Millions of home cooks love slow cookers, Crock-Pots, and Instant Pots because they remove a lot of the guesswork from the cooking process.
However, following a recipe to the letter isn’t always the safest way to prepare food. Take frozen chicken, for example. Many cooks don’t hesitate to throw a few frozen chicken breasts into a slow cooker, and there are a ton of recipes online that call for frozen poultry. But the U. S. Department of Agriculture says otherwise.
How to cook Crockpot frozen chicken so it’s tender and easy to shred right in the pot. Then make sliders or a number of casseroles with it.
Did you know it was possible to make frozen chicken breasts in the Crockpot this way? It’s one of our favorite and simplest Crockpot recipes on the blog. (affiliate links present).
Frozen Boneless Skinless Chicken Crockpot Recipe
It doesn’t really matter if they have bones in them or not, but the latter is just so much simpler.
Let’s discuss slow cooking a little bit, shall we? First of all, I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each one has an occasion to be used like….
Let me give you a peek of my pretty thang I bought recently. It goes with my kitchen so I can just leave it out on the countertop all the time.
It’s quite simple to do this really. Yes, we have used the Instant Pot to prepare frozen chicken in the past, but if you have some time, low and slow is the way to go.
You can use water or broth if you have it. The only difference is the flavor at the end. Want it intense, use broth and bullion cubes. If you want to make chicken sliders with more subdued flavors, just use seasonings.
If you enjoy batch cooking but lack the time to watch over a pot of boiling, shredded chicken, this might be the solution for you.
You could certainly double the recipe, or use multiple Crock pots to later prepare a variety of slow cooker chicken recipes, depending on the size of your pot.
To check temperature, shred, cool, and then vacuum seal bags in 1 lb, you would need to adhere to food safety guidelines. increments. Lay flat and freeze to use for chicken tacos or casserole in the upcoming months.
I mean, always make sure the internal meat temperature is high enough before consuming any type of poultry, but this is how it’s done: Put frozen chicken in the Crockpot.
Make sure to set aside a minimum of 6 hours to ensure that the thickest piece is completely cooked through. It is not yet finished if you can’t easily shred them with forks.
All you need is a bag of frozen skinless breasts, some liquid, and some seasonings. I haven’t tried the thighs, but I think they’d take a little less time and still shred nicely.
2 main ingredients is all you need. You heard me correctly; the rest is just up to you in terms of seasonings and/or chicken bullion.
You can see it all thrown in right here. Since water was used, chicken base was added for flavor. Garlic powder and salt are great additions as well.
Cooking chicken this way is super easy. Simply check the temperature with a thermometer; once the chicken reaches 165 degrees F, you’re good to go.
Home cooks out there, once you learn how to cook frozen meat in the Crockpot, this could be a huge game changer for you.
I do not recommend cooking on high for this one. This protein, along with others, really needs a low, steady temperature to break down tissues and become fork-tender soft.
Depending on how many pieces you’re cooking at once, cooking on low with a cover should take 6 to 8 hours. This is 3 pounds as you see it here.
Adding more may increase the cook time. If you’re feeding a sizable crowd, try this. To make the best chicken taco bowl, simply leave everything off and keep the temperature on warm when finished.
Here are the basic step by step instructions. If you’d rather keep the recipe handy in your cookbook, I also have a printable recipe card at the bottom. This is for breasts. I also have instructions here for cooking a frozen whole chicken in a crockpot.
Time needed: 6 hours.
Here’s a simple recipe that you can follow.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
FAQ
Can I cook a frozen chicken breast in a slow cooker?
Quin Patton, a food scientist who formerly worked for PepsiCo, told TODAY that it is safe to cook a frozen chicken in a slow cooker. All you have to do is watch that the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees at some point while it’s cooking. “.
Can you cook chicken in a slow cooker from frozen?
It is not advised to use a slow cooker to cook frozen meat because it takes a while for the meat to reach cooking temperature. This increases the chance of food-borne illnesses. Prior to cooking meat in a slow cooker, it is always advised to defrost the meat in the refrigerator.
How long does it take to cook chicken breasts in a slow cooker?
Cook chicken breasts in your slow cooker with the lid on for 6-7 hours or for 3-4 hours on high. When a chicken reaches a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, it is finished.
