Chicken dry in crockpot
ericpiccione
Posts: 44 Member
Yesterday I wanted to throw together all of the "healthy stuff" leftovers I had in my fridge before going back to my university so I put broccoli, carrots, barley, couscous, tomatoes, a whole bunch of water(almost overflowing), some seasoning, and 3 1/2 pounds of chicken. When it was all cooked in the crockpot the chicken was ridiculously dry even though it was cooking in water the whole time. Are their meats that I should substitute next time so I don't make the same mistake? Or what can I do to fix it?
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How long did you have it going, and what temp did you use? Sounds like it might have just cooked too long.1
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If chicken is overcooked, it's bad. It only needs about 4-6 hours on low in the crockpot.0
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Maybe use broth next time?3
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Things like chicken breast take very little time to cook...they're not meant to be cooked for hours...meats that need long cooking times to tenderize do best in a crockpot. If I were to do chicken in a crockpot, I wouldn't use breast...I'd use thigh and cook for about 4 hours or so on low.1
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I agree. Chicken can be tricky in a crockpot. If it's overdone, I think it tends to taste kind of gritty. I'd limit cooking chicken to about 6 hours on low if possible.0
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As mentioned by others, lean cuts are not the best option for the crock pot. Boneless skinless chicken breast and boneless pork loin in particular. I have never been able to cook those properly in the crock pot unless I the time is so short I might as well have used the oven. Use a shorter cooking time or use cuts like bone-in thighs or pork shoulder roasts that do better with long slow cooking times (and are less expensive!).
Or get an instant pot.
Or season and roast the whole lot on a big sheet pan in the oven.
I love the crock pot, but it is NOT something you can just dump anything into and have a tasty meal waiting for you in a few hours. Veggies can turn to mush, meats can become sawdust and starches can turn to paste and you end up with a pot a tasteless goop. Only certain things are suitable for slow cooking.1 -
things like couscous can suck up a lot of that water, so that might be why your chicken was dry? I've had luck with cooking chicken on its own in a crockpot with either broth or salsa.1
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I always think chicken crockpot recipes say to cook longer than needed. I always do less than the recommended. A couple pounds only needs about 4-5 hours on low.0
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Replace the water with low-sodium broth, make sure the chicken is in the middle (not the top or bottom), and place the chicken in frozen.0
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what does the broth do?TheCupcakeCounter wrote: »Replace the water with low-sodium broth, make sure the chicken is in the middle (not the top or bottom), and place the chicken in frozen.
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ericpiccione wrote: »
what does the broth do?TheCupcakeCounter wrote: »Replace the water with low-sodium broth, make sure the chicken is in the middle (not the top or bottom), and place the chicken in frozen.
better flavor mostly but water can be drying to some things (I know seems illogical)1 -
I put my chicken in frozen, turn on low and it comes out great every time. Tonight I have 4 frozen breasts in with McCormick Island Wood marinade packet made with .5c of water and 2 tbsp of vinegar and a can of pineapple in it's own juice...delicious! I saute some zucchini
in coconut oil and serve with rice...fabulous!1 -
wow sounds awesome! So I really don't need to throw everything in the pot and soak it with water? Just enough liquid to cover th chicken/meat and that's all that's needed?the_wild37 wrote: »I put my chicken in frozen, turn on low and it comes out great every time. Tonight I have 4 frozen breasts in with McCormick Island Wood marinade packet made with .5c of water and 2 tbsp of vinegar and a can of pineapple in it's own juice...delicious! I saute some zucchini
in coconut oil and serve with rice...fabulous!
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Yesterday cooked 5 pounds chicken breast on low for 6.5 hours. Put in chicken first, then added 2 x 8 ounce packages of neufatel (low fat cream cheese), 3 tsp each of garlic salt and cumin. About 1/2 cup water. Shredded the chicken after cooking with a fork/knife and made a great batch of nachos.4
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did you use cutlets? they can get dry in the crock pot. stick with pieces on the bone.0
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MostlyWater wrote: »did you use cutlets? they can get dry in the crock pot. stick with pieces on the bone.
