Slow Cooker Chicken and Stock

I found a recipe online today for cooking a whole chicken in a slow cooker. The slow cooker pretty much bakes the chicken and then when it's done cooking you use the drippings, skin, and bones (with the addition of some water) to make your own stock. It's so easy, and inexpensive, and is a double duty ingredient. One thing I would advise if you like to buy chickens and then freeze them is to remove the gizzards before freezing. You can cook a frozen chicken in your slow cooker, but if the gizzards are frozen inside you have to thaw the chicken to get them out before cooking. NOT the best use of your time. So here's what I did:
I froze the chicken without taking the gizzards out. What a pain in the butt. What should have taken me 5 minutes to put in the slow cooker and just walk away for 7-8 hours took me over 2 hours of thawing the chicken in the sink filled with cold water only to pry the chicken open enough to realize that there weren't any gizzards inside, despite what the packaging said. So take it from me - check before you freeze and save yourself the headache.

I placed my semi-frozen whole chicken onto 3 golf ball sized foil balls in the base of my slow cooker, which was sprayed with cooking spray. I then sprinkled the chicken with a small pinch of salt, some garlic and onion powder, and a little bit of paprika. Close the lid, turn on high, and let it go for 7-8 hours. (A thawed chicken will cook on low in 7 hours, but a frozen chicken will need either higher temperature or longer cooking time.)

Before Cooking

Be sure your chicken is cooked thoroughly before eating. I know, duh, right? If you are putting the meat into a soup or casserole it will definitely be cooked by the time your meal is done cooking, but if you are eating it from the carcass make sure it's nice and white. But really, the only good thing about having to cook a whole chicken and pull the meat off the bones is that when you do it in a slow cooker the meat literally falls right off.

After 8 hours

Take the chicken out of the slow cooker and discard the foil balls, leaving the chicken juices in the slow cooker. Remove the skin from the chicken and return skin to the slow cooker. Pull the meat from the carcass and set aside, returning the bones to the slow cooker. Use the meat in whatever recipes you like!

Pulled Chicken Meat

Add about 5 cups of water to the slow cooker, cover, and set on low. Leave it on overnight and in the morning you will have a beautiful homemade chicken stock. I've heard that adding a splash of vinegar to the pot before cooking the stock will draw out the vitamins and minerals from the bones. You can also add carrots, onions, garlic, and celery before cooking to add more flavor to your stock.

Drippings, Vegetables, Skin, Bones

When I came down stairs this morning I could smell the stock bubbling away in my slow cooker. Matt tasted it and said it needed lots of salt - which makes sense considering I didn't add any. I figured I could add salt to whatever dishes I made and make sure I don't over-salt something. This is a good idea, especially if you are going to use some other processed ingredient that is already high in sodium. Matt also tried the chicken and I asked how it tasted - "Tastes like chicken". He's so helpful. But it must have been decent because he pulled some more out and made a buffalo blue cheese sauce to dip the chicken in.

Stock

When I strained the stock, I used a wider mesh sieve to just separate the skin, bones, veggies and whatnot from the liquid. Then I used a fine mesh sieve to get the smaller particles out. I started out trying to use a coffee filter, but it was going to take FOREVER. You could probably also use a tea towel or cheese cloth. I used glass containers for the straining process, and then ended up using glass mason jars for storage. Using glass was not intentional at first, but once I started straining, I realized just how hot the stock was - duh! But I would be concerned if I was using plastic because it could likely melt. So just use caution.

About 4 cups of Stock

I was going to remind you one last time to strain the fat from the top of your stock before using it, but I'm sure you'll notice it when you open your container to use it the first time. If you are going to freeze your stock, make sure you skim the fat beforehand.

I'm thinking of making my own cream cheese...apparently you make yogurt and then strain all the whey out and it becomes cream cheese. I'll keep thinking about it. Any thoughts?