I have started using my crock pot like crazy because it is so simple and easy. I am having a problem with my chicken being a little dry though. My husband thinks it is fine but I have not been able to eat my last 2 meals because I couldn't choke it down. I defrost my frozen chicken then put it in the crock pot on high for 4 hours then my husband turns in on warm for about 45 minutes until I get home. Is there a trick to getting moist chicken in the crock pot. I thought about starting my crock pot in the morning on low but I am not sure if that will help. If you have any ideas I would love to hear them! Thans!

Put it on in the morning on low and cook it all day :) will turn out MUCH better :)

That or
Are you putting enough liquids, gravies in it?
Make sure the lid is on tight too.
The 4 hours on high could possibly be too much too long too.
Maybe do like you have been but put it on medium for 3 hours and adjust accordingly.
Like if it isn't done in the same amount of time try a little longer like 3 1/2 hrs on med.
If it is still dry then maybe go to less than 3 hours.

Thanks for the ideas, I will try it on low and see if that helps. Yesterday I put a whole bottle of BBQ sauce in with my chicken breast and thought that would be enough liquid but it still turned out dry. I only have 3 setting on my crock pot... low, high, and warm. Maybe I need to upgrade? I usually get everything ready during my lunch hour so I don't have the option of cooking it any less then 4 hours.

Yes definitely too high. Its drying everything out including the liquids and sauces you put in.

You will be amazed at chicken in the crockpot on low for 10-12 hours!

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Originally Posted by CJ12

Thanks for the ideas, I will try it on low and see if that helps. Yesterday I put a whole bottle of BBQ sauce in with my chicken breast and thought that would be enough liquid but it still turned out dry. I only have 3 setting on my crock pot...low, high, and warm. Maybe I need to upgrade? I usually get everything ready during my lunch hour so I don't have the option of cooking it any less then 4 hours.

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Also, BBQ sauce is mostly "sticky" liquids (honey, sugars, etc)... You may still need to add a 1/4 - 1/2 cup of water to it.

Perhaps, get everything prepped the night before, then turn it on LOW before you head out for work.

all the above.

including a potential "upgrade" if yours is older/handed down/misbehaving.

mine is older, unreliable, and therefore mostly unused these days. Thatd be the crock pot, by the way. The low setting just doesn't seem to regulate right... why haven't I bought a new one?

don't know.

I'm a guy. I don't buy crock pots. I get married and get them grandfathered in or given as presents... tho' at the current state of my marriage, maybe another one will be coming along down the line some point in the future... uhm... never mind. *meow* I'm irish and in a rotten mood. Ill patch the holes in the wall tomorrow. Moving on.

you need the lower setting and you need a reliable crock pot. If you do all that's been mentioned above (including adjusting liquids) and it still not working, blame the equipment.

or at least borrow someone else's and see if the same recipe comes out differently.

when in doubt, borrow another persons tool. (NK... bite your tongue)

k.

ill be out back on the back deck. I've cold amber bock, a great chilled pinot grigio, a couple of bottles of korbel for mimosas or straight in the flutes. The bar is downstairs by the pool table. Can't tell you what's in stock or not.

jenniepepsi has the yummy, tender chicken. She promised. Time to put out, love.

NK... is that BBQ sauce dark, sweet, and sassy like you? =) smiles your way girl, haven't talked to you in ages it seems. What your latest piggy polish these days?

whatcha' got Nohelp? I Know you can stir the pot well with thoughtful talk... but what's coming to the potluck besides attitude and intellect?

is it Friday yet? Please excuse my ramblings. "It is That Kind of Day, said Pooh.

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Originally Posted by kp2171

jenniepepsi has the yummy, tender chicken. she promised. time to put out, love.

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Now THAT is going in my siggy ;)

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Originally Posted by kp2171

maybe another one will be coming along down the line some point in the future... uhm... nevermind. *meow* ...when in doubt, borrow another persons tool. (NK... bite your tongue)...NK... is that BBQ sauce dark, sweet, and sassy like you? =) smiles your way girl, havent talked to you in ages it seems. what your latest piggy polish these days?...

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Ooh Pick me! Pick me! I'll share your crock pot with you! ;)

Bite my tongue. It's bleeding now! You know me so well. :rolleyes:

The sauce must be sticky and sweet, that's the best kind, after all I'm southern so sauce is no good if it doesn't make you lick your fingers. The polish, it's some sort of tropical pink. I forget the name though. Will be changing it tomorrow.

is it friday yet? please excuse my ramblings. "It is That Kind of Day, said Pooh.

Mind if I join you for an amber bock while the chicken simmers? (My attempt at bringing us back to the topic.)

{{{BIG HUGS}}}

I've missed you, kp.

