Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Breast Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the healthiest way to cook chicken breasts? ›

The healthiest way to cook chicken is to bake it in the oven or stir fry it with vegetables. Put the parts in a baking pan, rub some olive oil on them, and surround them with plenty of garlic, lemon, carrots, or whatever you like. Bake at 350° until brown.

Research conducted by USDA FSIS indicates it's safe to cook large cuts of meat and poultry in a slow cooker. Follow the manufacturer's recipes and safety guidelines.

Cook boneless chicken breasts in slow cooker on LOW for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Always cook your boneless skinless chicken breasts on LOW for the best results. I do not recommend cooking boneless chicken breast on HIGH, as it will become very dry and tough, even if you check it early.

Aside from accidentally overcooking the meals, the most common reason we see for tough, rubbery, or overdone chicken is customers using a Crockpot that is far too big.

The Winner: Poaching

"The healthiest way to cook chicken is to poach it," Lewis explains, "because you aren't introducing any other ingredient to the chicken other than the water it is boiled in." Similar to the way you'd poach an egg, all you'll need is the chicken you're using and some hot water.

For a healthy diet, choose lean cuts of chicken like breast without skin. Opt for cooking methods such as grilling, baking, or steaming instead of frying. Season with herbs, spices, and minimal salt for flavor.

Yes, you most certainly can cook raw meat in the slow cooker! You put it in “cold”, with whatever liquid your recipe calls for, turn it on either “low” or “high” depending on your recipe (I usually start it on “high” for a couple hours, then turn it to “low”), and in 6–7–8 hours, it's now COOKED meat!

Cover and cook. Place the cover on the slow cooker and turn it on to high for 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours. You do not need to add any liquid. Chickens today typically have some solution added, so they rarely need added liquid.

Yes, you can put raw chicken in a slow cooker! Slow cookers and Crock-Pots are designed to cook raw meats. The direct heat from the pot, lengthy cooking time and steam created from the tightly covered container destroys bacteria, making slow cooking safe. You can put frozen chicken in a slow cooker, too!

For optimal results, it's generally recommended to cook chicken on the low setting in a crockpot. This slower cooking method allows the chicken to become more tender and absorb flavors, resulting in a juicier and more flavorful dish compared to using the high setting.

How long do 3 chicken breasts take in slow cooker? ›

Cover your slow cooker and cook chicken breasts on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Step 5: check for doneness. Use your meat thermometer to be sure the chicken has reached 165 degrees F.

Question: When I cook chicken, it always comes out tough. Am I cooking it too long, too short, too high or too low? The slower you cook chicken, the better. That's the overall rule for cooking protein.

For a whole chicken – Place it in your slow cooker breast side down. Cover with the lid and cook on High for around 4-5 hours or Low for 6-8 hours. For bone-in pieces - Arrange chicken pieces in a single layer in the slow cooker. Cover with the lid and cook on High for around 3-4 hours or Low for 4-6 hours.

Using a nice, long, low-and-slow cook time helps chicken breasts retain plenty of moisture - but you can certainly opt to add a splash of water or chicken stock to the crockpot if you like!

However, here is a general guideline for cooking boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a slow cooker: Low Setting: Cooking on the low setting typically takes around 6 to 7 hours for boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Lower fat content: When comparing frying versus oven-baking, a fried and batter chicken breast contains 13.2 grams of fat in a 100-gram serving, while an oven-roasted chicken breast has just 3.6 grams of fat.

Baking tends to give food a more delicate texture and taste. Grilling, on the other hand, produces a bolder flavor and allows fat to drip off the meat, reducing its calorie count. However, baking can be just as healthy as long as you don't add oil, butter and other fats.

Olive Oil. Olive oil is abundant in monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants. It has a fresh herbs-and-fruit taste that is slightly bitter and pepper-like. The oil can be used to deep-fry chicken within 10-12 minutes with medium-high flame.