True, but still be careful of overcooking meat on the bone. If cooked for too long the bones can break and crumble and make the entire meal inedible. Made that mistake once a long time ago.1 -
Frozen chicken breast +jarred salsa on low for 6hrs.0
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Do you think the fat contents in the pot keep it from being dry?StaciMarie1974 wrote: »Yesterday cooked 5 pounds chicken breast on low for 6.5 hours. Put in chicken first, then added 2 x 8 ounce packages of neufatel (low fat cream cheese), 3 tsp each of garlic salt and cumin. About 1/2 cup water. Shredded the chicken after cooking with a fork/knife and made a great batch of nachos.
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If you want to cook chicken in the crockpot all day there are a lot of good suggestions already mentioned ^^. I also recommend cooking on low for only about 4-6hrs and using thighs instead of breasts if you will be on the longer side of things.
Another thing you can do is put potatoes or some veggies (raw carrot chunks or others that take a longer time to cook) in the bottom, then put the chicken on top. You can use broth or you can use things like cream of mushroom soup or other products as your "liquid".
When I know I will be away and need something that cooks for a long time I put roasts in the crockpot. You don't have to add liquids to everything. I do dry rubs on pork and beef roasts and let them cook all day long in there. Best way to make pulled pork ever, and you can use "generic" seasonings so you can make 1 large roast and then separate into many different meals adding a little of this and a little of that to complete the proper flavor profile.0 -
ericpiccione wrote: »
Yup I've done this! After 6 hours shred chicken and maybe let soak for a little bit. Simple and turns out good every time. You can do the same with chicken breasts, Frank's Buffalo wing sauce, and half a packet of dry ranch mix. It's really good but higher sodium content than the salsa one.
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This is going to sound weird, but it's likely that cooking it IN water dried it out. I can't quite explain why - but the water will draw out the moisture from the chicken. And you probably overcooked your veggies. What kind of chicken were you using? A whole chicken, or chicken pieces? I will put chicken pieces (bone-in) in my crockpot DRY and they'll be juicy and meat literally just slides off the bone.
I haven't gotten the hang of putting veggies in the crock pot at all. Maybe potatoes, but anything else just overcooks and winds up limp and tasteless. So I'll just steam them separately.0 -
JeepHair77 wrote: »This is going to sound weird, but it's likely that cooking it IN water dried it out. I can't quite explain why - but the water will draw out the moisture from the chicken. And you probably overcooked your veggies. What kind of chicken were you using? A whole chicken, or chicken pieces? I will put chicken pieces (bone-in) in my crockpot DRY and they'll be juicy and meat literally just slides off the bone.
I haven't gotten the hang of putting veggies in the crock pot at all. Maybe potatoes, but anything else just overcooks and winds up limp and tasteless. So I'll just steam them separately.
First time using the crockpot (I'm a big boy now) and I used skinless boneless chicken (which was a mistake) next time I'll use something with higher fat content
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If you want to cook chicken in the crockpot all day there are a lot of good suggestions already mentioned ^^. I also recommend cooking on low for only about 4-6hrs and using thighs instead of breasts if you will be on the longer side of things.
Another thing you can do is put potatoes or some veggies (raw carrot chunks or others that take a longer time to cook) in the bottom, then put the chicken on top. You can use broth or you can use things like cream of mushroom soup or other products as your "liquid".
When I know I will be away and need something that cooks for a long time I put roasts in the crockpot. You don't have to add liquids to everything. I do dry rubs on pork and beef roasts and let them cook all day long in there. Best way to make pulled pork ever, and you can use "generic" seasonings so you can make 1 large roast and then separate into many different meals adding a little of this and a little of that to complete the proper flavor profile.
