Batch cooking-chicken in crockpot?

p0pr0cksnc0ke

Just wanted some input. I was thinking of throwing about 3lbs of chicken breast into the crock pot, letting them kind of poach while at work, just adding some mild seasoning and water. Then cubing some for freezing for recipies, shredding others for tacos etc.

do you think that just chicken and water and some mild seasoning (maybe a touch of garlic powder with salt and pepper) would be good? I am not ashamed to admit that I am not a great cook (duh haha) but trying to think of something to batch cook chicken to freeze for later while I am at work.

stangma

Great idea - you can measure by cup or oz and have protein in/on your salad greens. Or make great FF chicken salad.

girlygirl82

I have been thinking the same thing!!
I was actually thinking of cooking the chicken in chicken broth and adding some salt and other seasonings (not sure what yet)
I do crockpot cooking occasionally and I don't see how I/we can go wrong!

Good luck :flowerforyou:

turbogirl4christ

Sounds like a good plan to me!!!

barefootbeauty

Goodness, I do this all the time! I love to cook a turkey in the oven on Saturday and then cut it up and use it all week for salads, tacos, sandwiches.

If you want to do it the lazy man's way... which I do often... heehee... Buy a rotissery chicken at the deli. It is already cooked and ready to go!

For the crockpot, I usually marinade the chicken overnight first and then put the chicken in the crock pot with chicken stock and seasonings. You need to cover the chicken with the stock or it will dry out. There isn't a lot of fat in chicken, so it won't create its own broth, it will just get dry and hard. If you use low-sodium chicken broth, it tastes amazing. Or just water is fine, but add veggies like carrots, onion, etc. so it simmers in seasoning. And when you get home you'll have fall-apart-tender chicken and the broth can be used for stock! Just toss some pasta in there and you've got chicken noodle soup for the first meal.

heathersmilez

Cooked chicken should be eaten in about 2 days, at absolute most about 5 so freezing again once cooked doesn't sound safe. The pre-cooked chicken sold in stores is flash cooked/frozen, I don’t think you can replicate this process at home.

Better idea.... toss a chicken breast per person on an indoor grill at dinner. Done in 10 minutes! Toss on an extra one and now you have chicken cooked to top a salad for the next day or 2. If its boxed frozen chicken, that is easiest (although higher in sodium) b/c no thawing required. If it’s fresh chicken that you froze in packs of 2, 4... or whatever size your household is then stick that on a plate in the fridge before you go to bed then onto the grill at dinner and again… chicken in 10 minutes!

BeckyKSmith

If you are going to be gone for 9 or 10 hours, I don't know if I would do it all day unless I suppose they are frozen solid when you put them in. I use some chicken broth (or mix bullion cube with some water). I do it on Sunday's when I am home. If they are raw, I would do 3 hours on high or 6 hrs on low. If they are frozen, you could do about 6 hrs on high and 8 or so hours on low. Worst case scenario, they fall apart and you shred the chicken instead of cube.
Another Idea.....I grill 10 chicken breasts on Sunday...although I have 3 kids and a husband so we eat chicken on Sunday, then there are about 5 or 6 left to shred for tacos, salad for lunch, my husbands sandwhiches, etc.

nagibc

I would do more than that to the chicken. I don't think you'll enjoy the taste too much. You can use a low cal/sodium marinade and still have something pretty healthy. Use one of the many options that come in the bottle at your local grocery store. I'm actually thinking of doing this over the weekend. 5lbs of chicken with a bottle of Jamaican Jerk marinade. Let it cook for 4-6 hours. Drain out the excess juices then mix in BBQ sauce. Shred it and you've got pulled chicken.

LillysGranny

Awesome idea. Make sure you portion before freezing 'cause it will stick together. I do mine in sandwich bags and then put all the sandwich bags together in a large freezer bag--which I label w/ the date, portion size, calories and protien grams as well as a note of any seasonings I used.

BeckyKSmith

I cook chicken on sunday and eat it until Wed or so - usually doesn't last any longer It is fine in the fridge, eat within a few days an just make sure you cooked it thoroughly. I work in microbiology, I can culture it if you like.

nancymmorris

I do this weekly. Great idea and so easy!!

BeachLife76

That's a great idea! And yes, you can freeze cooked chicken for up to 2 months before it starts to dry out. Freeze it with broth if you want it to stay moist for longer periods of time! May do this myself

LillysGranny

Cooked chicken should be eaten in about 2 days, at absolute most about 5 so freezing again once cooked doesn't sound safe. The pre-cooked chicken sold in stores is flash cooked/frozen, I don’t think you can replicate this process at home.

Better idea.... toss a chicken breast per person on an indoor grill at dinner. Done in 10 minutes! Toss on an extra one and now you have chicken cooked to top a salad for the next day or 2. If its boxed frozen chicken, that is easiest (although higher in sodium) b/c no thawing required. If it’s fresh chicken that you froze in packs of 2, 4... or whatever size your household is then stick that on a plate in the fridge before you go to bed then onto the grill at dinner and again… chicken in 10 minutes!

It is perfectly safe to cook and then freeze chicken (and lots of other stuff as well) as long as you don't let it linger in the "unsafe" temperature zone.

heathersmilez

I work in microbiology, I can culture it if you like.

Ok sweet! :happy:

lelegrev

You should buy the Mrs. Dash seasoning blends. They don't have any added salt. I poach chicken all of the time. I usually just do it with water, add some seasonings depending on what I'm making the chicken for. If you make a big batch, just add a touch of salt, pepper, maybe some garlic powder. Then when you go to make the chicken recipe later on, add different seasoning blends. I like Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle blend and Fiesta Blend for my mexican inspired dishes. Their Italian Medley for any italian dishes is yummy. They have a lemon pepper blend that is great if you are eating the chicken with just some vegetables, or in an stir fry.

torregro

My trainer batch cooks 60(SIXTY) meals at a time this way............he's one of those odd people who doesn't mind eating exactly the same thing over and over and over again. He batch cooks chicken tenders in low sodium chicken broth and reduced fat cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup and then portions that into plastic containers along with his portion of brown rice and vegetables. He swears by this method. Boring..............but definitely safe to do. He would cook more at one time, but 60 is all his freezer will hold. ;-)

p0pr0cksnc0ke

WOAH! I didn't expect so many replies so quickly! lol

I have a food saver, so I freeze my meat in batches (ground beef for tacos, make my own burgers etc) I just didnt know if the chicken would be overly mushy to use in like caseroles, pasta, chicken tacos etc. I will try the chicken stock, I probably have some in the cabinet. Maybe with some crushed garlic too

Thanks everyone. You guys rock

heathersmilez

My trainer batch cooks 60(SIXTY) meals at a time this way............he's one of those odd people who doesn't mind eating exactly the same thing over and over and over again. He batch cooks chicken tenders in low sodium chicken broth and reduced fat cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup and then portions that into plastic containers along with his portion of brown rice and vegetables. He swears by this method. Boring..............but definitely safe to do. He would cook more at one time, but 60 is all his freezer will hold. ;-)

Awesome!!! I'd love to eat the same thing forever.... hubby could live with it too. Veggies may be soggy though... that would be my only concern. Asparagus is super cheap currently.... hmmm I should try BUT not in soup, gross! Regular chicken breast is delicious, I never understood the "need" to season it. Toss some pepper on it when it's warmed up, done.

Ohhhh... more fun... shopping for containers to put all these meals in, Ikea here I come! (cheaper than the doller store can you believe?)