Recipe - Easy Slow Cooker Chicken and Chicken Broth

Are you looking for an easy way to serve up a healthy dinner on a busy day. This chicken could be your answer.  A friend once mentioned to me she made chicken like this and I've made it often since.  It's simple and delicious.

3-4 pound chicken with giblets and neck removed.  Seasoned with adobo and parsley.

Easy Slow Cooker Chicken

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken
seasoning of choice such as 

• adobo - a personal favorite, Goya brand specifically (no msg)
• homemade seasoned salt
• salt, onion powder, garlic powder, poultry seasoning
• A-1 dry rub
• salt and pepper
• parsley flakes
  
  

Put chicken in slow cooker and season to taste.  Turn slow cooker to low for 5-6 hours, depending on size of chicken.

I usually buy a smaller chicken as I have a slow cooker on the small side.  My chickens are usually around 3-4 pounds and take around 5 hours to cook.  If you want the meat to fall off the bone, leave it in longer.

Once your chicken is completely cooked, you will see several cups of drippings remaining in your slow cooker.  Don't dump!  Look below for a recipe to turn these drippings into a delicious broth.

This chicken serves up nicely with rice and steamed vegetables. 

My bird fit snugly in the pot.  If you wish to do a larger chicken, you will need to use a larger slow cooker.

This is what it looks like after 7 hours on low.  I put it in at 11am and we ate around  6pm.  My chicken was partly frozen when I put it in.  If you want the meat to fall off the bone, cook it longer.  My family prefers it like this.

I didn't make it this time, but when you remove the chicken you will notice a good amount of liquid remaining.  It's not all fat, don't worry!  It's the juice from the meat.  If you want to make a broth from this liquid and leftover chicken, it's very easy.  Here's the recipe!

Easy Slow Cooker Broth

Ingredients:

remaining liquid from slow-cooked chicken
bones and any meat stuck to bones from chicken
1 onion, quartered
celery, chopped
carrots, chopped

Put leftover chicken bones and pieces into slow cooker.  Add chopped onion, celery and carrots.  Fill remaining space with water.  Turn slow cooker to low and leave on until you wake up in the morning.  In morning, turn off slow cooker and let stand for a short time until you can easily handle the bones.  Strain broth into containers, cool and freeze.

There you have it, a simple and easy way to make your own healthy chicken broth with none of the fuss.  Plus, it will be rich in calcium after you've left those bones in it all night!

If you want to make it even easier you can skip adding the veggies, but they add so much flavor it's hardly worth skipping.  You decide!

Enjoy!

Update:  I just made this broth the other day and made sure to add an onion and a some carrots (we were out of celery) and it gave the broth such a full flavor.  If you have them on hand, it really is worth adding the veggies.