Slow Cooker General Tso's Chicken - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

Why is my slow cooker chicken rubbery? ›

Overcooking chicken and buying woody chicken breast are two of the main causes behind rubbery chicken. You can stop this from happening by: buying “slow-growing” chicken. cooking your chicken in moisture.

General Tso's chicken (also known as General Tao's or Tsao's chicken) is an iconic Chinese-American takeout of deep-fried chicken coated in a thick sweet sauce. You can also make it spicy for those who like a little kick.

Both quick high heat methods such as frying, and low, slow cooking are suitable. Can I overcook chicken in a slow cooker? Yes, but the solution is extremely simple.

That is why tough meats become “fork tender” in the slow cooker. Chicken breasts have very little connective tissue; that means they can be cooked quickly because the long cooking time needed to soften connective tissue isn't necessary. They also have little fat, which means they can become dry if cooked too long.

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.

Have you ever eaten at P.F. Chang's? They have “Chang's Spicy Chicken” on the menu, which is basically their version of general tso's. It has the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, and the sauce is light in color, which indicates it's not overloaded with soy sauce.

Our experts say… General Tso's chicken is about the most dangerous Chinese dish on the menu—dark meat battered and deep-fried, then cooked with vegetables in a sweet, spicy sauce. Szechuan chicken, made with leaner, white meat and sautéed with vegetables, is a far better choice.

General Tso's chicken typically uses dark meat

Mashed's homemade General Tso's chicken recipe calls for chicken thighs diced into 1-inch chunks, noting that this cut is "slightly meatier and more flavorful" than chicken breasts. Dark meat does in fact have a more succulent texture and taste, and biology is to thank.

You're going to compromise the texture of chicken a bit when you cook it for 8 hours in the slowcooker. It's going to be super tender, but not “sliceable”, so use this to your advantage and shred the meat using two forks and toss it with the cooking liquid.

Is 4 hours long enough to slow cook chicken? ›

Cover your crock pot and cook chicken breasts on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Chicken is done when the internal temp reaches 165 degrees F. Use chicken in your favorite recipes.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours until chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove lid and let chicken cool for 10 minutes or so before shredding (so we don't burn ourselves!) Use two forks to shred the chicken right in the crockpot. The chicken will absorb any liquid in the pot as you shred it.

"Browning, or caramelizing, meat before putting it into a slow cooker isn't 100 percent necessary, but it is well worth the effort for the most flavorful and full-bodied end result," he says. "The caramelized surface of the meat will lend rich flavor and color to the finished dish."

If the chicken is cooked too long, it will become dry (even if you use broth or water) and tough. That means the best way to keep chicken from drying out in a crockpot is to stop cooking it as soon as it reaches the proper internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Research conducted by USDA FSIS indicates it's safe to cook large cuts of meat and poultry in a slow cooker. Follow the manufacturer's recipes and safety guidelines. Start clean. Start with clean hands, utensils surfaces and a clean cooker.

Most often Hold, Low, Medium and High are your options. And these temperatures appear to be subjective and vary from unit to unit. Chicken becomes rubbery/chewy when it's overcooked. So in general, including in a slow cooker, don't cook as long.

You can't go back and re-make the chicken, but the good news is there are ways to fix it. You'll need to add more liquid and fat back to help the chicken become more tender and enjoyable. My favorite way to save and serve rubbery chicken is by shredding it and adding some sort of liquid and fat back in.