Have you ever tried cooking a complete hen in a crock pot earlier than? The result’s so a lot better (and higher for you!) than your customary grocery retailer rotisserie hen. And when you have a nicely-stocked spice rack, you may hardly have to purchase something to make this recipe.
why cook dinner a complete hen in a crock pot?
When you’ve solely been utilizing your sluggish cooker for soups and stews, you are lacking out! you can also make virtually something in a crock pot; that features a complete hen.
straightforward meals thought
We’re a busy household and there is not all the time time to organize huge meals, particularly on weekdays. the sluggish cooker permits us to “set it and neglect it” and never have to fret about what’s for dinner. simply throw collectively some sides, and even a salad, and serve!
more healthy different to retailer-purchased rotisserie hen
have you ever learn the substances of your favourite rotisserie hen? between the sugar and different components, it is undoubtedly not accredited as actual meals. by making my very own hen from scratch, I get to determine precisely what goes into the meals we eat.
cook dinner as soon as, eat many occasions
That is most likely my favourite half of this recipe! a complete hen will be divided up and used for a number of totally different recipes and meals. remember to make use of the bones to make your individual home made hen inventory so nothing goes to waste.
concepts in your leftover hen
- Loaded Chicken Salad
- blt hen wraps
- Bitter Cream and Onion Chicken Salad
- hen and cheese toasties
- hen curry salad
- open grilled sandwich
- don’t add any further liquid
- cook dinner on excessive as an alternative of low
- alter cooking occasions primarily based on weight
- take away hen as quickly as performed
- enable hen to chill to assist agency up earlier than slicing and serving
- Gradual Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
- Gradual Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
- Gradual Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken
- Maple Syrup Glazed Chicken and Candy Potatoes
how you can cook dinner a complete hen in a crock pot
step 1: chop and add the onion
Lower a complete onion in half or quarters and add it to the underside of the sluggish cooker.
step 2: Combine the hen seasoning collectively in a small bowl
Simply combine in some fundamental herbs and spices. I used paprika, salt, onion powder, thyme, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper to make a roasted hen. you can too season your hen with butter and herbs, Italian spices, or your favourite seasoning mix.
step 3: season the entire hen
rub seasoning throughout hen (together with seasoning inside cavity and underneath pores and skin of breasts). after seasoning, place the entire hen in the crock pot on prime of the onion mattress, breast aspect down.
step 4: cook dinner on excessive for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours
cooking time will rely upon the scale of your hen. the hen is completed when the inner temperature reaches 165f and the juices run clear, but additionally when it is tender sufficient to flake with a fork.
as soon as the hen is completed, it is tasty sufficient to eat by itself as a foremost dish, or you’ll be able to incorporate it into one thing else like pasta, hen salad, hen pot pie, or a casserole (I’ve listed some of my favourite concepts subsequent). you do not want something fancy, we used a very fundamental crock pot that may be purchased on amazon for round $40.
hen casserole troubleshooting
my hen is just too gentle and mushy
Most of the time, mushy crock pot hen is the consequence of cooking it too lengthy. As you cook dinner the meat, the collagen breaks down into a gelatin. the longer the hen cooks, the extra this course of happens. do it proper and you will have completely tender meat; too lengthy and the hen turns into mushy.
sluggish cooker hen comes out dry
Dry hen typically happens when there is not sufficient moisture in the sluggish cooker. that is extra more likely to happen once you’re solely roasting lean cuts like hen breasts or have too many moisture-absorbing greens together with your hen. a easy resolution is so as to add a little water or hen broth to the sluggish cooker once you begin cooking.
One other widespread motive for dry hen is cooking in a crock pot that’s too massive for the recipe; an excessive amount of empty area across the meat will dry it out.
make hen inventory in a single day (optionally available)
One other nice trick (discovered from a buddy!) is that after you select the nice hen meat, you’ll be able to depart the bones in the crock pot to make some broth in a single day whilst you sleep; learn extra about this in the FAQ beneath.
