Chicken dry in crockpot

ericpiccione
ericpiccione Posts: 44 Member
in Food and Nutrition
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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Replies

  • crystalewhite
    crystalewhite Posts: 422 Member
    How long did you have it going, and what temp did you use? Sounds like it might have just cooked too long.
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 997 Member
    If chicken is overcooked, it's bad. It only needs about 4-6 hours on low in the crockpot.
  • Fitwarrior7_Round_2
    Fitwarrior7_Round_2 Posts: 453 Member
    Maybe use broth next time?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,330 Member
    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.
  • rdevol
    rdevol Posts: 278 Member
    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.
  • JenHuedy
    JenHuedy Posts: 611 Member
    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.
  • jbee27
    jbee27 Posts: 356 Member
    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.
  • kikicooks
    kikicooks Posts: 1,079 Member
    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.
  • TheCupcakeCounter
    TheCupcakeCounter Posts: 606 Member
    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.
  • ericpiccione
    ericpiccione Posts: 44 Member
    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.
    what does the broth do?

  • TheCupcakeCounter
    TheCupcakeCounter Posts: 606 Member
    ericpiccione wrote: »
    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.
    what does the broth do?

    better flavor mostly but water can be drying to some things (I know seems illogical)
  • the_wild37
    the_wild37 Posts: 12 Member
    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!
  • ericpiccione
    ericpiccione Posts: 44 Member
    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!
    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?

  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    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.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,295 Member
    did you use cutlets? they can get dry in the crock pot. stick with pieces on the bone.
  • BZAH10
    BZAH10 Posts: 5,604 Member
    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.
  • joeylu
    joeylu Posts: 208 Member
    Frozen chicken breast +jarred salsa on low for 6hrs.
  • ericpiccione
    ericpiccione Posts: 44 Member
    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.
    Do you think the fat contents in the pot keep it from being dry?
  • ericpiccione
    ericpiccione Posts: 44 Member
    edited March 2017
    joeylu wrote: »
    Frozen chicken breast +jarred salsa on low for 6hrs.
    That's all you need?
  • mkeonem
    mkeonem Posts: 41 Member
    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.

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