Slow Cooker Hunters Chicken has juicy chicken breasts wrapped in bacon and bathed in a smokey barbecue sauce then covered in melted cheese, what's not to love!
Season the chicken breasts lightly with salt and pepper, wrap each piece in a rasher of bacon then place in the slow cooker sitting in the sauce. If using streaky bacon (which is narrower) use two rashers per piece of chicken to ensure the chicken is well covered.
750 g chicken breasts, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, 200 g smoked bacon rashers
Spoon the BBQ sauce over the chicken so it is lightly covered, then cook on high for 2 hours (see recipe note 2).
Check the chicken is cooked (see recipe note 3), then sprinkle over the grated cheese to cover well.Note: If the chicken needs more time, check every 15 minutes.
150 g mature cheddar, 100 g mozzerella cheese
Take some clean sheets of kitchen towel and put this across the top of the slow cooker, pull taut, and secure in place with the lid (see recipe note 4). Leave for a further 20 minutes on high then check the cheese is melted.
Optionally brown the cheese by transferring the chicken breasts to an oven proof dish and placing under a medium heat grill for 2-5 minutes until the cheese browns and bubbles in places.
Serve immediately, with some freshly chopped parsley.
1 handful flat leaf parsley
Notes
Notes
You can use shop bought BBQ sauce as an alternative to making your own, one of my favourite types is this Bullseye Original BBQ sauce.
Cooking times stated are a guide only. Different brands and sizes of slow cooker will have variances in the way that they cook which can affect cooking times.
To check the chicken is cooked, pierce one of the breasts in the thickest part and check it is hot throughout, the meat is white and the juices run clear. Use a meat thermometer by sticking probe into the thickest part of the breast and checking that the temperature reaches 75°C/165°F.
Slow cookers trap in the moisture in the pot whilst cooking, however when melting cheese I like to make the cooking environment a little dryer. This prevents the cheese sweating rather than melting.
To absorb some moisture I use a few sheets of clean kitchen towel placed tautly over the pot and use the lid to keep it in place. A clean tea towel will also do the same job, however make sure it has not been washed in fragranced detergent as the smell can taint the food. Do not leave unattended.