Cooking meat in a crockpot?

[StitchesGr8Fan]

I'm inspired by an earlier thread in groceries. How do you cook a chicken breast, pork chips, etc in a crockpot? All the recipes I've seen require a sauce or something and we are pretty plan eaters. Not much sauce or gravy in our diets.

 

[mebbradley]

I just threw two chicken breasts in with about a cup or two of water and then some salt and pepper. Basic Chicken for me. It look about 4-5 hours on high [but I was also cooking it to be done to the point of falling apart for another recipe].

 

[pixiewings71]

you don't have to use sauces or gravies, you can simply add water (or juice, or even a can of beer or soda, the alcohol cooks out of the beer and it's not a heavy flavor) and some spices to taste, you just have to make sure that your meat stays covered, that's all. I used to do chicken in some broth and then just shred it and freeze it in smaller portions so I would always have cooked chicken on hand for quick meals, it worked great.

 

[cseca]

Check out this site:
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2005/12/chicken.html

She has piles of recipes and some of them might work for you guys.
I think the rotisserie chicken would be good for you. I love that recipe.

 

[pigletto]

Broth of some sort is helpful. It will give it some flavor but can be dumped out of the recipe once the meat is ready. When I do a roast I just put the roast in with a bit of water on the bottom and mix beef bouillon into the water. We like to add some garlic and/or onion chunks and veggies as well but you don't have to. We use the crockpot a lot. Many recipes will call for a cream soup of some kind but my husband can't stand them so I don't use them ever and we still seem to find a lot to make in there

 

[lajones81]

This is one of my favorite recipes.

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/02/25/recipe-the-best-whole-chicken-in-a-crock-pot/

Once I have cooked the chicken, I use it to make this stock.

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/01/24/recipe-overnight-chicken-stock-in-the-crock-pot/

Then, I turn the stock into chicken noodle soup.

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/10/05/recipe-homemade-chicken-noodle-soup/

 

[Omalley]

We used the crock pot to cook a turkey breast last week. We used a packet of lipton onion soup mix, and a little water. It turned out great, very moist. We liked it so much we are making another tomorrow.

 

[MagicalMawMaw]

I have a roast in the crockpot right now.

I salt & pepper it.

Dash it with worchestire sauce.

Dump a can of cream of chicken soup on top.

Pour a can of water in the bottom of the crockpot.

Cook on low overnight....till fork tender.

Delicious with mashed taters for an easy Sunday lunch.

 

[Praying Colonel]

My 2 favorite crock pot recipes do not require any sauce.

1. Chuck roast--lay 8 oz. sliced mushrooms in the bottom, 1 chuck roast on top of that. Mix 1 pkg. dry onion soup mix with 1/2 cup red wine, pour over top. Cook on low for 8 hours.

2. Pork ribs--put your favorite dry rub (like one of these) on both sides of a rack of ribs, then coil the ribs around the inside of your slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours. You can brush sauce on them and finish them under a broiler for about 3 minutes, or you can let everybody sauce their own.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

I rarely put anything but the meat and spices in a crockpot. It usually gets juicy as it cooks. Occasionally if I put anything else in, it would be chicken or beef base mixed with some water and/or maybe some veggies (mirepoix).

 

[Diet Dr Chill]

We used the crock pot to cook a turkey breast last week. We used a packet of lipton onion soup mix, and a little water. It turned out great, very moist. We liked it so much we are making another tomorrow.

I've never gotten lean meat to turn out moist. Pork loin and chicken breasts both come out way dry no matter what I did. What's your secret? When I googled it, the obvious answer was that these meats just don't contain enough fat to be conductive to slow cooking and not to bother.

 

[jam217]

Agreeing with the other poster who doesn't put in any liquids with the meat. I usually do a whole chicken breast on a Sunday to use for lunch during the week and find that it generates enough liquid. I always start mine on high for about an hour then turn it down to low. The meat is falling off the bone after about four hours.

 

[nicolita3]

If I am making a roast or chicken or just plain meat I never put any liquid in it just spices. I only use liquid if I am making a casserol or soup in my crock pot.

 

[SaraJayne]

Instead of sauces or gravies (unless the recipe calls for it), I use chicken or beef stock instead. Adds a nice flavor and juiciness without a lot of extra calories.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

So I could put chicken and broth in the crockpot on low in the morning, and it should be ready by dinnertime? That would be awesome!