Our slow cooker has been a much loved winter necessity in our house for a number of years for its ease of use and the way it can magically transform cheap, tough cuts of meat into tender, warming comfort food. I just loved turning it on in the morning before work and returning at the end of a long day to a house warmed with the smells of delicious casseroles like mum had snuck into the house and been cooking up a storm all day. As much as I loved the convenience of a crock pot, I was never particularly adventurous with the meals I created in it. My standard crock pot fare was usually some kind of gravy beef casserole such as “lamb” ragout or beef goulash but all that changed a couple of weeks ago when I discovered that you can cook a WHOLE FROZEN CHICKEN in your slow cooker and it turns out just like the rotisserie style chickens you buy from the supermarket! I KNOW! Is that the most exciting thing you have ever heard??? OK, OK, I know this is not new to many of you, but just in case there is anyone else out there who was not privy to this information, I just have to share.
Thursday 9 June 2011
Welcome Back Crock Pot–Roast Chicken
As much as I love to cook, baked dinner’s have never really been my forte. I have always felt that there was so much mess and clean up with a roast dinner that it just wasn’t worth the hassle when you are only feeding 2 people. I would also like to point out that this is the kitchen I have to work with…
The fact that make anything other than toast in here should be commended!
This is a very novice method of cooking a roast chicken in the slow cooker and if you are more experienced at this I would love you to share your tips and tricks.
Ingredients
1 x 1.5kg frozen Easy Roast Marinated and Stuffed Whole Chicken (Woolworths)
Method
1. Scrunch 4 – 5 balls of aluminium foil and place on the base of the slow cooker – this is to keep the chicken out of the juices that will run out during the cooking process so you don’t end up with oily chicken soup.
2. Cut plastic wrapping off chicken.
3. Remove soaker pad from chicken.
4. Place chicken on foil balls and cook on low for 10 hours.
5. Serve with roasted vegies, salad, hot chips, or whatever your heart desires.
Yes I am aware that my chicken looks like a spatchcock in my gigantic crock pot, I am going to test cooking 2 at once next time so we have lots of leftovers for dinners and lunches.
I have also seen recipes that use potatoes wrapped in foil as the base so you get the vegies and meat all in the same pot, but I have yet to test this one out.
The chicken will be fall of the bone tender when it is cooked, in fact the legs fell off as I was lifting the chicken out to serve but it was so moist and tender that I can’t imagine cooking a whole chicken any other way!
I had no idea you could put a frozen chicken in! Do you buy the plain chicken or a marinated one? I am trying this next week!! <3 <3
ReplyDeleteI'm so going to give this a try. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteOMG I love roast chicken and I am so trying this in the slow cooker soon! Can I just clarify... did you put the chicken in frozen or defrost it first? Nothing beats tender meat and chicken with vegies from the slow cooker... mmmmmm :-)
ReplyDeleteYes I assure you, you put the chicken in frozen. I was a little freaked out by this the first time I did it but that's why you have to allow 10 hours and it turns out beautifully!
ReplyDeleteI buy the marinated one because I don't have to fiddle around with putting anything else on it and I know that there is nothing still in the cavity of the chicken that needs to be removed first. So little effort for such a great outcome, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
MMM I am going to try this out.
ReplyDeleteI have such a small oven at the farm.
Popping by from my FB page :)
Lovely to meet you & your blog.
Hi Trish, thanks for popping over, lovely to meet you and your blog too :)
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I love our slow cooker and will try this for sure. I heard of a blog where the blogger cooked in the slow cooker for a year. I looked it up it is http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ lots of different ideas for using it on there
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa, Thanks for sharing that link, I will be sure to investigate further :)
ReplyDeleteyou are such a clever poppet :D
ReplyDeleteOh wow - that looks SO yummy!!
ReplyDeleteHi Louisa! It was so delicious, thanks for dropping in :)
ReplyDeleteHi Erin - I am making this tonight - love your blog! So, Ill see how it fairs - my chicken in the freezer was 1.7 kilos and I obviously have a smaller crockpot than yours (it usually looks so big) but with my chook and foil balls in it - the lid almost touches the top of the chicken! Cant wait to see how it looks! Thanks x
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