do you have a crockpot yet?! do you????
no? stop reading. go buy one. now!! then come back.
if you have one, carry on!
the crock pot is my best friend forever and especially in the winter time. it affords me to be lazy but still have dinner on the table! whatever’s simmering in it for hours on end makes the house so cozy-smelling as it wafts around its stewy chicken or chili aromas! i should probably name mine. stella! stella, you are divine! a dream come true!
but really.
now perhaps my favorite thing these days to do in my crock pot is a simple one really. but it’s so incredible and was a serious lightbulb moment when i did it for the first time. and then i did it a second, third, fourth, and fifth time and now i’ve lost track but it’s been many, many, many times. i hope this is a lightbulb moment for you too. if not, well you’re savvier than i am and can you please tell me more of your secret kitchen tips?
drumroll! cooking chicken in it. (gosh that was not as climactic as i intended it to be.)
i don’t mean making a whole chicken stew in it. i just mean cooking your chicken in it. chicken breasts, chicken thighs, an entire chicken. using it simply as a means to go from raw to cooked! bing, bang, boom!
i hate handling raw chicken. i hate cutting it up, dealing with that gross tendon thing, etc. you like handling it? are you a murderer? anyway… i just take some chicken out of the freezer in the morning. i let it thaw a bit in some lukewarm water, then i put it in the crockpot, cover it with water, and put it on low for a few hours. it cooks fast, stays juicy, and bonus–you can save the water to add to a stock later on. you can get fancy here too and add salt, pepper, parsley, celery, you name it, but the quickest and easiest way is just the chicken and water.
i never touch raw chicken anymore. i love you, stella.
once the chicken is cooked… shred, dice, do whatever you would normally do with it for dinner.
some of my recents:
1// diced it up to for chicken divan
2// shredded it for chicken and veggie quesadillas
3// diced it for chicken salad sandwiches
4// shredded it for chicken noodle soup
5// shredded it for sweet potato and black bean burritos
there you have it.
oh! and with a whole chicken–the bones + the crockpot makes for about the best + healthiest bone broth ever. (and the article that first made me fall in love with the whole concept)
i’ve got one going right now! over 24 hours strong! and the house smells divine!
and that is it.
I'm having a love affair with my crock pot. Seriously, it is bombtastic. If I could pack it up and carry it in my purse (actually it would probably fit), then I would.
My fave crock pot recipe is chicken tortilla soup. It is A-MA-ZING. If I weren't getting ready to go on a juice detox, I would be making some right now. So I suppose until next week I'll have to live vicariously though your crock pot post. The sweet potato and black bean burritos sounds interesting. Might have to give it a go!
Reese
@reese, do you have a recipe for that?! give it over! and the burritos are amazing. i need to post the recipe at some point.
I LOOOOVEEEEEEEE my slow cooker. i have one here in the UK and in the USA. Stephen makes the best irish stew with it. ill give you the recipe.
Now I wish we hadn't gotten rid of our crockpot when we moved! Raw chicken is the grossest. My husband and I always try to get the other to cut apart the chicken if dinner calls for it. Last night, I won that battle. Only because I offered to deal with our screaming baby instead. Not sure who made out better in that deal..
Cooking chicken breasts in the crock pot is my only fool-proof method for making them come out moist and not dry/overdone. I also hate touching raw meat. Gross. I wash my hands like a billion times when handling raw meat (I'm pregnant and paranoid about things like listeria). I also hate the slimy texture. So yeah! The crock pot is the way to go! I find using chicken broth instead of water to cook the chicken gives it a little more flavor.
@rachel s, same! it's the easiest and best chicken.
i love crockpot cooking!! soo simple!!
xo,
Sandy
Sandy a la Mode
Oh yeah. Good stuff. The crock pot was a genius invention.
I'm also quite fond of the person who invented the crock pot liners, which makes clean up oh-so-easy.
i HEART my crockpot.
set it and forget it!!
xo – heather
This Life Is Yours Blog
@adesertgirl, heard of those magical little inserts. so far, i'm still a-washin' by hand. stupid.
ha i need to show this to my husband- he thinks I'm CRAZY because I absolutely refuse to touch raw chicken. I but 10 lbs of it or so at a time when it goes on sale at Sprouts- then I make him cut it up and put it in individual freezer bags- then I literally dump it straight into the crock pot or baking dish- I literally NEVER touch it.
@tales of a young mama, you have trained your husband well. tell me thy ways!
My crockpot saves my life on the reg. It makes cooking easy. I also cook oatmeal in it so my apartment smells delicious.
Crock pot liners are the best! Even the guests at my super bowl party complimented me on how smart/cleaver it was to use a liner for easier cleanup. Then I showed them the box and they were shocked it was an actual product and not something I improvised. Also, this is the pulled chicken recipe I mentioned on twitter
http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/10/crockpot-bbq-beer-chicken/
Ha well he's the big meat eater in the family so he knows if he doesn't 'do' the raw chicken, he gets no meat!
@jennifer, that looks DELICIOUS.
@tales of a young mama, ahhhh smart man then.
Just an FYI, you don't necessarily need to even thaw the chicken before putting it in your crock. We use several crock recipes (like BBQ pulled chicken) that call for us to put the breast in frozen. I thought it would be terrible cooking from frozen (all rubber-like) but it is actually incredibly juicy and shreds like a dream!
@danielle, i have actually wondered that but never done it iso i'm glad you told me! even easier!!!
I use my crockpot about 4 out of 7 days. I love it!! Especially during football season!
MY favorite is Crockpot Zesty Chicken…
I use organic chicken tenderloins (usually about 2 packs), 1 package of taco seasoning, 1 package of ranch salad dressing mix, and 1 can of chicken broth. Put it in the crockpot, cover, cook on low for 10 hours.
I shred it and add it to corn tortillas for tacos (add a little cilantro and sour cream) or to tortilla chips for nachos!
Crockpot FIEND over here. I pretty much try and take any soup recipe and make it into a crockpot one.
Another tip if you have a stand mixer: Most of the time, I don't have the patience to shred chicken using forks. When the chicken's done cooking in the crock pot, I transfer it to my KitchenAid stand mixer. Flat beater attachment, low speed for a few seconds…voila…shredded chicken!
Oh how I love this post! I hateeee handling chicken and when my husband does I am always yelling "go wash your hands" even though he is always on his way to the sink, haha. I will be trying this out this week!
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