CHICKEN IN A CROCK POT

CHICKEN IN A CROCK POT
1 whole chicken, about 4 1/2 pounds, or whatever size will fit in your slow cooker
Salt, pepper, or whatever seasonings you like

Place the chicken in the crock pot; sprinkle your desired seasonings inside the cavity and all over the outside. Use plenty of salt or the chicken will be bland. Turn breast side up in the slow cooker; add no liquid. Cover and cook on LOW 5-6 hours or up to 10 hours. The chicken will be falling off the bones by the 5-6 hour point, but if you need to do this while at work, my Crock Pot manual says you can cook it 8-10 hours but it will be very well done by that time and probably not all that nice unless you want shredded chicken.

Carefully remove the chicken from the cooker to a large plate or other container. You will not be able to get it out in one piece. Cut into serving size pieces, or pull the meat off the bones and use in casseroles or chicken salad, etc. One 4 1/2 pound chicken will yield about 4 cups diced chicken. I freeze mine in 2-cup containers, which is a common amount called for in recipes.

CHICKEN BREASTS IN A CROCK POT
Split chicken breasts with skin and bones
Salt, pepper or other seasonings

Season the chicken and place in a slow cooker; add no liquid. I got 9 breast halves in my 6-quart oval slow cooker but it was very full. Cover and cook on LOW 5 hours. Remove the chicken pieces from the cooker and allow to cool before deboning. Cut up the meat and freeze for use in casseroles or serve at once. I found that after only 5 hours, the chicken was done perfectly and still tender and juicy.

9 chicken breasts yield about 8 cups cubed chicken

CROCK POT CHICKEN BROTH
Put all the bones back to the slow cooker to whatever cooking liquid was left in the pot. Add 6-8 cups cold water and a bit more seasoning. Cook on HIGH for about 3 hours. Strain out the bones and let the broth chill overnight. Once it's cold, you can skim off any fat that has risen to the top. The broth can be divided into individual containers and frozen for use in soups and sauces, etc. I divide mine into 1 and 2 cup containers. Be sure to label and date your containers.

Yield: about 8 cups broth

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