Slow Cooker Chicken in Milk
Course: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes6
minutes6
minutesI love this recipe. It comes from a favorite Food Blog, The Kitchen. It makes the most moist and delicious chicken. It works well if you have a slow cooker that has an insert that comes out. When you brown the bird on all sides, all that flavor stays in the pan when cooking it on low heat. I love this recipe because to me nothing is more comforting than a roasted chicken. I love roasting one in the oven but that takes time and sometimes life contradicts what you want to cook. This is a happy medium. I serve it with sheet pan vegetables like green beans or asparagus and rice to soak up the flavorful sauce. Don’t disregard this recipe if you are not a milk fan. I am not the biggest milk fan and this recipe is fantastic and the sauce luxurious.
Ingredients
4-5 LB whole chicken
1 Tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup hard cider
10 cloves garlic, left unpeeled
1/4 cup lightly packed sage leaves
1 cinnamon stick or if they are small 2 work nicely
Zest from 2 lemons
2 1/4 cups whole milk
Directions
- Remove chicken from its packaging and make sure to remove giblets and organs from the inside. Pat chicken dry and then season the bird with salt and fresh ground pepper. Rub all over the bird.
- Warm the oil in a pan or the insert of the slow cooker over medium heat. Sear the chicken on all sides until golden brown evenly all over the bird. (Sear the chicken on all sides for a tastier chicken. You can cook the chicken without searing it but the flavor isn’t as good.) Transfer chicken to a plate.
- Add the cider and scrape the bottom of the pan or insert. Continue to simmer until cider is reduced by half.
- Add the chicken back to the insert with breast side down, Rub the garlic so the paper around the clove becomes loose and toss it in the slow cooker. Add the sage leaves, cinnamon sticks, and lemon zest on top and around the bird. Pour the milk all around the chicken.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.
- Remove the chicken and cut it up, it should fall apart. Serve with rice and a vegetable. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and rice.
