Roast Chicken, Chicken Broth & Vegetable Broth

Look. Chicken is easy and it stretches. This means that you will cook this one bird and, if you are thrifty, can use it for about 3 meals this week. Get a bird that suits your family size—I buy a 6 lb bird for a family of 3 and it gets us pretty far.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Wash the bird and make sure you take out any giblets that may be stuffed in the cavity. Seriously, that shit is nasty if you forget it. I say wash the bird because….well...it kindof creeps me out not to. Julia says not to for “flavor” but that was like in 1956, so….yeah. Wash that bitch off!

You can rub it down with a lot of things. Salt. Lemon pepper. Lemon wedges. Dill. Parsley. Italian Seasoning. Whatever, but you do want to rub it down. I usually just salt it and forget it so that I can use the chicken for many things down the line.

Arrange the bird breast side down in a pan that lets it get all tucked up. Some people like to put it on a rack. I am not one of those people and since I don’t use all the skin it doesn’t matter if the breast is crispy because I need it to be juicy. Feel me?

Pop it in the oven for about 45 minutes, then start checking on it. A thermometer in the fat part of the leg should read 170 for it to be done. If you don’t have a thermometer, the juices should run clear when you pierce the leg with a knife.

Now. Let that sucker rest. It needs to settle down before you start handling it. You’re going to strip that bitch all the way to the bone. Use your fingers and save all the meat, put the bones in the crock pot.

The chicken can be served plain with vegetables, sauteed with some veg and some rice, or tossed with a pasta. Just remember that you don’t have to serve it in a big slab—a little goes a long way when you are economizing.

Broth:

Cover the bones with water and then I like to pour the fat from the pan into the pot. You’re going to let that go over night in the crock pot and then strain, saving the liquid. This is your broth to be used in other recipes this week. It also freezes.

If you don’t have a crock pot, use a large pot and bring the broth to a hard boil, then turn down, cover and let simmer for many hours. You may need to add more water...or not. Keep your eye on it and use your judgment.

Vegetable broth:

Seriously. How many vegetables have you cleaned this week? Put all those veggie ‘bones’ in a big pot and cover it with water. Simmer for a few hours and strain. Add a little salt and you can use this in your soups and your rice for some extra flavour and nutrients. Waste not, want not!