Chicken Recipes for Slow Cooker

Hi! I will have to say no it doesnt make a difference if its chicken breast or thighs. I love cooking meals in the slow cooker. I havr put chicken breast, cream of mushroom, cream of celery, diced tomatoes and a lil milk and it kinda makes like a sauce with it....very nice!!!!

It does not make a difference whether it is thighs or breast.

You can just about cook anything in a crockpot with chicken breast and two cans of campbell's soup.

I usually throw a package of thawed chicken breast and two cans of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup. Cook it on low for 6 to 8 hrs or high for 4 hrs. Near the end throw in a bag of thawed vegetables. You can serve this over rice. Season for taste.

It is so easy.

No good recipe to offer but the book "Fix it and Forget it" (I like the original best) is wonderful for when you have a type of meat and you need a recipe.

No it doesnt make a difference. You can use any part of the chicken you like, provided you like light or dark meat.
Here is one you might like...

Chicken and Stuffing

1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 to 6, skinless chicken breast (about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 package (12 oz) seasoned stuffing mix, plus ingredients to prepare mix

1) Combine flour, seasoned salt and pepper in large resealable food storage bag. Add chicken; seal bag. Shake.

2) Melt butter in large skillet over med-low heat. Brown chicken on both sides. Place in Crock-Pot slow cooker.

3) Prepare stuffing according to package directions, DECREASING LIQUID BY HALF. Arrange stuffing over chicken. Cover, cook on high 3-4 hours.

Happy Dining!!

Margaret :)

I put 3 chicken breasts in my slow cooker and mix a cup of chicken broth and one envelope of taco seasoning and pour it on. Cook all day. The chicken just shreds apart and is perfect for chicken tacos. My boys love it.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Chicken-Taco-Sou...

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.

Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

Here are a few of my families favorites.

Creamy Mushroom Chicken
2-3 lbs. chicken parts, skinned
4-oz can mushrooms
2 10 ¾ -oz cans cream of chicken soup
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
½-1 cup chicken broth
Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover. Cook on low 5-6 hours.

So You Forgot to Defrost!
6 boneless, skinless frozen chicken breast halves
¾ tsp. salt
2 10 ¾ oz. cans cream of chicken soup
4-oz can sliced mushrooms
¼ tsp. pepper.
Place frozen chicken in slow cooker. Mix together soup, mushrooms, salt, and pepper and pour over chicken. Cover. Cook on low 10-12 hours. Serve over rice.

Creamy Chicken Italiano
4 boneless, skinless chicken-breast halves
1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix
¼ C. water
8-oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
10 ¾ oz. can cream of chicken soup
4 oz. can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine salad dressing mix and water. Pour over chicken. Cover. Cook on low 3 hours. Combine cheese and soup until blended. Stir in mushrooms. Pour over chicken. Cover. Cook on low 1 hour or until chicken juices run clear. Serve over noodles or rice.

I have a great recipe and very easy and always a hit with my family.
Borracho Chicken
4 chicken breast
2 cans Bush Pinto Beans
2 cans Rotel
Fajita Seasoning

Place beans in crock pot with half can of water (1 can only)
Season chicken fiwth fajita seasoning. Place on top of beans.
Pour Rotell over chicken cook on low for 4 - 5 hours until chicken tender.

I have only put chicken breasts with and without bone in the slow cooker. With the bone is tastier and juicier. I've never tried the thighs. I just put a little lemon juice in the bottom. Season and place in the breasts. Put it on low for 4-5 hours. You can cook them on high faster, but not as tender. When I worked, I plugged it into a timer that you plug in lights to while on vacation, etc. (you can put them in frozen in the morning). Set the timer for noon or 1 depending on when you get home and the set it to turn off. That way you don't have to worry so much about it if you're running late or something. **They've never been dry - unless you overcook them.

S.,

Chicken thighs (dark meat) are a "little" more moist than breasts (white meat). This it true of any poultry (turkey, pheasant, cornish game hens, etc.) in terms of a dark meat vs. light meat comparison. So, if "roasting" poultry, just be sure that you add a little moisture to white meats. The moisture can be in almost any form: water, chicken (or any) stock, wine, or you can simply add a tiny bit of extra fat, such as a pat of butter or drizzle of oil.

The BEAUTY of a slow cooker is that you can cook almost ANYTHING successfully, without a specific recipe. Just add what your family likes -- and be experimental. The slow cooker will preserve the natural juices because it cooks SO SLOW. You really do not have to add moisture to the breasts to be successful in a slow cooker unless you intend to cook them a really long time. They will substitute completely for thighs in any dish.

Here are some things to try: Cook the chicken alone in the cooker by simply adding about 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the cooker and turning the breasts in the olive oil to barely coat the surface of the cooker and the chicken pieces. To add variety you can top each piece with +/- a tablespoon of ANY sauce, such as: BBQ sauce, lemon pepper marinade (I like Lawrey's), marinara/spaghetti/pizza sauce, Worcestershire, orange juice, soy sauce, etc. -- whatever flavor you like! In addition to the sauce you can choose vegetables (and some fruits) depending on the flavor and combinations you wish to end with. For instance, add: onions and bell peppers; quartered red potatoes; sliced zucchini; or carrots. If we want a slightly oriental flavor, I add pineapple chunks (or mandarin oranges) with the bell pepper and onions and serve over rice. I melt a little jack cheese and parmesan on the chicken that I cook with marinara sauce and serve it with some type of pasta (spaghetti, rotini, shells...). You can also experiment with spices, like rosemary, thyme and/or paprika on the plain oiled chicken; ginger, curry and even cloves and cinnamon on the fruity versions; or basil, oregano and/or parsley on the tomato based dishes. We like garlic (powder or diced) with everything. For variety, you might try various cuts of pork (chops, boneless rib meat or pork loin) with the fruits, like applesauce, fresh apple chunks, raisins or Craisins, fruit juices or apricot jam.

