For far too long I did chicken all wrong. Once I came up with this awesomeness I will never go back or probably try anything new.
Buy a large family pack of fresh boneless skinless chicken breast when it is on sale ($1.69-$1.99 I feel is a good deal or of course lower, but I haven’t seen it lower in a long time, except in super bulk. So if you do, you better let me know). Buy two or more packs if you want. When you get home from the store just slice open your meat packages and slide it right into your crock pot. Fill the crock pot with enough water to cover all your chicken.
(I prefer chicken breasts, but the tenders were a better deal, so that's what is pictured here.)
Cook for about 4-6 hours. When it’s done, take some of your meat out and put into a strainer, you can work in batches so it’s easier.
Take your strainer to the sink and work with one chicken piece at a time. Hold your chicken breast under running water and wipe away all the gunk and goo or ligament/vein pieces that might be left. (The awesome thing about cooking it slow in a crock pot is that most of the fat and grossness has melted away and it’s easy to get the rest off. Plus the chicken is tender, juicy, and fall-apart yummy.) After you have cleaned the chicken, simply cut into cubes and… wahlah! You have perfectly awesome chicken ready to use right away or store in plastic zipper freezer bags. I like to store my chicken in portion sizes that I will most likely use all at once for a recipe.
Stow your chicken bags away in the freezer and then when you are in the mood for… chicken salad sandwiches, chicken in your favorite pasta dish, chicken in curry or rice dishes, chicken noodle soup, your favorite chicken and something casserole, chicken in a green or pasta salad, or chicken almost anything just grab a bag out of the freezer, either let it thaw in your fridge for later use or pop it right into the microwave and thaw just enough to loosen or warm for what you need.
I love this, because it is easy, I don’t have to work with nasty raw meat, it makes super yummy, tender chicken and makes for quick meals later on.
I was going to post my homemade chicken noodle soup, but thought you all needed to know this first! If I plan on doing a soup or something where I need broth, I strain the water the chicken cooked in from my crock pot through a mesh strainer and store or use with some extra added seasonings.
How do you usually cook chicken? Will you be trying this? Let me know what you think.
I have never thought of this before. Thawing and cutting raw chicken is one of my least favorite things to do. Thanks for the tip!
Jennifer Jenson
February 8th, 2010
Yup, definitely the best way to go! I love buying and preparing in bulk. Makes life much easier in the long run! My stash of shredded, bagged and frozen chicken is gone!
I do still have some I canned. Its time to find a great deal again!
Natalie
February 8th, 2010
What a great idea! I’ve been on a “crock pot kick” lately so this is great! Thanks for sharing!
Melissa Mikesell
February 8th, 2010
I just started doing that last summer, and it makes such a difference. I’d never thought of keeping the juices, but now I will. Thanks Ashley!
Sarah Baker
February 8th, 2010
That is an AWESOME idea!!!! I am so going to do this. So how long can it store in the freezer? and how do you store your chicken broth?
Nicole
February 9th, 2010
I do this and a few variations as well. I will frequently throw in a bottle of salsa. This makes the chicken super yummy when I do enchiladas etc.
I also will do a bottle of bbq sauce for yummy sandwiches or bbq chicken pizza etc.
liz
February 9th, 2010
I do the same thing, but cook it in chicken broth… gives it a little more flavor.
Briauna
February 9th, 2010
Jennifer- Working with raw chicken is definitely not fun.
Nat- I don’t usually do the bulk chicken deal since I don’t have an extra freezer yet. I usually just do it every month or so when the deals are not amazing, but pretty great and so I usually have some on hand.
Melissa- I love crock pot chicken and besides doing this you could do other meals with sauces like Liz mentioned.
Sarah- Yeah, with a little extra seasonings added and sometimes just a bouillon cube or so depending on the amount of juices you have it makes super good broth. (So you end up using less chicken bouillon then with just plain water.)
Nicole- I am glad you like the idea. It has really made meals easier. Cooked chicken can be stored for about 3-4 days in the fridge and about 4 months in the freezer. If I don’t plan on using the broth soon I usually dump it. But if I have room to store it I will either store it in quart jars or plastic containers in the fridge and small plastic containers in the freezer. Broth can be stored for 3-4 days in the fridge or 4-6 months in the freezer. My father-in-law told me about a site where you can see how long you can store things, this is where I found the info… http://stilltasty.com/
Liz- Sounds yummy! Those are great ideas. Sometimes I will do other chicken meals in the crock pot.
Briauna- I bet that does add great flavor. Mmm sounds savory. To save on money I use bouillon paste, cubes or powder with water. The chicken cooked in water makes a pretty decent flavor and if I know I am not going to dump it later I add more chicken flavoring.
Also- I occasionally add a bay leaf or a few other seasonings to my crock pot when cooking the chicken. I like to keep the seasonings to a minimum though and so I usually just use water and load the flavoring on later when I know what I am using the chicken for.
Ashley
February 9th, 2010
I love my crockpot. Without it, dinner would be a constant frustration, instead of an occasional one. Chicken is one of my favorite items for it.
shaunie
February 9th, 2010