I just recently (8 months?) got a larger crock pot for cooking larger things (the old went to the trash) mine also has low, high and warm.

All of my recipes have to be cooked on Low and at the end just Warm. I don't know if it is because it's newer or maybe it's just 'Super Powered'. My Low almost cooks like my High used to and my Warm is like my old Low. :confused:

Play with it:) and add some chicken broth or a can of soup undiluted, and make sure the lid is tight.

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Originally Posted by jenniepepsi

now THAT is going in my siggy ;)

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Good for now. Ill do better by you in time... be patient...

I have a question to add on to this one. Can I do this? It pertains to chicken and crock pots :)

WHat can I season some chicken with when I trow it in a crock pot and cook it on low for at least 10 hours? Any ideas besides BBQ sauce? I was thinking like lemon and pepper or something like that, but I don't know how much of each ingredient I would need to add.

Put some cream of chicken soup in it WITHOUT water.

Or cream of mushroom soup :D


I'm like a crockpot guru :P

Okay, without any other seasonings? Thanks!

Well since you are a crockpot guru, what else can you cook in a crockpot besides chicken, ribs and meatballs? That is all I know how to make besides cheese dip. :)

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Originally Posted by ANB428

I have a question to add on to this one. Can I do this? It pertains to chicken and crock pots :)

WHat can I season some chicken with when I trow it in a crock pot and cook it on low for at least 10 hours? Any ideas besides BBQ sauce? I was thinking like lemon and pepper or something like that, but I don't know how much of each ingredient I would need to add.

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I think it's a good question...

I use lemon pepper a lot with the grill and quicker cooking methods... but haven't used it as much with the slo-cook method.

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Originally Posted by kp2171

i think its a good question...

i use lemon pepper a lot with the grill and quicker cooking methods... but havent used it as much with the slo-cook method.

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Yea, I use it when I bake fish and thought that it may work for chicken too. Ya never know. :)

KP I also use a lot of lemon pepper

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Originally Posted by ANB428

Well since you are a crockpot guru, what else can you cook in a crockpot besides chicken, ribs and meatballs? That is all I know how to make besides cheese dip. :)

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Lol. Well, lets see. ANYTHING. I do porkchops in cream of mushroom soup all day, then break it all up and pour it over rice or mashed potatoes.

I often take a beef rump roast and stick it in there with some 'Mcormick roast seasoning' packet. And baby carrots and red potatoes ALL day long. And that is my FAVORITE

Lets see. You can do beef stew in the crock pot.


And then I have a WHOLE little book full of stuff I've never tried, or even THOUGHT about hehe.

Its called 'The best slow cooker cookbook ever' by natalie haughton.

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Originally Posted by jenniepepsi

KP i also use alot of lemon pepper






lol. well, lets see. ANYTHING. i do porkchops in cream of mushroom soup all day, then break it all up and pour it over rice or mashed potatoes.

i often take a beef rump roast and stick it in there with some 'Mcormick roast seasoning' packet. and baby carrots and red potatoes ALL day long. and that is my FAVORITE

lets see. you can do beef stew in the crock pot.


and then i have a WHOLE little book full of stuff ive never tried, or even THOUGHT about hehe.

its called 'The best slow cooker cookbook ever' by natalie haughton.

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Those are some pretty good ideas. I am deffinantly going to have to try them. It is so easy to do a crockpot meal.

Also, with the pork chops, how long do you cook them and do you have to brown them first? And with the rump roast, do you add any water or anything with the seasoning packet and all the extras?

Thanks for all those ideas! I am going grocery shpooing tonight!:D

It depends on what brand of season packet you go with. Mccormick requires 1 cup of water mixed with it. However if you have an overly large crockpot, you might want to do 2 cups and 2 packets.

The porkchops would cook all day on low heat. From say, 7 in the morning to 6 at night. A good long time. They don't have to be browned first unless you don't want them to be. If you brown them first however, they won't fall apart later.

I seasoned some chicken, added 2 cans cream of chicken, 1 can of cheddar soup, and put in sour cream right before serving... really good over rice.

I am going to start cooking everything on low... that seems the way to go to get a better outcome

Ooh that sounds yummy let us know how it turns out

Let's see. I make a killer chili in my crock pot. I make delicious macaroni soup (not what you think but better), killer spaghetti sauce from scratch, pot roast and a few other things. I never cook on high for more than to heat the contents up then the temp goes to low for the rest of the time. Sometimes I cycle my soup down to warm and then back to low. I cook my soup for at least 1 and a half DAYS before it's ready. Ditto for my spaghetti sauce.