Since you work full time, I recommend cutting the veggies at night and storing in the fridge in a ziploc. Then you can dump it all in the slow cooker in the AM in minutes - and have dinner waiting when you get home. [Hint: cooking time will depend on the quantity that you cook in the crock-pot. Because you cook for five, I would think that any of the above suggestions with sauce (plus any additional veggies) could gook on the low setting for +/- 8 hours. If you were cooking a lot less, like only 2-3 breasts, and no veggies, the meat would cook in +/- 4 hours, consequently it would need some extra moisture (sauce and/or veggies) to prevent drying out during an all-day cook.]

One of our favorites is to splash milk (about a cupful) over the oiled chicken breasts and then sprinkle the whole dish with salt, DRY flour (1/4 to 1/2 cup) and lots of black pepper. Once it has cooked, it comes out somewhere between chicken with cream gravy or chicken & dumplings. My grandmother used to cook chicken this way in the oven in a covered casserole (or roaster) and it is a family favorite!

Bon appetit!
K.

Great question! I was just considering the same thing myself- looking for more crockpot recipies. =o) I only eat boneless, skinless chicken breast, and have never had any trouble substituting them for other cuts in recipies.

Tyson has a bagged chicken breast that I buy in which each piece is individually ice-crusted (there's a different word for it, but I can't remember) and frozen. The bag even says you can cook them on the grill, bake, etc frozen, but I'm not that brave. I've never had them dry out and it's so easy to defrost only the amount of chicken you need- no freezer burn and no worrying about it going bad in the fridge. AND it's cheaper by the pound, even if you get the pre-cleaned ones! Just had to share- it's been a fabulous time & $$ saver for me, esp. when I never know how many people I'll be feeding. LOL

One thing I've done since my mornings are so rushed is to dump everything in the slow cooker the night before, so then it marinates and defrosts the meat safely overnight in the fridge. On the way out in the morning, I just toss the pot onto the base, turn it on & go.

Delish.com has some fabulous quick recipies! I just tried a latino chicken with beans & sweet potatoes last week & even as picky as my guys are, they all loved it!

Have you tried Homemade Gourmet website. They have many slow cooker recipes for chicken breast. My favorite is Hawaiian chicken. Here's the link. Also if you need help preparing LeAnn is a good cook and will help spice your meals.
http://www.homemadegourmet.com/HG-redesign-index.aspx

Just add water. Even if the recipe doesn't really call for any, add a little (1/4c). If it does, add just a little bit more.

The reason most recipes call for thighs is fat content. Breast is very nearly fat free and the meat is more prone to drying out in a slow cooker because of it. A good way to use breast in the crockpot is in recipes with a lot of liquid, like homemade soups.

Another good source for recipes specifically featuring chicken breast is Joanna Lund's "A Potful of Recipes". All her cookbooks are good for downhome healthy cooking (she field tests on her teen sons and husband, a long-haul trucker).

Good luck!

One of our favorites:

~ pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (or tenders)
4 oz cream cheese with chives
1 can cream of mushroom (or cream of chicken) soup
1 dry packet of italian seasoning mix (found near the salad dressing)
1/2 C white wine (or chicken stock)
2T butter

Brown chicken breasts on the stove. Combine all ingredients and cook for ~4 hours on low. Serve over egg noodles or angel hair pasta.

So yummy - it's like creamy chicken alfredo.

And if you haven't tried them - the plastic liners for the crock pots are so nice. They make clean up a breeze!

S.,

Yes it makes a difference. The dark meat has more flavor and texture. The breast will dry out and disintegrate if you use in it the crock pot.

Good luck,
Cindy

Go to the this web site S....just type this into the browser> slow cooker recipes for chicken.... And there you will find the most delicious slow cooker chicken recipes of all time...diane

I have some awesome and super easy recipes for chicken breast in the slow cooker. Send me your email address and I'll send them.

Shouldn't make a difference, like some others have said, as long as the recipe has enough liquid. There are many good recipes out there!

It shouldn't make a difference, but you might want to make sure the recipe has enough liquid. If it calls to cook on high, you might want to turn it to low for the last hour (or 25% of the cooktime) so it doesn't dry out.

Since thighs include bones, you may want to use less meat to end up with the same meat/veggie ratio.

We use the individually frozen tenderloins all the time--my husband has a deep aversion to bones in his meal.

Here are some of my favorite links.
http://www.a-crock-cook.com/index.html
http://www.my-crockpot-recipes.com/Chicken-Crockpot-Recip...

I never ever use thighs.. I only use breasts no matter what the recipe calls for.. Good luck and happy cooking!!

You can substitute the chicken breast in the recipes but the chicken will be drier since the fat content is much lower than that of thighs.

There should be no problem using the breast instead. But for making it easier on you take the bones out first, that way you will not be eating small pieces of bone alone with the meal.

I see you've already gotten some great recipe suggestions! Just thought I'd suggest a site (if you don't already use it) for future use - Kraftfoods.com. It's a great site for recipes and it's easy to organize your recipe book and keep notes on recipes. They have thousands of recipes with lots of pictures, ratings and reviews, etc. You can search by key word or category, for starters. By the way, the recipes aren't all from Kraft, there are also TONS of member recipes that have reviews, too. Anyway, hope you meal turns out well!!