I just had to write this blog tonight since I think it's a pretty good topic! When you are a busy family cooking dinner may not always happen ... well maybe it does but sometimes it's too much work to figure out who's eating home, when and what time! This creates some serious stress on the Momma! Don't get me wrong, we all get it done somehow but over time this gets exhausting. Wouldn't you rather not have stress around the dinner menu??
If you are a family that enjoys chicken then this is the blog for you. I love this whole chicken idea because it is:
1) Easy
2) Cost efficient
3) Delicious
4) It can be cooked once and eaten numerous times!
(Mine is currently at 14 meals and there are still leftovers)
5) Healthy ... the optimal building blocks for your family and YOU!
6) So quick to throw together!
7) Easy to clean up :)
Just so you can keep track for your budget I bought an organic whole chicken for $13.50 (4.6 pounds). Now that may seem like an expensive chicken but here's how it works out: You end up getting that bird for under $3 a pound and it's organic ... you can't find that in any other organic cuts of meat. I have served a variety of it 14 times and I just froze the leftovers! That's $0.96 per meal! Can you believe it? And that chicken has not been injected with hormones, fed antibiotics, and has led a life outside a factory.
Ok you can make this a few ways but I have pulled out the crock pot again for the recipe. There is nothing like walking in the door and having this smell greet you - instant gratitude for planning ahead!
Here you go:
Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot
Ingredients:
4 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 pound roasting chicken
1 cup chopped onion
4-5 carrots chopped in halves or thirds
4 celery stalks cut in thirds
2 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
1 lemon quartered
directions:
Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl.
Remove chicken from packaging. Remove the pouch with organs. Rinse and pat dry.
Rub the outside of chicken with garlic. Put the garlic inside as well. Rub the dry rub all over the chicken and inside. Add the quartered lemon inside.
Place the carrots, onions and celery in the crock pot. Put the chicken over the veggies and turn on low from 6 to 8 hours depending on the size of the chicken. Cook until the leg measures 160 degreesF.
Remove chicken from crock pot and place in a glass 9x13 baking dish. Put under the broiler for about 4-5 mins to crisp up the skin. Allow the sit after removing before slicing.
If you like a thicker gravy you can remove a cup of the cooking juices and add 1 T of corn starch. Mix well and add back to the sauce for a few mins to thicken.
Enjoy this meal with a nice green salad, a sweet potato, baked potato - whatever suits you that day.
FYI: We ate this for 2 nights as the above dinner then I turned the leftover chicken and remaining cooking juices into a fantastic easy chicken noodle soup! I sauteed another onion, a few carrots (was out of celery but still had celery in the juices), added the cooking juices, stirred well, added 2 boxes of organic chicken broth (BJ's has a great deal on this) and let it cook for an hour. It had all the flavors of the roast plus the comfort food of chicken soup which is so good right now in the beginning of the cold/flu season. More on that another time ...
There are so many meals like the above one that will help the busy moms and dads out there! My mantra is: "Cook once, Eat Three Times." It saves time, money, effort. This especially comes in handy this time of year where it is getting to be Holiday season. It's perfect for those families with athletes in their house who have practices, games or meets that take hours ... and I think they appreciate it more than eating frozen pizza after practice.
be well,
krista
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