I'll NEVER make THIS recipe again (chickens, celery, paprika, pepper)

[no kudzu]

It seemed like such a good idea at the time.

I took the skin off three meaty bone-in chicken breast and put them in the crock pot, then I sprinkled a package of dry italian salad mix over them. Next I added sauteed onion, celery and garlic and then added a room temp block of cream cheese and a can of cream of chicken soup which I had mixed into a smooth consistency in a sauce pan on low heat. I set the crock pot on low at 8:30 a.m. and set off of my busy day. During the day I stirred things up a bit and turned the chicken over.. An hour before supper I added some fresh mushrooms.

At 6 o'clock I had my rice ready and set out to cut up the chicken. I had a pot of incredibly tender and moist chicken, happy, tender veggies, a sauce so flavorful it was to die for AND a POT FULL OF BONES.

It was horrible. Why didn't I think of that? I even strained all the sauce through a strainer and burned my fingers trying to pick out the bones and some were tee tiny and looked just like the mushroom pieces. I hand pulled the chicken and eagle eyed it to make sure there were no bones but even after doing all that all 4 of us got bone pieces.

Now I guess I could have avoided this by using boneless chicken breasts but I was afraid they would be overcooked after all day in the crock pot. I guess I could have baked the chicken with the Italian salad mix sprinkled on it and made my sauce separately but would the chcken have the wonderful flavor it did?
I admit I was trying to save a little money by buying the bone in chicken but i certainly paid the price by the extra time and frustration.

So is the lesson learned to never cook bone in chicken in liquid? Comments? (please be nice!)

[MRBookworm]

Perhaps a better lesson to learn is:
"Don't overcook the chicken"

I've cooked chicken until it was ready for the taxidermist to assemble the clean skeleton also. The basic recipe sounds decent. Perhaps if you cut down to cooking time to 3 hours in the crock pot, or a couple of hours in a slow oven (325) you'll be happier with the outcome.

[STT Resident]

I swear I wasn't laughing as I read this. The coffee I was drinking which spontaneously shot out of my nose was due purely to a sneeze coming at the wrong moment. Really.

What I might have done is get the sauce and the veggies combined and cook them just for a short while. In the meantime, brown the chicken, add it to the hot mix, turn off the heat and let sit for an hour or so (or even overnight in the 'fridge) to absorb the flavors. Then with the crock pot on low, finish up everything. Basically you just cooked it all for too long. Better luck next time!!!

[no kudzu]

But there are a zillion recipes for crock pot chicken aren't there? Seems like I've cooked chicken in the crockpot many times.

I liked this cause Thursdays are our busiest days after school and I wanted something"easy" to come home to. Joke was on me!

[lubby]

Herbed Slow Cooker Chicken Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

[lubby]

I make something similar using chicken legs and thighs in the crock pot. I season the chicken with onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper, I brown them in a fry pan on both side abouts 3 minutes each, then I slice up a large sweet onion, layer the bottom of the crock pot with onions, and about 5 or 6 whole garlic cloves. Place chicken on top, add 1 1/2 cups chicken broth and about 1/2 cup white wine. Turn the crock pot on high got about 3-4 hrs. Chicken falls off of the bone. I never tried it with chicken breast on the bone. I have never had a problem with alot of bones loose in the pot. I am making this today for hubby.

[sskink]

Never made bone-in breasts (we usually only use breast meat for stir frys and sautees). I've done bone-in thighs in a crock pot many times. Two bones each and they're large, easy to remove.

Have made a couple of whole chickens in a crock pot. Not a preferred method as I end up with shredded chicken after an all-day slow cook. Would rather use a clay baker for that.

[StephM]

The recipe sounds great! I am always cooking bone-in chicken in my crockpot, and I've never had an issue with the bones coming out. Maybe you broke off the bone when you mixed everything? Weird. i do agree with you though, boneless breasts come out fartoo dry. Maybe try thighs next time?

[Cliffie]

If bone-in chicken cooks to the right doneness in the crockpot, boneless should come out exactly the same.

[lubby]

I have this in the crockpot right now, Chicken legs seasoned, 2 onions sliced, 7 garlic cloves, 1 1/2 chicken broth and 1/2 cup wine. Going to turn on the crockpot in a few minutes. This is my 3rd time making this and hubby really enjoys it.