Overheard a neighbor in Phoenix call slow cooker chicken 'bland' and it got me thinking

She was telling someone that all her chicken dishes turn out dry and flavorless, but she only cooks them on high for 4 hours with no liquid. I've always done a whole 3-pound bird on low for 8 hours with a cup of broth and it's never failed me. Is the 'high and fast' method really the problem people have with texture?

3 comments

3 Comments

emery6031mo ago

Actually tried high heat with chicken thighs last week and they were fine. Used no extra liquid, just the fat from the skin. Came out tender, not dry at all. Maybe the problem is using breast meat which has no fat, not the cooking method. People just use the wrong cut.

oliviabennett1mo ago

My cousin in Tempe tried the high heat method once and her chicken came out like shredded cardboard. The real crime here is cooking any meat without liquid, that's just asking for trouble. Honestly some people treat slow cookers like magic boxes where food appears without basic rules. I'm not sure it's a high vs low thing so much as a "did you follow a recipe or just wing it" situation.

foster.dylan12d ago

Actually, the high heat method can work fine, but only for dark meat like thighs. Breast meat on high without liquid is a guaranteed disaster.