Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Tip: Precooked Chicken


Americans consume approximately 8 billion chickens a year.  That's a lot of chicken!  I know in our house, we eat more chicken than beef, so I shouldn't be surprised by the high number.  My freezer has at least two of those chickens in it.

I like to have chicken precooked, and frozen, waiting in the freezer, ready to add to a recipe at a moments notice.  It saves me time and there are many recipes that you can make quickly if you have this step already completed.  My favorite way to precook chicken is in the slow cooker.   

Place the chicken in a slow cooker.  Season to taste with salt and pepper or the seasoning of your choice.  Add a can of chicken broth.  Cook on low 4 to 6 hours, depending on the amount of chicken you are cooking. Cool. Place in individual serving size containers or resealable plastic freezer bags and freeze.  I like to cook the chicken in chicken broth to give it more flavor and it keeps the chicken really juicy. 



I will not bore you with all the cross contamination warnings there are in regards to handling chicken, we have heard it all before.  But there are some tips that a new cook may want to know about, when it comes to working with chicken.

Never thaw frozen raw chicken at room temperature.  If you need it thawed quickly, do so in the microwave.  If you have time, thaw chicken in the refrigerator.  Another way you can thaw chicken is by placing it in a cold water bath; change the water every 30 minutes.   Thawed chicken should be used within 24 hours.  

Never brown or partially cook chicken, then refrigerate, so you can cook it later.  Any bacteria in the chicken will not be destroyed by partially cooking the chicken.

Recipe measurement guide:  One pound of boneless, skinless chicken equals approximately 3 cups of cooked diced chicken.

On Friday, I will be sharing my most requested recipe, Green Chile Chicken Pasta with you.  This precooked chicken tip will come in handy for that recipe.




36 comments:

  1. Nice & useful tip linda..thanks for sharing

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  2. Interesting post. Looking forward to Fridays post. I am having internet problems at present so I may only get back to your site next week after the technician has been! Diane

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  3. I will have to do that. It sounds like a great idea with the chicken always being ready to go! Thanks!

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  4. Thanks Sushma Mallya for stopping by and leaving a comment!

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  5. Diane, I hate it when there are internet problems! I hope they fix it soon! It is amazing how much we depend of our computers and the internet.

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  6. Thanks for finding my blog. After looking at yours, I've found it to be a wonderful resource with delicious recipes and useful tips! I'm a new follower and will be back often. I invited my daughters too. Have a good one!

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  7. I do the same thing. I love to have baggies of precooked chicken or turkey in the frig just for a quick dinner or chicken salad or something. I use the crockpot too usually, it rocks!

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  8. Thanks Pam! Precooking will save you a lot of time in the kitchen.

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  9. Thanks Gnee, that is very kind of you!

    Thanks Debbi, great minds think alike!

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  10. Hello, I'm Bonnie. You write cookbooks. I buy cookbooks. Sounds just about perfect! We are fortunate to be in an area where we can purchase free-range organic chicken and there's always some on hand. Great idea to have some pre-cooked.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  11. Hi Bonnie! I am glad you found my blog. I love to hear from people who love cookbooks! You are lucky to be able to purchase free-range chicken. That is the only type of chicken my sister purchases.

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  12. Thanks for the tip Linda! Enjoy the rest of the week!

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  13. Great idea! I sometimes do this, but have limited freezer space- I need to dig my crock pot out, I keep seeing the best recipes. I look forward to following you...

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  14. Thanks Lani, I hope you have a great week too!

    Chef E, I am glad you are going to did out your crock pot! Thanks for following my blog!

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  15. Glad you spoke about bacterial cross contamination. Many home cooks are really in the dark about bacteria and how it infects them.

    Gives me an idea for a Servsafe post.

    Cheers!

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  16. Thanks Lazaro! My family laughs at me because I am constantly either washing my hands or wiping down something. You just can't be too safe when you are handling chicken.

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  17. great tips. I really should pre-cook more chicken. I think we eat chicken 90% of the time and it's so frustrating when I put it in the fridge in the morning to defrost and it's still not defrosted by the time i get home from work.

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  18. Danielle I know what you mean! My refrigerator is set a little too high. It take the chicken longer to defrost in my frig. But I love my milk to be really cold, so I don't want to set it lower.

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  19. ¡¡¡UMMMM,,PRECIOSO Y APETITOSO BLOG!!!ENORABUENA Y SALUDOS DESDE ESPAÑA

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  20. Thanks Nikol! I am glad you visited my blog.

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  21. This is really a great idea. It is such a time and energy saver. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

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  22. Thanks Mary! Your right, it is an energy saver!

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  23. It is good to see you talking about the danger of not taking care with chicken. I argue with one of my married kids who defrosts chicken on the counter.

    I can send her this and maybe have her think twice.

    Just found your blog and I am happy I did. Keep up the great sharing.

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  24. Thanks Comfy Cook! Someday your kids will realize what I finally learned, that mom is always right. I am going to checkout your site now!

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  25. I cook a lot with chicken. I've been trying to explain the dangers of raw chicken to my kids every time I use it. I hope they are taking notes.

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  26. Thanks for commenting Ms Bibi!

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  27. Thats very useful information! Thanks for sharing Linda!

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  28. Great post and idea just to have precooked ready to go chicken in the freezer. :)

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  29. Thanks Uma!

    Thanks A La Graham! Having the precooked chicken on and sure helps me out on those crazy busy days.

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  30. Gosh, I would never even think to do that - great tip!

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  31. Thanks Simply Life for stopping by and leaving a comment!

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  32. thanks for sharing the tip abt bacteria/chicken.. so useful information linda..i appreciate...great i found u...god bless...its a great energy saver..
    first time here...u have a lovely space...just started blogging..and love to add u in my list..
    ur comments/suggestions r highly appreciated..happy blogging...following u>>>>>>

    sanyuktagour(bayes)
    http://creativesanyukta.blogspot.com/

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  33. Thanks for stopping by Sanyukta! I am going to your blog to check it out.

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  34. We precook chicken too, but do ours on an indirect heated grill to make "pulled" or "shredded" chicken. Then we vacuum seal and freeze it. Great stuff to have on hand.

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  35. Chris, I like your idea about about grilling the chicken then freezing it. Next time I prepare my chicken to freeze, I am going to put half in the slow cooker and grill the remaining half. Thanks!

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