Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

Rinse off your bird, making sure that you check the inside. Sometimes companies will put the giblets and other organs in there – you don’t want those. If you see them, discard them.

Once you’ve got your bird rinsed off and nestled inside your slow cooker, you add a few items for flavor – a few onions, a few carrots, a few celery sticks, a few sprigs of fresh parsley, about 2 teaspoons of salt, and 10-15 peppercorns. (Be sure to chop your onions, carrots, and celery into large chunks to make them easy to remove later on.) Why am I being so vague? Well, because you don’t really need to be exact. These veggies and seasonings are for flavor, which means you just add what you have (and what you have room for) and don’t worry about what doesn’t go in. In fact, you could even add other herbs like fresh thyme or basil. That’s the fun of it.

Arrange your extras over your bird and then pour water over everything until it covers the chicken. I managed to get about two quarts of water in my slow cooker (I did have a large chicken after all), but normally I add 3-4 quarts. The amount doesn’t really matter, though. The more water, the more broth. The less water, the more concentrated the flavor. Either way it’s a good thing.

Cover and cook on high for about 6 hours (your broth needs to be at a rolling simmer for about 2 hours to ensure that the chicken is cooked).

When your chicken is done, first remove your chunks of vegetables with a slotted spoon. You can either save these to eat at dinner or just discard them. Then, still using the slotted spoon, remove your chicken and put it in a separate dish. The chicken should be so tender that it just falls apart.

All that liquid that’s left over…well, that’s your chicken stock! Before you use it, you’ll want to do a couple of things. First, strain out the bits of peppercorn and chicken that may still be floating around. Then, refrigerate your broth for several hours (preferably overnight). When it cools, the fat will rise to the top, allowing you to skim it off later.

After straining and skimming, your stock is ready for use. You should have quite a bit of it! I generally measure mine out into freezer bags and freeze for future use. This stock is perfect for anything – soups, casseroles, etc. – and you’ll find that your budget thanks you.

Oh, what to do with all that chicken, you ask? Well, use it! Chicken that has been cooked this way makes the best chicken salad sandwiches, soups, enchiladas, casseroles, you name it! It’s incredibly tender and tasty.

Refrigerate your cooked chicken until it’s cooled off to the point that it won’t burn your fingers. Don’t refrigerate it so long that it gets cold…it’s harder to bone at that point. Once it’s cooled off, get out two bowls. And start picking away at the bird. Put the yummy stuff (the meat) in one bowl and the gross stuff (skin, bones, etc.) in another. It’s as simple as that.