Whole Fryer Chicken

I bought my first whole fryer chicken at Butcher Boys this week.    I starting freaking out and wondering what the heck I am going to with it and how!  I bought it because I have always wanted to know how to cook one...and not just cook one, but cook one well, so I continue cooking chicken this way.  So, I did it!  And hit the computer that night for recipes.  I found two blogs that had information I wanted to use while executing my adventure.  One is The Little Kitchen and the other is Nourishing Days. 

I started by sprinkling salt on the bird, then rinsing it in the sink.  Place the chicken on top of carrots, celery, onions and your favorite herbs and seasonings in the crock pot. I made sure to include paprika, a dash of cayenne, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and parsley.  It really doesn't matter what seasonings you use, as much as, to use your favorite seasonings and what you have on hand! 

I put the lid on the crock pot and walked away for 7 hours!  Yep.  It is that easy!

Seven hours later, the bird is looking and smelling good, and ready for the broiler!

Another 5 minutes in the broiler and the chicken is nice and brown and ready to rest before cutting into {about 15-30 minutes}. 
 

I served our chicken with steamed broccoli, carrots and quinoa.  It tasted delicious and I can't wait to buy another fryer from the butcher to do it again.... 

Thought you were done, right?  Thought you take the meat off the bird and discard the carcass?  Not so fast.....Let me share with you how our food can just keep on giving.

Remember the vegetables we used to place the chicken on top of in the slow cooker?  They look a little like this (below) right about now.

I added approximately 7 more cups of water and MORE vegetables {feel free to use old and wilted vegetables.  Now is the time to open the refrigerator and look for any scraps you can find.} and the BONES and SKIN from the chicken carcass.  The bones have so many nutrients in them that are good for our body. 

Be sure to include 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar and let sit for about an hour (I used apple cider vinegar) as the vinegar helps to extract those beneficial nutrients from the bones for our body to absorb. 

Cook in the slow cooker on low for approximately 18-24 more hours. Drain using colander and save the stock in the freezer using jars or freezer zip lock bags.

Thank you Nourishing Days and The Little Kitchen for the posts.