My oldest girl is home from school with a fever today. I’m going to make her some homemade chicken noodle soup, but the poor thing will have to wait for a day. Today I am making Rotisserie Chicken in the crockpot, that will stretch to 3 meals, one of them being Homemade Chicken Soup.
What I like about this recipe is how easy it is, how cheap it is, and how you can use the bones to make a super healthy, full of nutrients and minerals, homemade chicken stock. If I am going to take the time to make homemade chicken soup, I want to know that it really is going to make a difference in the health of my family.
I have learned that the key to the most healthful soup is not only the veggies in the soup but the chicken stock itself. Don’t throw away those chicken bones! By cooking the heck out of those bones, you are extracting the gelatin, which is a nutritious source of protein, as well as collagen, calcium, minerals and amino acids.
I had no idea until recently that bone stock was such a big deal! It strengthens the gastrointestinal tract and the immune system, plus it takes the flavor and texture of your soup and savory dishes to a whole new level.
Chefs worldwide and through the centuries have sought out this marrow bone stock as a very important ingredient for soups, sauces, and pilafs.
The stocks you can buy at the store do contain gelatin but is thinned down with water so the gelatin content is very low. They have to make up the flavor somehow, so they use additives: salt, yeast extracts, and MSG.
Knowing what I know now, I am going to be much more purposeful about saving bones and making my own stock, especially if I can make a whole chicken stretch over a few meals. My plan for the chicken sitting in my crockpot right now, is to eat some of the Rotisserie-Style Chicken with rice and veggies tonight, then I will cook my (chicken :))bones in the crockpot overnight, to make stock for my chicken noodle soup (stock, some of the chicken meat, potatoes, carrots, onion, peas, noodles, and seasonings) and whatever chicken is left will go into chicken fajitas! (I use this recipe on my sister’s blog, but instead of grilled chicken, I use shredded chicken. The seasoning I use is a garlic and pepper grill seasoning called Misty’s, it is sold here in Nebraska, but you can order it online)
Rotisserie Chicken In The Crockpot
(recipe from A Year Of Slow Cooking)
–1 whole chicken, skinned (4-5 pounds)
–2 tsp kosher salt (if you’d like it as salty as the ones in the store, add another 1 tsp.)
–1 tsp paprika
–1 tsp onion powder
–1/2 tsp dried thyme
–1 tsp Italian seasoning
–1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
–1/2 tsp black pepper
–pinch of chili pepper (probably not necessary)
–4 whole garlic cloves (optional)
–1 yellow onion, quartered (optional)
The Directions.
I used a 6-quart crockpot for a 5-pound bird. It fit nicely.
In a bowl, combine all of the dried spices. Rub the spice mixture all over the bird, inside and out. Plop the bird breast-side down into the crockpot.
If desired, shove 4 whole garlic cloves and a quartered onion inside the bird.
Do not add water.
Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8. The meat is done when it is fully cooked and has reached desired tenderness. The longer you cook it, the more tender the meat.
***Update: I just made chicken in my crockpot today but was in a rush so instead of the above seasonings, I just dumped Old Bay Seasoning all over the chicken and added some pepper. It really tasted good, it is a great alternative for those days you just don’t feel like measuring!
Bone Stock
Chicken bones or carcass
Water to cover (about 6 cups)
1 tsp vinegar for every 4 cups of water (helps extract the good stuff from the bones)
Optional:
onion, cut in large chunks
2 carrots, cut in large chunks
2 stalks celery, cut in large chunks
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 T. Italian seasoning
Dump all into the crockpot. Cover and cook 8-10 hours. (I do overnight) Remove from heat and cool completely. Strain the stock. Pour into jars or freezer bags in manageable portions. If using ziplock, lay on a cookie sheet to freeze flat, they will be much easier to fit into your freezer. I have also seen people freeze their stock in ice cube trays and dump the cubes into a large ziplock.
There is no salt added to this recipe, but the stock will need salt for flavor. When I use it in my recipes, I will taste and salt as needed. The overall sodium content will be much lower than store bought broths/stocks.
I’m happy to know that there will be healthy, homemade stock in my freezer, so the next time one of my little boos get sick, I will be able to make the soup that same day!
Click here for how-to make the above Chicken Soup.
Peggy
July 15, 2012 at 1:14 amOh! This look so good!! I would love it, if you would share this, & any other recipes you may have, on my recipe link up. http://goodrecipesonline.com/organized-linkup-for-all-your-recipes-goodrecipesonline-com/.
Karen Maxwell
November 10, 2011 at 1:36 amok this may be a stupid or obvious question…….if I cook my chicken in the crockpot with carrots and potatoes, can I keep the broth that it makes and freeze and reuse it? I have been doing that for the past month. I don’t even strain it, we eat ALL the chicken and veggies except for a few errant pieces of onion and bell pepper. This is ok right? I don’t want to make anyone sick or anything. But so far, no harm no foul. Like I said this may be the same kinda of thing you are doing with the bones.
Katie
July 10, 2011 at 8:12 pmSounds delightful!!
Keith
July 10, 2010 at 8:46 pmAmy I’ve had so much fun looking through your blog and being inspired to eat more brown than white…your recipes look great! Do you think organic poultry is worth the cost? I’m so cheap…it’s hard to fork over more than $.79 -$.99 per pound for a fryer. Just curious 🙂 ~Karin
Amy Bowman
May 26, 2010 at 4:24 pm@angie-you bet! thanks for reading and commenting!
Angie Lippert Stewart
May 26, 2010 at 4:07 pmThis recipe sounds great! Can’t wait to try it. I hadn’t thought about saving my stock in the freezer. Thanks for all the good ideas!!!!
Marianne@Songbird
January 11, 2010 at 8:14 pmI stopped at your blog banner. Is that your kitchen?! OMG love it, swoon.
Amy
January 11, 2010 at 10:06 pmnope, not mine. I wish!:)
It is a photo I found on flickr when doing a search for mason jars.
Amy
January 11, 2010 at 6:14 amDestri
Thanks for having a link party!
Nothing beats whole foods! Good luck on your goals. We took pretty small steps in our family over the last few years, but I can’t tell you how good it feels to see the changes in our health!
I am VERY excited to check out the cr. of ck. soup recipe you suggested. I have a couple great recipes that use that ingredient that I really miss making! (Potato Casserole and Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole)
Thank you so much for letting me know about it.
Amy
Destri {The Mother Huddle}
January 5, 2010 at 2:02 pmOkay, if we had this link party and only received this one recipe that would be worth it!
Thank you for linking it to The Mother Huddle…I have a goal to try to use more whole ingredients and homemade bases this year and this is a lot easier than the other way I found to make my own stock (via my fave Ina cookbook)
I don’t know if you have seen it but on Simplemom.net she has a recipe for homemade cream of chicken soup. I have a lot of recipes that call for that, so I am going to try it.
You can just do a search on her blog!
Thanks!!
Destri
SnoWhite
November 18, 2009 at 2:17 pmwow — that looks delicious. thank you for sharing your recipe!
Amy
November 3, 2009 at 10:39 pmI would love to raise my own chickens!! That is awesome. It is INSANE how much organic eggs cost around here.
Thanks for commenting!
Shannon Lovely Fralic
November 3, 2009 at 9:56 pmThanks Amy….we raise our own chickens and are about to go to the Amish farm,where they butcher them for us. I have always kept my leftover broth in the freezer for future use. Have never heard of the nutrition value of the bones. Thanks!! I will definitely give that a try next time I do a chicken! Shannon Lovely Fralic