The people at America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Illustrated magazine are my heroes. They have the kitchens, tasters, unlimited time and resources that I would love to have, but do not. So….. when they come up with a system that works, it’s well worth paying attention and learning from their experiments.
The America’s Test Kitchen recipe for making pulled pork in the slow cooker involves a little early prep work in the beginning that pays tremendous dividends in the end: seasoning the pork shoulder overnight. It’s brilliant!
In the spirit of learning the basics and applying them in my own kitchen, I started following the same method with other cuts of pork and chicken. Unfortunately for my family, it took a few bad versions of this recipe to come up with something that was both edible and publishable, but I applaud them for their patience and honesty. Learn from my mistakes– if you or kids don’t like green things on their food, stay away from anything green in the seasoning; it doesn’t come off while cooking.
In the end, once all the experimenting was done, this really was the easiest meal ever. For the sake of time, and making my life easier, I foresee this method reigning in the future of my kitchen.
DON’T FORGET: preparation for this recipe happens the day before you plan to make it.
Crock it! Easiest Chicken Ever
Ingredients:
10 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken broth
Your favorite seasoning (I used Fresh Direct Everything Rub)
What’s Next:
The night before:
Remove skin and any excess fat from chicken thighs.
Sprinkle spice rub all over chicken, top and bottom.
Wrap chicken in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator overnight. I put my chicken in two packages as the smaller size was easier to manage. Raw chicken is pretty slimy.
The next day:
Pour broth in slow cooker.
Unwrap chicken and nestle in the broth. This is when you will see if you need to add the extra 1/2 cup
Cover and cook on high for 5 hours.
Notes from my experience:
The flavor for this meal comes from letting the chicken sit overnight, so be sure to plan ahead.
I love this recipe because it does not involve cooking the chicken first.
Don’t worry if your chicken isn’t completely covered by the broth, it’s not supposed to be.
If you want to add vegetables, that’s fine, just nestle them in the broth when you put the chicken in.
