How Long to Cook Chicken in the Crockpot
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How long should you be cooking chicken in the Crockpot, specifically chicken breasts? You’ll be surprised at the answer!
Are you overcooking your chicken?
Hi. My name is Polly. All my life I have had a problem with drying out my chicken in the slow cooker. I followed the recipes I found and was SO frustrated because the chicken was ALWAYS dry. ALWAYS!
What I’m learning now is that this is probably because 90% of the recipes online have us cooking chicken in the slow cooker WAY too long.
With years and years of creating a recipe index full of easy meal ideas and freezer meals, we have narrowed down the perfect cooking time for chicken in the slow cooker.
How long to cook chicken breasts in the crockpot?
Prepare yourself. What I am about to tell you is either going to crush your slow cooker dreams OR bring much enlightenment to your soul.
With the exception of larger recipes (like 8+ servings), It only takes 2.5-3.5 hours on LOW for boneless, skinless chicken breast to be fully cooked in the slow cooker.
I kid you not. While writing our cookbook, From Freezer to Cooker, we have been methodically testing chicken breast recipes by taking the internal temperature with our trusted meat thermometer (pic below) at different points during the cooking time.
Over and over AND OVER again, we have found that chicken breast registers at 165° F (the FDA recommended safe temp) right around 3 hours on LOW. Sometimes less, sometimes more depending on the size of the breast or other ingredients in the slow cooker.
If you are cooking a larger recipe with chicken in it, we have found that it can take 4-6 hours. But that’s it!
Should I cook chicken on high in the crockpot?
Here’s another surprising thing. Don’t shoot the messenger.
But, do not cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts on HIGH unless you like overcooked, dried out, tough meat. Always cook on LOW.
I know. It’s sad. It’s hard. But it’s true.
Like you, I love the idea of putting a meal in the slow cooker in the morning and coming home to a dinner ready to eat.
While cooking on high DOES work for certain cuts of beef and pork in recipes like our Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork, Crispy Carnitas, or French Dip Sandwiches it simply does not work with chicken. If you cook chicken all day (or on HIGH), it will be dry-dry-dry.
I know, I’m broken-hearted, too. But I love you too much to not share the truth and the thermometer doesn’t lie.
Do chicken thighs or bone-in chicken breasts/thighs cook longer?
If you do want a longer cooking time for chicken, use chicken thighs or bone-in split chicken breasts. These work great in recipes like our Bourbon Chicken or with our Southwest Chicken Marinade.
These cuts can handle longer cooking times and retain their moisture a bit better. Our tests show they reach their internal safe temperature anywhere from 3-4 on LOW.
However, America’s Test Kitchen (a source we really trust!), says they can withstand cooking times of up to 4-6 hours on LOW. It’s still not that all day recipe but might be a great meal to throw in the slow cooker around lunch time.
FAQs
We’ve tackled this question, too, through extensive testing. Check out this article: How Long to Cook Frozen Chicken Thighs in the Instant Pot
We are HUGE fans of ButcherBox and have been getting our chicken (and beef, seafood, and pork) from them for years now. In fact, Rachel wrote a comprehensive honest review about this meat subscription service.
We love that their chicken is 100% organic and all their meat is healthy and sourced responsibly. It’s so convenient to have it delivered to our doorsteps whenever we choose!
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Hi Polly,
So great to have read such good information. You seem like the perfect person to ask this question. I found this 4 serving creamy Tuscan chicken crock pot recipe that I really want to try, that only needs 3 hours on low, problem is that it’s a recipe used for a 2.5-4 quart crock pot…well my crock pot is 7 quarts. I’m pretty inexperienced, so I don’t know how long this recipe would need to cook for in a much larger crock pot? Any thoughts or advice you might have would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you:)
Hi Suzanne. I think your 7 quart slow cooker will be just fine and cook at the same rate.
The main thing you’re looking for with chicken is for it to reach 165°F internally (or to no longer have any pink inside it). If you’re making soup in a crock pot, the other thing to pay attention to is making sure the veggies get softened enough. If you’re making a 3 hour soup on low, you’ll need to saute the veggies ahead of time to get them started (b/c 3 hours on low won’t be enough).
Ok, I hope that helps. Reach out if you have more questions. 🙂
My chicken breasts are cooking in the crock pot now. I wasn’t sure whether to cook them for 5 or 6 hours so I was looking for instructions. So glad I found your website! Now I know why my chicken breasts have been turning out so tough. I’m looking forward to making chicken salad that is actually edible.
Glad you found us too Janet! We were definitely surprised to learn how much we were all overcooking our crockpot chicken.
Mine didn’t work either. Did 1.5lb chicken breast on low for 2.5 then 3 then and barely shreddable 🙁
Hi Polly. We have tested this over 50x with different slow cookers at this point, and America’s Test Kitchen also has confirmed this cook time. So here’s a few thoughts…Did you use thawed boneless chicken breast or thigh? Did you take the internal temp (it needs to reach 165°F)? Every slow cooker is a little different unfortunately, so yours may be running very low. I’d recommend trying yours on high since that may be like “low” on other slow cookers. Or it’s possible yours isn’t working correctly.
Thank you. You are the first site I’ve found that actually advises chicken to be low and slow cooked for 2.5/3 hours. I don’t understand why others consistently suggest such long cook times. I finally learned to ignore cook times and landed in the same cook time zone as you. I look forward to trying your recipes!
Yes! So glad you found us. It was disappointing when I learned I couldn’t leave chicken in the crockpot all day, but I am glad to no longer have dried out chicken! Thanks for leaving a comment Kevin. Be sure to let us know which recipes you enjoy the most!
I need to know how long to cook chicken drumsticks in slow cooker , preferably 6 pieces with some potatoes.
Hi Ramona. Our Crockpot Drumsticks recipe says to cook 6 drumsticks on LOW for 3 to 4 hours, until cooked through. (Chicken is done when it’s 165°F internally.) We have not tested adding potatoes to our drumstick recipes.
have i ruined my chicken breast by cooking in the crockpot for 12 hours?
Hi Patsy. I’m sure the chicken is edible, it is just likely very dry. Our tests show over and over that 2.5-3 hours on low is the max time for chicken breasts before they dry out.
Not being a quality kitchen person I’m having difficulty with cooking chicken in the slow cooker for 2.5 – 3 hours versus 7 mins as instructed on your cooking times chart? To me there is a strong disagreement here?
Hi Jerry. The 7 minutes you mention is for cooking chicken in the Instant Pot. A slow cooker does require 2.5-3 hours to cook chicken. I hope that helps clarify.