. Picture below shows the chicken almost even with the rim. . . which is not recommended.
I know that my slow cooker runs at a higher temperature because we've used a meat thermometer to monitor the temperature. Unless you know for sure, how high your slow cooker heats, don't do this at home.
Prior to cooking the chicken I liberally season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, taco seasoning. . etc. I stuff the cavity with diced onion, celery, carrot. . . whatever I have on hand.
When the chicken is done, you can easily pull the legs off. It's not pretty but it's cooked, moist and ready to use in another recipe.
Comments
Post a Comment