You Should Always Remove Chicken Skin Before Putting It In A Slow Cooker. Here's Why

Slow cookers are something of a miracle for people who are too busy to spend hours toiling away over a dish in the kitchen. In the morning, before you go to work, you can put the ingredients in the slow cooker and when you return, you've got dinner ready. They're extremely versatile and can be used to make anything from spaghetti, to brownies, to beef and broccoli (via Delish).

But as with any method of cooking, there are a few pitfalls to avoid and steering clear of a few practices can go a long way. One popular item to make in slow cookers is chicken, but there's an important step to take before putting your chicken into the crockpot. You should either buy skinless chicken or take the skin off yourself. While crispy chicken skin is one of the great joys in life (think about how many recipes are floating around out there for "crispy skin chicken"), it's simply not going to happen in a slow cooker.

Because a slow, wet heat is used to cook the chicken, the skin is going to come out rubbery and chewy rather than crunchy and crispy (via The Gardening Cook). On top of that, the natural fat in the chicken skin will result in the sauce acquiring a layer of oil on top that you'll either have to skim off, or eat around. If you brown the chicken before putting it in the crock pot, this will help in removing some of the excess oil, but given that pan cooking the chicken before putting it into the slow cooker adds another step, it cancels out the beautiful simplicity of the slow cooker. 

Rather than bemoan the fact that your chicken won't be crispy, realize that you're doing yourself a favor. Removing the skin takes away a significant calorie source if you're trying to stay trim. A chicken breast without the skin contains 100 fewer calories than a breast with the skin still on (via Healthline).