Frighteningly easy. I do chicken breasts on the bone as the lower fat helps this particular issue with my cats. But you could do thighs if you need more fat.
And? These are equal opportunity chicken breasts. I add salt so that, if I need some cooked chicken for a recipe, I can use it. If I don’t? That cats get a touch of salt - there are worse things in life
I have an at least 20 year old crock pot. 6 quart. I put a small sprinkle of salt on the bottom of the crock, then lay three chicken breasts in (the foster farms ones tend to be huge, over a pound each) in. I layer them skin side down, ribs towards the center, meaty side out, so that they get the most contact to the heat. A small sprinkle of salt on top and then? Cover and cook on high.
Takes 3 hours, 4 at the most to get them falling off the bone tender. No added water or fat, they produce a lovely broth all on their own. Can do it on low for 6 - 8 if you will be out and about for a bit…
After deboning, the cats love them and me? Boy is it handy to have gently roasted chicken about. In this months heat wave I’ve done tons of sliced chicken sandwiches and chicken salad with celery - and it’s been a gift!
That sounds great! And unusual for a slow cooker. I’ll definitely be doing this. I also like white meat chicken around and poached just never seems to have the flavor.
Have you noticed that bone-in, skin-on aren’t always the easiest to find. One meat guy told me that they have them more in summer when people are grilling.
Thanks a bunch. I just really, really like this idea.
They are not quite as browned as the oven roasted ones but WAY more flavorful than poached. And yes, so handy to have around.
And yes yes, it’s a bit harder to find skin on, bone in breasts now. Ralph’s doesn’t even carry them frozen anymore! Luckily, I am by a ralph’s, a smart and final, a Jon’s market and, a superking. So I may not always be able to get them dirt cheap - but so far, I’ve always been able to get them.
Oh one last note - you can also cook them straight from the freezer. Just season as described, throw them in and push “on.” They’ll take a bit longer, you’ll have to break them apart and arrange them as they thaw, but no difference in texture or flavor. Nice to not have to pre-thaw them. : )
Which is super for most people probably. But I LOATHE dark meat. I won’t eat it. I don’t even like touching it. Yuck So except when I’m roasting a whole chicken it’s breast or wings. Oh, wait, boneless, skinless thighs are acceptable at times. Like this recipe one of our daughters gave me.
But for breaking down chicken thrills, I still am in awe of Hung Huynh on Top Chef. He had to break down 4 chickens as part of a relay race quick fire and I swear, it was less than a minute per chicken.
Super interesting little details there. I’m wondering what to do with the “belly,” a portion I just throw in the scraps for stock. I LOVE the way he took the breast skin off. And I was curious about the lack of focus on the oysters (there was definitely some oyster meat still left on the carcass). Very skillfully done. I picked up a few little refinements to my technique. THANK YOU for sharing!
My mom said she takes leftover mashed potatoes then adds eggs, salt, pepper, a little flour and grated onions [I was thinking she added milk but she said no]. Maybe grating the onions on a cheese grater versus chopping them blends them better and created more liquid - I don’t know.
This morning’s breakfast used up some grilled vegetables from a couple of night’s ago. Along with some bulk sausage and grated cheddar. I can’t believe people actually throw out things like this.
So except when I’m roasting a whole chicken it’s breast or wings. Oh, wait, boneless, skinless thighs are acceptable at times. Like this recipe one of our daughters gave me.
