Slow Cooker Nacho Chicken Recipe - Tammilee Tips (2024)

FAQs

Do you need to put liquid in the slow cooker when cooking chicken? ›

Adding some liquid to the slow cooker is an essential step, and ensures that the chicken is tender and juicy.

Cover your crock pot and cook chicken breasts on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Chicken is done when the internal temp reaches 165 degrees F. Use chicken in your favorite recipes. Perfect for shredding!

If your chicken is dry, you are overcooking it. Try cooking it less and get a meat thermometer and never cook it past 165 degrees F internally. You can actually cook it a little bit less, to like 160 degrees and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Should you flip the chicken in the slow cooker? No, all you need to do is add all the ingredients into the slow cooker, cover and cook.

Not adding enough liquid can lead to burning.

"It's important to add enough liquid to ensure the bottom of your dish doesn't burn." If your meal does burn, the chef said to avoid scraping the bottom of the pot while stirring and serving because it can give the entire dish a burnt flavor.

Always cook your boneless skinless chicken breasts on LOW for the best results. I do not recommend cooking boneless chicken breast on HIGH, as it will become very dry and tough, even if you check it early. On high, the chicken turns out drier; I consistently have the best results with low.

Simply insert your food thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken (for a whole chicken, that would be the breast). You know your chicken is cooked when the thermometer reads 180°F (82°C) for a whole chicken, or 165°F (74°C) for chicken cuts.

If a dish usually takes: 15-30 mins, cook it for 1-2 hours on High or 4-6 hours on Low. 30 mins – 1 hour, cook it for 2-3 hours on High or 5-7 hours on Low. 1-2 hours, cook it for 3-4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low.

Cook the whole chicken

Keep the skin on (you can remove after cooking), add lots of herbs, layer the bottom of your crock with potatoes, carrots and onions, let it go unsupervised for 8 hours, and walk into a very nice weeknight version of the Sunday Roasted Chicken.

Over and over AND OVER again, we have found that chicken breast registers at 165° F (the FDA recommended safe temp) right around 3 hours on LOW. Sometimes less, sometimes more depending on the size of the breast or other ingredients in the slow cooker.

Does chicken get more tender the longer you slow cook it? ›

That is why tough meats become “fork tender” in the slow cooker. Chicken breasts have very little connective tissue; that means they can be cooked quickly because the long cooking time needed to soften connective tissue isn't necessary. They also have little fat, which means they can become dry if cooked too long.

"Browning, or caramelizing, meat before putting it into a slow cooker isn't 100 percent necessary, but it is well worth the effort for the most flavorful and full-bodied end result," he says. "The caramelized surface of the meat will lend rich flavor and color to the finished dish."

Place firm, slow-cooking root vegetables like potatoes and carrots at the bottom of the crock and pile the meat on top. Set the heat level: A general rule of thumb is that cooking on the low setting (170 degrees F for most models) takes about twice as long as cooking on high (280 degrees F on most models).

Not sure if you can put raw chicken in a slow cooker? The short answer is, yes!

Aside from accidentally overcooking the meals, the most common reason we see for tough, rubbery, or overdone chicken is customers using a Crockpot that is far too big.

Not sure if you can put raw chicken in a slow cooker? The short answer is, yes!

They also have little fat, which means they can become dry if cooked too long. So that is the science behind it. I hope this helps. Although chicken breasts don't work that great in the slow cooker bone-in chicken works great.

Some recipes call for liquid, some do not. It mainly comes down to the type of meat you use. Cuts like chuck roast will release more fat and moisture than leaner cuts, so they don't need any water. In addition, the slow cooker itself creates some moisture, which helps keep the meat juicy.

Yes, provided you trim off as much fat as possible and cook on Low setting. Liquid is normally only really needed if you want to make gravy or a sauce. No matter what I do or try, whenever I use a slow cooker, the meat is always so dry.