I think you've realized that your crock pot can't take the high setting without really causing havoc to your chicken. Chicken is best cooked on medium or low heat and for longer periods. Even when I make chicken in the regular oven I cook it at least one and a half to two hours at 325 or 350 to get it tender and yummy. Chicken dries out quickly on a high heat. It's best to add water to the crock pot when cooking chicken to ensure it won't dry out.

I like NM's comment of start cooking it the night before on low. That should work in your situation quite well and make your chicken taste really great. Crock pots are not for quick meals less than 6 hours. The longer the food cooks at lower temps the tastier it gets.

I forgot Swiss steak and Beef Stroganoff. Both killer meals from my crock pot. Yummy.

Oooh I forgot chili and spaghetti awesome twinkie!

Jennie - You'd love my chili. I can make it thin or so thick a spoon stands up in it. With or without beans and all from scratch. I usually make 2 big crock pots full and freeze individual portions for taking to work for lunch. Very filling.

Only problem with the chili - my son usually eats several three bowls of it before I can freeze it!!

Chili recipe, please:D

I make it from scratch too. I make 2 crockpots full but usually because if I'm making chili that means my parents and my brother and my sister and their familys are coming. And lots of them like HOT chili. So I make both ;)

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Originally Posted by Just Dahlia

Chili recipe, please:D

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Ok, here goes. This is my own made up recipe from years of cooking.

1 pound ground Angus meat 86%
1 big can crushed tomatoes - DiFratelli's is best
1 big can whole tomatoes - DiFratelli's is best
1 big white onion
1 big green pepper
1 big sweet red pepper
Chili powder
1/2 small can tomato paste
1 cup water
1 big can red kidney beans
1 big can light red kidney beans or pinto beans

I always double this recipe as I do two crock pots at once otherwise I don't have any chili to put away as my sonny eats it all and also since I only use 1/2 small can of tomato paste I don't waste the other half of the can of paste!

Anyway, I put the ground meat in the crock pot with the water and the lid on set on high. When the meat is thoroughly cooked I break it up into little pieces. I do not drain out any grease as the grease gives the chili good flavor. Then I put in the green pepper and onions cut into medium pieces and cook them a little with the lid on - say 1/2 hour on high.

Then comes the whole tomatoes. I cut each one into little chunks and make sure I don't include the end that had the stem connected to it. Then I thoroughly wash in running cold water all the kidney beans and add them. Then I add the crushed tomatoes. At this pont I add salt and pepper and lots of chili powder sprinkled all over the top, stir it in good and add more chili powder and mix again. I never measured out the amount of chili powder as I just keep adding it until it tastes right.

Your mixture should almost be over the top of the crock pot! Yes, I know, I know. But trust me, it all fits in a 5 qt crock pot with ease. If you feel better you can take some out of the crock pot and put in a different crock pot and even it out to cook. It will cook down.

Then I cover the crock pot with the lid and turn on high until the mixture starts to bubble. Then turn down to low and let cook away. I stir it up every hour or hour and a half letting it cook for at least 4-6 hours. If the mixture seems a bit thick just add about 1/2 cup water and stir in the water. After 6 hours on low I turn it down to warm and let cook away for another 6 hours still stirring on a regular basis. When I feel it has cooked long enough and tastes okay to me, I then turn it back up to low and let the chili bubble away for about another hour. At that point the chili is ready to serve. It is generally a very thick chili with lots of meat chunks and pepper chunks in every bite. I have let it cook as long as 2 days!

The longer this chili cooks the better it gets. When it is frozen and reheated it gets even better.



If you like my chili, you'll love my macaroni soup. It's not what you think it is. If anyone is interested I'll be happy to oblige with a recipe that is a really filling soup. A friend of mine in Russia makes this soup and all the guys at the naval base love it and want seconds and thirds. She never heard of it until I gave her the recipe for it. She gave me her stew recipe in return.

Hay that's my recipie! Cept I don't put in

1 big white onion
1 big green pepper
1 big sweet red pepper


I'm allergic to onions and all pepers. Grr.

About the only thing we do different is I fry the beef separately in a skilliet with chili powder

You guys have provided some AWESOME recepies and I can't wait to start cooking them up. I am totally going to try this chili recepie since both of you have practically the same recepies. Jennie, I don't like onions and peppers either. :) I am not allergic to them, but I will probably omit them as well. :)

I think the worlds greatest canned chili is NALLY!!

There are onions in NALLY.

? No there isn't. I would get hives if there were. They must be powered onions, or freeze dried onions.

Oh! OK, that's good if you can handle the freeze dried or powered!:D You need to add that to your chile! It really does add a great taste even if you can't handle the fresh.

I myself hate green peppers and won't touch them even if dehydrated!:eek: But the red and yellow and purple I LOVE:D

Ooh OK ill try that next time :) thanks hon.

Yeah I guess its just the juices or something.