All the paleo peeps are doing it these days… making bone broth that is. It was about darn time for me to jump on the bandwagon. I’ve really struggled lately with finding chicken or beef broth that didn’t have crazy additives and sugar in it. What’s a girl gotta do to make her own Chicken Zoodle Soup on these cold, dreary winter days? She has to make her own chicken broth, that’s what!
The real question though, is what came first, the chicken or the broth? The chicken. More specifically, the easiest, paleo, whole30 approved, crockpot chicken dinner you will ever make.
I don’t know about you, but I love a good rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. The problem is that when you actually take the time to flip them over and read the itty bitty print, you will see that these too have “junk” added to them. While $6 for a warm and ready to eat dinner is really what I want - I’ve recently learned that it’s not what my body can handle. I needed something that was just as easy, and possibly more delicious. So I created this recipe:
- A chicken that will fit in your crockpot (4-5 pounds)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp granulated onion powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp oregano
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1tsp granulated garlic powder
- 1 stalk of celery
- ½ of a large onion
- 1 cup of baby carrots
- Wash your veggies and slice up your onion.
- Place all veggies in the bottom of your crock pot. They will work as a "stand" so the chicken isn't sitting directly on the bottom of the pot.
- Rinse the chicken off, remove any giblets if they are in the cavity, dry the chicken off, set on a cutting board.
- Massage the chicken with the olive oil. (Pretend it's spa day for this chicken!)
- In a bowl, mix all of the seasonings and spices. Blend them together really well.
- Sprinkle the seasoning blend all over the chicken, rubbing in it so that it is well covered.
- Put the seasoned chicken into the crockpot, breast side up, on low for approximately 8 hours, occasionally drizzling the broth that builds up in the bottom of the crockpot on top of the chicken.
- Carve and Enjoy!
I promise you will really enjoy this chicken. I paired this entree with steamed baby potatoes and roasted broccoli and carrots.
The Husband’s Review: Very good. A little spicy.
For the record, he has zero tolerance when it comes to spicy foods. I’m pretty sure Honey Nut Cheerios is his preferred level of spice. So if you aren’t a huge fan of living the spicy life, leave out the cayenne pepper.
Now how about that broth? Like I said, I am new to this “make your own broth” idea. Which is crazy because my grandmothers both grew up doing this! This should be a normal thing for me! I was SHOCKED at how incredibly easy (and delicious) this broth was to make. Here’s what you do:
- Keep all of the “juice” in the crockpot.
- After you eat dinner, cut off all left over meat that you will eat.
- Place all bones and remains of the chicken carcass back into the crockpot. There may still be some veggies in there. Leave them there. They help with flavor.
- Keep your crockpot on low for another 12-24 hours. I let mine simmer until dinner the next day.
- Pour the broth through a strainer and into a container. You can either freeze the broth or use it within one week. One of my friends recommends pouring it into an ice cube tray and freezing it in smaller cubes, allowing you to use the chicken broth as needed!
Since I’m the last person to jump on the DIY Broth Bandwagon, do you have any pointers for me? Let me know what you think of the chicken! I’m making it again this week!
