Need an answer ASAP help...

aimeesmumy2007

Full Member
Right im using my slow cooker for the first time today, ive chopped veg & put it at the bottom & placed my whole chicken on the top then poured Knorr chicken stock in it.

My question is, does the chicken have to be covered in the stock to cook it?!?! or does it cook anyway?!?! The stock is covering about half the chicken as we speak..... HELP lol
 
No the chicken doesn't have to be covered, the slow cooker will generate fluid as it cooks so it won't dry up - just put the lid on your slow cooker now and turn it on and wait for your home to start smelling of lovely cooking chicken - you'll love it.....
 
Hi - I am a first timer with the old slow-cooker too (inherited from my mum)!! So far have cooked a whole chicken with garlic and lemon - I added 250ml water to make a stock and probably didnt need to as it generated it's own stock whilst cooking (as it is completely sealed) great for freezing for use with something else!

Yesterday I made a creole chicken thighs recipe and added the required measurement of stock (from my whole chicken actually) as per the recipe however it was so watery at the end so my advise would be halve the amount of stock/liquid it asks you to add in a recipe.

Long winded!
Sorry!

Also remove as much of the skin from your whole chicken otherwise it goes grey and rubbery - gross!

REM
 
I'm so pleased you asked this! I've only ever done stews/curries in mine. I've never dared to do a whole chicken.
 
Man I must get me a slow cooker- they sound awesome x are they any places you can get SW slow cooker recipes from?
 
Check the recipe forum on here or google and you'll find loads of ideas.

By the way, my 3.5l slow cooker is large enough for a family of 4 - a 6.5l one is going to be huge sothink about where you're going to store it. I've also read that they need to be filled about two thirds in order to work best.
 
I'm abusing my slowcooker now too - it just gathered dust then I read a few recipes on forum and theres no stopping me now. Did brisket of beef in it yesterday and it was so tender and tasty. Chickens are great and so easy, I dont add any stock just stick the chicken in ontop of a couple of carrots and then wait... going to do lamb soon and also thought might do a bacon joint. Theres a good recipe on here for lamb meatballs with minty gravy thats my next try in it.
 
Another one who's dusting off me slowcooker!
I'm going my chicken tommorrow, and doing spag bol in it on Wed, cos I go to an afterschool club with DS1 on wednesdays :D
 
Wow i'm off to Tesco to buy a slow cooker, you are all really inspiring thank you x
 
Just got one of the Tesco £10 slow cookers. The capacity is 3.3 litres, which is plenty for me.

The switch has four settings - off, low, high, and warm. They say that high is the "normal slow-cooking setting. Cooking time is around 7-8 hours."

There is no recipe book included, but there are lots of recipes and ideas on this website, so that's no problem.

I will be using it tomorrow - I have some boned and skinned chicken thighs which I am going to put in with leeks and butternut squash. I am going out just after lunch and getting back home around 6.30 p.m. when I hope that a lovely dinner will be waiting for me!

I will let you know how I get on.
 
This is what I have done - cut a leek in half lengthwise and then into 1" chunks. Cut half a butternut squash into 1" chunks.

Put them all into the bottom of the cooker with some seasoning.

Trimmed 6 free-range chicken thigh fillets (special offer in Waitrose) to remove any excess fat (there was hardly any) and put them on the top of the vegetables.

Put about an inch of water in the bottom. (Normally when I make something like this I would use stock, but I wanted to see what it would taste like without.)

Switched the slow cooker on and set it to high.

Crossed fingers (an essential step when trying anything new!!).

This all took me about 10 minutes. Now I am off to my Tai Chi class, and the library, and taking photos for a quiz I am running next week.

And I am looking forward to my dinner!!!
 
Success!!!! As I walked into the flat there was such a delicious smell of chicken cooking. It had been on for about four hours and the chicken and vegetables were perfectly cooked.

The vegetables had created quite a lot of liquid, so I didn't need to have added so much water. But I like my food fairly dry, so that's something everyone would have to decide for themselves.

The chicken was still above the liquid, so it had steamed, really. It was falling apart and absolutely lovely. Obviously, larger pieces of chicken, or a whole one, would need longer.

The butternut squash was very soft but not mushy. The leeks were slightly overcooked and I would cut them into larger chunks next time.

The only flavourings I used were salt and pepper and this allowed the taste of the meat and vegetables to shine through. I have eaten half of it, and might have second helpings later, or I might save the rest for tomorrow. I will drain off the stock and chill it, remove any fat from the top, and use it for something else.

(The outside of the cooker gets quite hot - it is stainless steel - which I hadn't expected - silly really.)

I am absolutely delighted with the results, and will definitely be trying out other recipes in my slow cooker!
 
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