I often buy whole chickens because they are on sale. Not only that but it’s a meal that you can cook once and then have on hand for at least a couple of days. Up until now, I’ve only used my leftover whole chickens for sandwich meat. . .but one snowy, cold day I had an “a ha” moment, and the result is what follows:
Roast Chicken
When it comes to roast chicken, I cheat. I have tried a variety of combinations of spices, and I’ve even rubbed my chicken in adobo–which my family also likes. However, our absolute favorite seasoning is. . .(drum roll please) Rotisserie Chicken seasoning. You can get it in your spice section of your grocery store.
To prepare the chicken, make sure first, that you take out the bag o’ guts. I never stuff my chicken–I’m too lazy. Whole chicken has become a staple in the “fast food” category at our house and if I take the time to stuff it, it won’t be fast food anymore. Instead, you can stick a half a stick of butter in the body cavity for basting. Then rub the bird with the rotisserie chicken seasoning.
Most chickens come with a pop up timer. So place the chicken in a large roasting pan, pop up timer side up, and bake at 350. Bake until the timer pops up. What could be easier?
Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
When you’re done with dinner get your crock pot out. Cut the carcass, bones, meat and all, into chunks so you can fit it all in your crock pot. Add enough water to mostly cover the chicken (about 4 to 6 cups depending on the size of your slow cooker and the size of the chicken). Add 4 bay leaves, about a teaspoon of celery salt and 2 tablespoons of poultry seasoning. Cover and simmer on low over night.
In the Morning
Using a slotted spoon (or something similar) remove the bones, bay leaves, any loose fat or other “undesirables” as my children would say. I find it easiest to put everything into a disposable roasting pan and debone the chicken from there. Put the chicken pieces back into the crock pot. Cut up an onion, some celery, and carrots and toss those in with the chicken. Cook on low until the vegetables are tender. (You can add the noodles in separately, or you can cook them at the end of the cooking time.)