Slow cooker help

[Nogodsnomasters]

Hello,

I can't seem to get a straight answer for this on Google! So I usually use my slow cooker for things like stews, soups and other liquidy things. Tomorrow I want to just cook some chicken breasts it and the recipe does not call for stock - can I cook the raw chicken with no liquid (there will also be diced bacon in there) or do I need to add water? Either for safety reasons or to prevent dry as a bone chicken. Some websites say you need nothing and others saying you need at least a cupful to create steam.

Thanks

I would add enough water or stock to just cover the bottom.

I wouldn’t add any liquid. I cook a whole chicken in mine with nothing added and you wouldn’t believe how much liquid comes out as it cooks!

Would the same stand for just breasts though rather than a whole chicken?

I agree a whole chicken doesn't need anything.. it would end up swimming in greasy liquid without any help

Breasts need some ime

I'm definitely not using stock as the recipe doesn't call for it and the last time I did that it actually stained the bottom of the chicken a yellowy colour and it was a bit off putting lol. But I'm willing to use plain water if told I need to.

Two different responses already.

It would be like putting them in the oven then for ages with no extra fat or water. As there's no fat in chicken breast, if I did it in the slow cooker I think I would add a bit of water. But admittedly I have never tried so possibly not very helpful.

Now that I'm overthinking this, can I cook raw bacon and raw chicken together in the slow cooker? I've just realised I usually only cook one type of meat in it at a time.
I'm a terribly nervous cook btw as I have emetophobia!

You can yes.

Can I ask what you're making?

What are you trying to make? Just plain chicken and bacon? I think good to fry the bacon a bit first but then it's probably ready to go anyway!

I'd foil up my breasts 😂

Just a home made chicken n bacon pasta but I'm going to be really busy tomorrow and wanted to throw the meat in the slow cooker and then be able to just quickly make the pasta n shred the chicken as soon as I come home.

So no liquid and wrap the chicken in foil to separate it from the bacon in the slow cooker?

It would be on low for about 6hrs. Would that be too much for the bacon? Jaysus I'm baffled lol

Any sauce?

Sauce for two of us and just mayo for the other two so I need to do that separately after and not in the slow cooker

Tomorrow is the use by date for the chicken so I want to get it used but I won't have the time to without the slow cooker.

Supermarket meat is injected with water so doesn’t need extra ime.

I would do the chicken on low with either a v small amount of water to keep them moist or wrap them in foil.

I would fry or grill the bacon while you're boiling the pasta or sorting your sauce.. far more flavour.

Maybe just slice thinly and fry it up with the bacon? Will take same amount of time as the pasta. Job done.

I buy packs of skinless boneless thigh and chuck them in the slow cooker with nothing else. I get a lot of liquid/broth out of it at the end and then I use that for soups or stews.

I do it like this:- sliced lemon in the bottom. Chicken breasts on top of the lemon. Maybe a quick brush of oil on top. Perhaps a sprig of herbs (rosemary or basil). 4-5 hours on low. This way, chicken is lovely and moist plus doesn’t stick to base and any liquid lost doesn’t congeal around the chicken.

Very good!!! That sounds lovely

You don't need liquid to cook them, but be mindful that chicken breasts don't have a lot of fat, so tend to be dry and they are also easy to overcook.

If it's for a pasta dish, could you poach them and use the cooking liquid for the pasta?

I would just chop the breast and the bacon up and fry while the pasta is cooking. They would come out nicer than in the slow cooker. Bacon won’t crisp up in it. (I also cook a whole chicken in mine and it’s fine with no liquid, and legs work too, but I think breasts may easily end up dry/overcooked, and water won’t help with that.)

Thank you for all the tips however I am now far more confused at to what to try 😂