This recipe gets its name because it does so much more than the average roast chicken. Nevermind double duty- we can usually get about 5 meals from one roast chicken…
Step 1: Purchase a med-large whole chicken from a reputable source. (ask if you can get the feet/organs)
Step 2: Thaw the chicken if frozen.
Step 3: Cut the chicken breast off (you can find video demos of how to do this on YouTube). It doesn’t have to be perfect. Set aside (or freeze) meat for homemade nuggets.
Step 4: Put your whole bird into a large pot, slow cooker or casserole dish with a lid.
Step 5: Add water to fill 2/3 full of the casserole. Add 2 Tbsp unrefined salt, 1 Tbsp peppercorns, 3 bay leaves and fresh or dried herbs.
Step 6: Now you have two options. You can put your slowcooker on low and let the chicken cook for as much as 24 hours or you can cover your roaster/casserole dish with lid and put into the oven for 5 hours @ 320 degrees F.
Step 7: If roasting, about 40-50 minutes before the end of the cook time, add plenty of vegetables of your choice. In the slow cooker, vegetables can be added before.
Step 8: When the chicken is ready, the meat will be falling off the bones. Strip the meat off the bones and serve some with the vegetables for dinner. Save and freeze the remaining meat for stirfrys, sandwiches, pizza or whatnot…
Step 9: Pour the stock off into 2 quart jars. You also have the option of blending the remaining stock that won’t fit into the jars with the remaining vegetables (this can be reheated the next day as soup).
If you are diligent, you can still make stock again from the remaining bones, but need to add at least 4 chicken feet to get a decent broth- meaning the gelatin that comes from the feet significantly increases the nutritional value of the broth. You can get chicken feet from great farms, like Harbourside Farms here in Manitoba.
*Before adding chicken feet to your final stock, boil them for 3 minutes and cut off the nails. Add to broth bones, cover with water and add a quarter cup of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar. Let soak for an hour before beginning to cook broth to draw minerals out of the bones.
Broth is good refrigerated for up to a week or can be frozen for later.
(Partly adapted from GAPS: Gut And Psychology Syndrome, by Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride)