How Long to Cook Frozen Chicken in a Crock Pot?
A nice and warm home-cooked chicken dinner can turn a bad day into a perfect one. Chicken meat may be the cheapest meat in the market but its taste and nutritional value are not to be ignored. Chicken meat is not only an economic choice but also a healthy choice.
There are hundreds if not thousands of different recipes for cooking chicken meat. Although most of these recipes cook the chicken in a pot on the stovetop or the oven, chicken also cooks very well in slow cookers such as a crock pot. It takes about 3-6 hours to cook a frozen chicken in a crock pot.
Crockpot differs from other methods of cooking chicken because the chicken gets cooked for a long time in relatively less heat. But the long cooking time not only tenderizes the meat, but it also helps the flavors to enter and remain deep in the meat.
Crockpots are very easy to use and using the ways that I will discuss in this article, you will be able to impress everyone with your amazing dinner made from frozen chicken. You will only need a few ingredients and a very basic culinary knowledge to make yourself a nice cooked chicken dinner.
Can You Cook Frozen Chicken in a Crock Pot?
Yes, you can cook a frozen chicken in a crock pot. Crockpot slowly cooks the food put inside over a long period by applying low heat. This means that there is no risk of accidentally burning the skin of the chicken no matter how frozen your chicken is.
You can put the entire frozen chicken inside a crockpot and cook it directly without thawing because the crockpot will slowly raise the temperature of the chicken and cook it gradually. This is why you can cook a frozen chicken easily in a crockpot.
How Long to Cook Frozen Chicken in a Crock Pot?
How long it will take for the frozen chicken to get cooked entirely in a crockpot depends on the chicken’s size, the meat quality, the power level of the crockpot, and the amount of liquid in the cooking.
From my experience, I have seen that a 3-pound or 1.5-kilogram bird takes approximately 3 hours to get cooked properly when I set the heat to high and 6 hours on low.
How to Cook Frozen Chicken in a Crock Pot?
Here I will show you a simple recipe for cooking an entire frozen chicken in a crock pot. I will show you how to cook the frozen chicken on high heat and low heat as well as any additional modifications that you might want to do.
Ingredients
Here is the list of ingredients for cooking frozen chicken in a crockpot.
- Frozen chicken- 1, large, 2-3 pounds
- Water- 2 cups
- Salt- 1 teaspoon
- Pepper- ½ teaspoon
- Chicken seasoning- 2 teaspoons
- Potatoes- 3, large, sliced
- Carrots- 4, large, roughly chopped
- Garlic cloves- 4, peeled and smashed
- Olive oil- 1 tablespoon
Cooking Direction
The cooking method is divided into sections so that you can follow them more easily. They are given below.
Preparing the Chicken
You can cut the chicken or keep it whole depending on how you like it, but the recipe works for both cases. Cutting the chicken helps it to cook better and the spices and flavors can enter the chicken better. You can keep the skin on the chicken or remove it. I like to cook with skinless chicken.
Remove all of the packaging from the chicken. Make sure that all the intestines are removed from the inside. Trim the silver skins and the unwanted fats from the chicken meat.
Preparing Other Ingredients
Cut the potatoes into quarter-inch thick slices. I like making a bed of sliced potatoes to place the chicken so that the bottom side does not burn easily. Peel and roughly chop the carrots as well. Peel and smash the garlic. They will provide a nice flavor and aroma.
Cooking the Chicken
Place the sliced potatoes on the bottom of the crockpot to make a bed. Place the frozen chicken on top of it. Now pour in the water, olive oil, and power on the crockpot. I like cooking on the low settings because it cooks it slower but the flavors can get into the chicken meat better.
You should not add seasonings or other flavors to the chicken at this stage because it will not stick well to the meat or get inside it well. Cook for about 2 hours before opening the lead to check the chicken.
Adding Flavors to the Chicken
I like to add the flavors at this stage of the cooking. After 2-3 hours, the meat starts to get soft and at this stage, you can add seasonings such as salt, pepper, chicken seasoning, garlic, or any other spices that you want to add to the chicken. Add the carrots at this stage as well. Keep cooking for a total of 6 hours on low heat.
Finishing Touches
After 6 hours, the insides of the chicken should register at 165 F or 74 C. This is an indication that the chicken has finished cooking and is not ready to be served and eaten.
You can also put the chicken in your oven for a quick browning of the skin to give it a better look and crisp taste. Or you can shred the chicken and mix it with mayonnaise to make a delicious chicken sandwich. The options are limitless.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Cook a Whole Frozen Chicken in My Crock Pot?
Yes, you can cook a whole frozen chicken in your crock pot without cutting it into pieces. Crockpot heats the chicken slowly so the heat will enter deep within the chicken even if the chicken is not cut into pieces.
Do I Need to Thaw the Chicken Before Cooking It in the Crock Pot?
No, you do not need to thaw the chicken before cooking it in the crockpot because the slow cooking technique will thaw out the chicken safely without burning any part of the chicken.
Is It Safe to Cook Frozen Chicken in the Crock Pot?
Yes, it is completely safe to cook frozen chicken in the crockpot because it heats the chicken slowly but brings the internal temperature to 165 F or 74 C which is the recommended temperature to make sure that the chicken does not contain any harmful microbes. Crockpot is also safer than a pressure cooker because it does not work with such high pressure.
What Are the Benefits of Cooking Chicken in a Crock Pot?
The biggest benefit of cooking chicken in a crockpot is that you can cook it over a long period of time without causing any potential danger such as fire or any other type of safety hazard because it slowly cooks the chicken over a long period of time. This slow cooking also helps the flavors to enter the chicken a lot better and makes it delicious.
Conclusion
Crockpot is a fantastic piece of kitchen equipment that magically transforms frozen chicken into delicious chicken sandwiches, burritos, tacos, and other flavorful dishes. You can cook a frozen chicken slowly to infuse flavors deep within the meat if you properly use a crockpot.
