Everyone dumps raw chicken breasts into the slow cooker and wonders why they get rubbery

I learned the hard way after 4 stringy dinners that searing the meat first for 3 minutes per side locks in texture, and now I'm never going back to that sad boiled chicken texture - did your grandma ever teach you this trick or am I the only one who had to figure it out alone?

2 comments

2 Comments

colemiller17d ago

Wait, have you ever tried brining the chicken for like 30 minutes in salt water before searing it? That combo changed my life. I sear mine in a cast iron with butter and garlic, then throw it in the slow cooker with broth not water so it stays juicy. My grandma used to do something similar with a pressure cooker back in the day, but she never wrote it down so I had to figure out the timing myself.

mia_anderson18d ago

Did you read that Serious Eats article where they tested slow cooker chicken? They said the same thing about searing being the game changer.