Slow Cooker Make-Ahead Tips

Many crockery chicken recipes call for frozen chicken pieces. We found that freezing the chicken before placing it in the crockery cooker slows the cooking of the chicken and assures that it is tender but not overcooked when the rest of the foods are done.

At least a day before cooking a crockery chicken recipe, freeze the chicken. To reduce the calories and for better texture and appearance, we suggest pulling the skin from the chicken pieces before freezing them. Then arrange the pieces on a single layer on a baking sheet. (The single layer is important so the pieces can be handled individually once frozen.) Cover and freeze the chicken until firm. If you won't be using the frozen pieces right away, remove them from the baking sheet and seal them in a freezer bag.

Freeze any leftover soup or stew in freezer containers with tight-fitting lids. Because food expands when it freezes, leave about 1/2 inch of headspace below the rims of the containers.

Another convenient way to freeze soups and broths is to use plastic ice-cube trays. Simply cool the soup or broth and pour it into the individual sections of an ice-cube tray. Freeze until the soup is firm, pop out the cubes of frozen soup, seal them in a freezer bag, and return to the freezer.

When you're ready to eat, reheat a few cubes for a single serving or more cubes for the entire family.