RECIPE // rotisserie roast chicken and bone broth

If chicken is a regular staple, you may find it much cheaper to buy a whole bird once a week, than to buy individual portions all the time. This also saves time in the kitchen, as I've discovered. If you do all your cooking on one of your days off, you can have plenty of meat and stock to use a base for some really delicious meals. I would recommend buying small organic chickens. Even if you have a family, cook two at once instead of one large one as they cook more evenly - plus free range always seems to taste better.

 

ROTISSERIE CHICKEN
Pictured here is my rotisserie roast chicken (recipe below), which can be shredded and tuppawared to enjoy throughout the week in things like salads, wraps or on jacket potatoes.

INGREDIENTS

1 whole chicken, giblets removed, washed and dried

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning i.e. Cajun

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

 

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees/gas mark 8;
2. Place chicken in a roasting dish;
3. Mix all other ingredients together in a small bowl;
4. Use a spoon to separate the breast meat from the skin;
5. Use your hands (glove covered if you don't want to get messy) to rub a teaspoon of the marinade under the skin;
6. Rub the remaining marinade all over the rest of the bird;
7. Tuck the wings under the bird, and tie up the legs if not already done;
8. Put the chicken in the oven and reduce heat to 375 degrees/gas mark 5. Cook for 20 minutes per pound, or until breast meat is 180 degrees;
9. Allow it to rest for 20 minutes before serving and/or shredding.

You can use the juices to make a gravy if you like.
Recipe adapted from Taste Love & Nourish.

 

BONE BROTH
With the leftover bones the best thing to do is make some stock, or bone broth, so nothing is wasted. Broth is extremely nutritious packed with protein, vitamins, minerals, collagen and keratin which are easily absorbed. Its benefits are well documented, particularly of late - there seems to be a bit of a trend going on. Here are a few:

1. The gelatine helps fight against degenerative joint diseases, and promotes healthy nail and hair growth;
2. Aids digestion - great if you suffer from leaky gut or IBS;
3. Alleviates allergies and respiratory infections such as colds.

 

You can make it in either a slow cooker or in a pan on the hob. For convenience I find leaving it simmering away on a low heat in the slow cooker overnight, then straining and leaving to cool the next day works for me. You only need a few hours if you are cooking on the hob.

 

INGREDIENTS

chicken bones/carcass

1 large onion, quartered

2 carrots, chopped

4 garlic cloves

2 celery stalks, chopped

10 whole peppercorns

salt, to taste

water to cover

METHOD

1. Place the chicken bones, vegetables, peppercorns, and salt into a large pot or slow cooker. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the contents by 1 inch.
2. Bring to a gentle boil and decrease the heat to a low simmer. Cook for 3-5 hours on the hob, or just leave on 'low' in slow cooker for 8-12 hours (it doesn't matter if you go over).
3. Carefully remove and discard any large pieces of vegetables or bones from the pot. Set a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth-covered colander over a large bowl. Pour the stock through the strainer.
4. Chill the stock bowl (in an ice bath if pushed for time), cover, and refrigerate until the fat has risen and solidified on the surface. Skim off the fat with a spoon; discard. Use or store in the freezer.

Recipe adapted from Frugal Living NW