Chicken Slow Cooker Recipes
Chicken is a brilliant meat to use in the slow cooker with the right recipe! You’re in the right place for everything you need to know about slow cooking chicken.
What Type Of Chicken Is Best For Slow Cooking?
For fuss free slow cooking, chicken thighs are the best choice! Their higher fat content prevents them drying out during low and slow cooks.
Chicken breasts also work great, and many of our recipes such as our Slow Cooker Hunters Chicken and Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas recommend them. However, they require a bit more attention to cooking times to ensure that they don’t overcook and dry out.
Chicken Thighs
- Lots Of Flavour – chicken thighs have more fat and connective tissue than chicken breasts. Like other meats, when cooked slowly it breaks down leaving just beautiful flavoursome meat.
- Forgiving – chicken thighs are very difficult to overcook. If you leave your slow cooker on a bit too long, it’ll more than likely be absolutely fine.
- Shreds Well – recipes such as our Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken requires chicken thighs. Once cooked the chicken becomes really easy to shred and pull apart.
Chicken Breasts
- A Blank Canvas – chicken breast is great when you want a less rich chicken flavour, enabling other ingredients in the dish to shine.
- Lean – chicken breasts contain less fat than chicken thighs, and will produce a firmer texture once cooked.
- Quicker To Cook – chicken breasts will cook quicker than thighs, due to not needing to break down the connective tissue between muscle fibres.
Our Favourite Chicken Slow Cooker Recipes
Top Tips For Using Chicken In A Slow Cooker
Don’t Cut Too Small – using larger chunks of chicken will ensure that it doesn’t dry out during cooking. This is especially important when using chicken breasts!
Cut Off Excess Fat – Cut off any excess fat or leftover skin to ensure even cooking and that it doesn’t end up in your dish.
Defrost First – always ensure that chicken is fully thawed before putting it into a slow cooker. By using frozen (or semi frozen) chicken, cooking times will be unpredictable and you run the risk of it not being properly cooked.
