Are you looking for a warm, delicious meal but you don’t have time to cook in the evening when you get home? I’ve got the recipe for you!
This is super easy and so quick to throw together. I adapted this recipe from 100 Days of Real Food (you can check it out here), but I found that one to be too daunting. Yes, it was easy, but I hate handling chickens or turkeys. Here’s a little unknown secret about me…handling poultry totally stresses me out! I know it sounds silly, but seriously, the least I handle them, the better for me. Actually, I don’t even like looking at it. I ONLY do it for my family.
Not that the original recipe wasn’t easy: It just wasn’t as easy as I would have liked. My version is way easier. No measuring, no mixing, no rubbing. Throw the onions in, place the chicken on top, add spices, cover and cook. Done.
This one is a hit with the whole family. They LOVE it when I make this chicken. It’s juicy, tasty and literally falls off the bone. I have yet been able to pull it out of the pot in one piece. And there’s always leftovers to add chicken to other dishes during the upcoming week. Bonus! It can be added to soups, stir-frys, burritos, tacos, and so much more.
Oh…and if you like bone broth, save the bones! There are so many ways to make broth, so you can’t really do it wrong. You can 2 tbsp of vinegar to the bones to help release the minerals from the bones, let them set for about an hour or 2, throw them back into the pot with some carrots, celery, onions, salt, pepper (whole pepper works great) and spices (or whatever you have on hand). Add water to the top and simmer on low for about 12 to 24 hours. When done, you’ll have healing bone broth that you can drink daily or use in soups (or wherever you would use stock). Strain and store in glass jars in the fridge, or you can freeze it for later use. If using glass jars in the freezer, be sure to leave enough room for expansion of the liquid otherwise it’ll flow over and make a mess.
TIPS
There’s no need to wash the chicken prior to cooking it. Studies have shown that washing the chicken splatters the juices/blood everywhere and contaminates the kitchen. Here’s one of many posts I found on the topic: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/08/31/216948010/dont-panic-your-questions-on-not-washing-raw-chickens
Use organic ingredients when possible. I do highly recommend organic chicken if you can swing it. 😉
EASY CROCK POT CHICKEN
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 4 to 5 hours on high, depending on the size of the chicken
INGREDIENTS
•1 whole chicken, preferably organic and brined
•1 yellow onion, loosely chopped
•1/2 lemon, sliced or cut-up (optional)
•2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed (optional)
•sea salt & pepper (I use pink Himalayan sea salt for added minerals)
•paprika
•onion powder
•garlic powder
•dried thyme and tarragon (or any herbs or herb blend that you like or have on hand)
DIRECTIONS
- Loosely chop the onion and place it at the bottom of the Crock Pot.
- Lay the chicken on top of the onions.
- Place the lemon and garlic inside the chicken cavity (if using).
- Sprinkle salt, pepper, paprika, and other spices over the top of the chicken. Use however much you like! If you don’t have something, just omit it. Note that the paprika does give it a nice coloring.
- Place lid on and turn on low for about 8 hours or high for about 4-5 hours. I usually get a 4.5 to 5 lb chicken and I’ve only cooked on high, so low temp is an estimate.
- Check for doneness with a meat thermometer.
- Serve with your favorite vegetable!
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oxo,
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