Crock Pot Chicken and Homemade Chicken Broth

I love our crockpot!  It makes my life a lot easier.  Here is an easy recipe that can help you prepare meals throughout the week since you are cooking a whole chicken.  

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

1 cup water

celery

onion

garlic

spices (I used garlic powder, onion powder, and Mrs. Dash)

1 bag of fresh carrots (or chopped fresh carrots)

Directions:

Remove giblets from chicken.  Place chopped celery, onion, and garlic inside the chicken.  Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the crock pot and add carrots.  Put stuffed chicken on top of the carrots.  Turn crock pot to low and cook for 8 hours. 

When it is ready, remove carrots and chicken. Here is meal number one! Then, pass the remaining broth through a strainer to remove unwanted chicken bones, etc.  Now, you have homemade chicken broth. Refrigerate or freeze the broth. 

Meal Planning: I try to make my crock pot chicken at the beginning of the week and plan meals where I can use the broth and chicken throughout the week.  See Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup.