Follow these steps to cook frozen chicken in a crock pot, slow cooker, or Instant Pot for a safe and delicious meal!
If you’re like me, you sometimes remember a little too late that you’re the adult in the room. Yeah, you know, the one that’s supposed to cook dinner tonight — oops. Realizing last minute that you forgot to plan ahead isn’t any fun, so you may be wondering how to cook frozen chicken in a crock pot or slow cooker to speed things up.
I wish I could say I am always ready for everything, but the truth is, sometimes I am midway through my day at work before it dawns on me that I have no idea what I will make for dinner in just a few short hours.
Add to it the running around after work for transporting my kids back and forth for sports, friends, part-time jobs, you name it, and I don’t have a lot of time to figure something out. Sometimes, I don’t even have the time or desire to pop into the store.
Or, worse, I have fully planned out using my slow cooker to save me so much time! Perfect, right? Wrong. I didn’t take the meat out in time, and it thawed more slowly than my metabolism (I’m aging, leave me alone). So now I’m stuck with my concrete dinner plans, a slow cooker, and a chunk of frozen meat. Adorable.
Let’s talk some about how we can use these horrible habits to our advantage and still come up with a dinner that’s going to impress our loved ones and make them believe we had it together this whole time.
Can I Cook Frozen Chicken in a Crock Pot?
The USDA recommends thawing meat or poultry before putting it into a slow cooker.
They cite the fact that frozen pieces will take longer to reach safe internal temperatures, which is a known cause for foodborne illness. Additionally, frozen or partially frozen foods will also cool everything else in the slow cooker and contribute to a longer cooking time and a less safe cooking environment.
With all of this in mind, some meals are designed for use in the slow cooker that may be frozen. The manufacturer’s instructions will be your best bet for food safety and preparation.
The USDA has also addressed slow cooker food safety guidelines that will help users make the best choices and use the best practices when making meals with a crock pot. We strongly suggest reading these no matter what you plan to make!
When preparing chicken in the slow cooker, it is helpful to make the chicken by itself, without any other sides included. This prevents the cooling of other food items, and the transfer of temperatures between ingredients.
Cooking frozen chicken in the crock pot can make a great shredded or pulled chicken that can be used for multiple recipes.
Here are some of our favorite recipes to make with your shredded crock pot chicken!
- Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos
- Pesto Chicken Pull Apart Sliders
- BBQ Chicken Summer Rolls
- Jerk Chicken Mango Avocado Sliders
- Chicken Pot Pie Noodles
- BBQ Chicken Quesadilla
- Buffalo Chicken Puff Pastry
- Healthy Chicken Enchiladas
- Puff Pastry Honey Mustard Chicken Pizza
- Chinese Chicken Salad
- Chicken Avocado Burritos
- Nacho Chicken Dip
- Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup
- Charred Caesar Salad Avocado Tacos
- Jerk Chicken Mango Avocado Sliders
- Pesto Chicken Pull Apart Sliders
- Shredded Chicken Tacos
How Long to Cook Frozen Chicken
It will take approximately 4-6 hours to cook chicken from frozen in a slow cooker, depending on the amount of chicken and the specific functions of your slow cooker. And of course, it will depend on the size of the frozen chicken pieces — there’s a big difference between a few chicken thighs and a whole frozen chicken. Smaller pieces will cook faster.
This method of cooking chicken from frozen takes a while, but hey, it’s called a slow cooker for a reason, right?
If this slow cooking process is too long to wait, you can help the chicken thaw more quickly by sealing it in a bag and placing it in a bowl of cold water. Never use hot water for this step! It may take about an hour to thaw, but it keeps you out of the danger zone for food-borne illnesses. Do not leave thawed chicken out at room temperature for more than two hours for the same reason.
The good news is you can always defrost chicken in a microwave if needed.
Ingredients for making frozen chicken in a crock pot or slow cooker:
- Frozen chicken breast (or two)
- Butter (optional)
- Poultry seasoning
- A little bit of salt and black pepper
The seasoning mix is up to you. It could include chili powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, jerk chicken seasoning, or our chicken taco seasoning. These will all give you a flavorful chicken.
How to make frozen chicken breasts in a crock pot or slow cooker:
- Add chicken breasts, butter, poultry seasoning, and salt and pepper into the crock pot.
- Cook on low heat for 6 hours or high heat for 4 hours.
- Check the internal temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer to make sure it has reached at least 165°F.
Can You Freeze Chicken After Making It in the Slow Cooker?
Not only can you freeze it, but I strongly suggest you do!
It’s so much easier to have a bag of shredded chicken to thaw (if you remember… see above) than it is to start from scratch.
I love to buy chicken when it’s on sale and plan ahead for various future meals. Chicken is so versatile that it’s easy to think of ways to use it without feeling like it’s getting old. Even a basic chicken salad sandwich to bring to work will feel like a brand-new meal!
Can I Put Frozen Chicken in an Instant Pot?
An Instant Pot is an excellent way to make frozen chicken very quickly and safely.
The speed in which an Instant Pot heats the food makes it a food safe. This is the best method, other than thawing first, to prepare frozen chicken in a timely manner and be sure that the chicken meets all food safety measures.
How to Cook Frozen Chicken in the Instant Pot
Follow these simple steps!
- Place frozen chicken breasts in the inner pot. Keep them separated to allow the air to flow around the chicken.
- Add one cup chicken broth.
- Sprinkle desired seasonings over the top of the chicken.
- Close the lid and turn the valve to seal.
- Press “manual” or “pressure cook” button and cook on high for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts.
- Once the cook time ends, allow pressure to naturally release for at least 5 minutes before doing a quick release.
- Remove the meat from the pot and allow it to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing or shredding. This prevents dryness as it allows the juices in the meat to disperse.
While cooking frozen chicken may not be the original plan, we hope we’ve at least answered some of your pressing questions so you can decide what’s right for you and how you’ll handle your own last minute frozen chicken dinner.
Can You Marinate Frozen Chicken?
The short answer is it’s complicated, but yes, you can. It’s many people’s favorite way to save a little time and effort!
Chicken needs to thaw before it can absorb any marinade, but that doesn’t mean you can’t put frozen chicken in marinade as it thaws.
People often use lemon juice, soy sauce, olive oil, and citrus juices to make flavorful, juicy chicken that the whole family will enjoy.
Learn more about how to properly marinate frozen chicken so that you don’t overdo it (and to stay safe).
