Has anyone made chicken stock

[tiredmommy]

using a whole chicken in a crock pot? I'm used to making it on the stove, but would like to make it while out of the house. Any suggestions?

[timer lady]

http://www.recipezaar.com/55282

TM,

I've used this recipe in the past.

[SRL]

I'll have you know that I tracked down a grandma in the church kitchen at a funeral for this recipe about 8 years ago. I always do this in my 6 quart electric Nesco roasting pan out in the garage because the smell of it cooking in the house is a major odor assault to gfg. I've done it in the crockpot before though and it's fine. Whenever I'm doing meat in the crockpot I put it on high for about 20-30 minutes to bring the temp up more quickly and then turn it down.



Boiled Chicken

1 - 3 to 4 lb. Whole chicken, cut up
4 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks with some leaves, cut into pieces
onion, recipe calls for 1-1/2 onions but I use about 2 Tablespoons, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ to 1 teaspoon sweet basil (I use 1 tsp)

Place all ingredients in a large kettle and cover with water. Cover the kettle and cook on low until meat and veggies are tender. Remove chicken to platter and cool to a temperature it can be handled. Remove skin and debone. Cut meat into small chunks and refrigerate covered. Pour the broth and veggies through a colander to separate. Cover the broth and the veggies separately and refrigerate everything overnight.

The next day the fat will be solidified and can be easily skimmed and removed from the top of the broth.

For chicken soup: Cook desired amount of rice or noodles in water. Heat broth and then add in chicken, cut up veggies and rice or noodles.

For Creamed Chicken & Biscuits:

¾ cup butter
¾ cup flour
2 tsp salt (I use less)
¼ tsp black pepper

Melt butter in saucepan. Combine dry ingredients and stir into butter gradually, stirring constantly with a wire whip. Cook on low until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat.

Stir in 2 cups chicken broth and 2 cups milk into the mixture. Return to the heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute while continuing to stir. Add in chicken meat (and veggies if desired) and serve over baking powder biscuits.

For Chicken & Dumplings:

If you like a thicker broth with this dish, you can heat it up first then thicken it a little with a cornstarch/water mixture, stirring while you add it to the broth and continually while you bring it to a boil. Then mix 3 cups Bisquick with 1 cup milk and drop it onto the broth. Cook uncovered on low heat for ten minutes. Cover and cook on low for another 10 minutes.

[Marguerite]

We used to grow our own. But we no longer are permitted to keep a rooster (cockerel) so no more fluffy chicks growing up into crowing monsters.

But I used to crock pot them regularly.

Two recipes - one is Asian, one is European.

For both - put dressed chook in crock pot, with a whole onion and some salt (plus other ingredients - I'll list them in a minute). Simmer in crockpot for no more than four hours (sorry - any longer and it begins to taste bitter). Drain and reserve. If the chook is still tough (as ours used to be) add fresh water and do a second batch. After the second four hours, reserve the next lot of stock and remove the chook. If it's not cooked by now, chuck it because it never will be.

Remember, I was cooking tough, stringy things that had been running round the yard eating funnelweb spiders. If you're cooking a shop-bought chook one round of stock should be enough.

Now for the added ingredients - for European stock, also add - a whole carrot (don't bother peeling it) and a stick of celery. A bouquet garni of oregano, thyme, maybe some tarragon and bay is nice. Don't add garlic or it will accelerate it going bitter. You CAN add garlic if you're cooking it in a saucepan on te stove (where you only cook it for an hour; no longer).

For Asian stock - add slices of green ginger, some coriander leaves or root (fresh) and some peppercorns. Szchechuan peppercorns if you have them. Don't forget to strain them out.

Either stock will make a great risotto. I use European stock to make chicken supreme and Asian stock to make chicken and corn soup (last night's dinner). Asian stock makes a delicious change for invalids. The ginger helps to break a fever.

And one last thing - if you're cooking free-range home slaughtered chook, cook up the feet and giblets separately in a small pot. When they've been parboiled, peel the feet, discard the skin and simmer for longer to extract the gelatine.

Sorry if you're squeamish - I'm a farm-bred girl from way back.

There's an old Aussie joke - you probably have a US version - about how to cook emu soup, or cockatoo soup. You put the bird in a huge pot with some hot rocks from the fire to boil the water. Boil it for days until the rocks are tender; throw out the bird and eat the rocks.

Marg

[Lothlorien]

I've cooked it in the crock pot and have done it with turkey too. Just put all the usual ingredients in that you would on the stove top and go. It does a very nice job.

[gottaloveem]

Hi TM,

I make mine in the crockpot all of the time. I just use the recipie I would use for the stove top. I cook it on low for around 9+ hours. You could probably get it done in less hours on high.

It turns out so good. It is the most flavorful soup I have ever made. Cooking it for so long just brings out all of the flavors. My mom and mother-in-law think it is the greatest too.

Enjoy.

[tiredmommy]

Thanks everybody! I'm going to make some nice hot soup to sip on. Hopefully it will help me treat this nasty little head cold.