When using a crockpot don't you need some sort of liquid or did I misunderstand your post?
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was it freezer burnt or left to long in the deep freeze before you cooked it?0
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I like to use boneless chicken thighs in the crockpot and cook it on low.1
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@ericpiccioneericpiccione wrote: »
wow sounds awesome! So I really don't need to throw everything in the pot and soak it with water? Just enough liquid to cover th chicken/meat and that's all that's needed?the_wild37 wrote: »I put my chicken in frozen, turn on low and it comes out great every time. Tonight I have 4 frozen breasts in with McCormick Island Wood marinade packet made with .5c of water and 2 tbsp of vinegar and a can of pineapple in it's own juice...delicious! I saute some zucchini
in coconut oil and serve with rice...fabulous!
Right, because a Crockpot produces steam and the veggies and the chicken itself contains a lot of water. Personally I don't add any water when I cook a chicken whole and put veggies under it as it has plenty of moisture on it's own.
Cooking chicken breasts alone is different though as they get dry quickly when cooked (most any cooking method). With a roast I add in maybe a 1/2 c. water with veggies under the roast and cook it that way and it turns out fabulous. So, no typically you don't need to add much water when cooking unless the recipe specifies.
How old is your Crockpot as that can make a lot of difference in cooking time. Most recipes give you 6-8 on low and about half that on high. My Crockpot has to cooked far less.. it's considered a 'newer' (10 yrs or so) one. Though it's not new it's the way Crockpots are made now compared to the old ones that heated up in a different way. The ones today heat up far more quickly and stay very hot..when I cook something I can't leave it longer than 4 hours on high, someone else will need to cook for 8.
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Unlike other meats, chicken doesn't have connective tissue to break down with a long cook, nor any fat.
Suggest switching to chicken thighs if you were using breasts. Thighs have more fat, they will be less dry and survive a longer cook time. Or some put the breasts in the pot frozen.1 -
Hearts_2015 wrote: »
@ericpiccioneericpiccione wrote: »
wow sounds awesome! So I really don't need to throw everything in the pot and soak it with water? Just enough liquid to cover th chicken/meat and that's all that's needed?the_wild37 wrote: »I put my chicken in frozen, turn on low and it comes out great every time. Tonight I have 4 frozen breasts in with McCormick Island Wood marinade packet made with .5c of water and 2 tbsp of vinegar and a can of pineapple in it's own juice...delicious! I saute some zucchini
in coconut oil and serve with rice...fabulous!
Right, because a Crockpot produces steam and the veggies and the chicken itself contains a lot of water. Personally I don't add any water when I cook a chicken whole and put veggies under it as it has plenty of moisture on it's own.
Cooking chicken breasts alone is different though as they get dry quickly when cooked (most any cooking method). With a roast I add in maybe a 1/2 c. water with veggies under the roast and cook it that way and it turns out fabulous. So, no typically you don't need to add much water when cooking unless the recipe specifies.
How old is your Crockpot as that can make a lot of difference in cooking time. Most recipes give you 6-8 on low and about half that on high. My Crockpot has to cooked far less.. it's considered a 'newer' (10 yrs or so) one. Though it's not new it's the way Crockpots are made now compared to the old ones that heated up in a different way. The ones today heat up far more quickly and stay very hot..when I cook something I can't leave it longer than 4 hours on high, someone else will need to cook for 8.
Very helpful! Thank you I will keep that in mind next time I get a chance!
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StaciMarie1974 wrote: »Yesterday cooked 5 pounds chicken breast on low for 6.5 hours. Put in chicken first, then added 2 x 8 ounce packages of neufatel (low fat cream cheese), 3 tsp each of garlic salt and cumin. About 1/2 cup water. Shredded the chicken after cooking with a fork/knife and made a great batch of nachos.
@StaciMarie1974
That's sounds really good, I'll look into making one day soon.
What other things do you use it for besides nachos?0
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