Fill the crock pot with water covering all bones, skins, and veggies (leaving approximately 1/2-1 inch from the top of the crockpot). Put the crockpot on low (cooking 8-10 hours) overnight. In the morning  using a soup ladle or slotted spoon scoop out and discard all the bones, cooked veggies, etc. Once only the broth remains I like to place it in the fridge for a day so that the fat solidifies on top. Skim the fat, discard, and sieve to catch any remaining herbs and skin.

Using a liquid measuring cup, and a freezer zip lock bag- freeze in 2-3 C. portions for future use. I like to freeze the bags flat to make the best use of our freezer space. Ice Cube trays are perfect for freezing small cubes of stock for those “just need a bit” moments.

Homestead Crockpot Whole Chicken Recipe

Ingredients;

2 T Minced Garlic

1 Tsp. Salt

1 Tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper

1/2 Tsp. Rosemary

1 Onion

1 Lemon

1/4 C. of Water

1 Large Chicken

Instructions;

• Combine all of the dried spices in a bowl.
• Add water and roughly chopped onion in the bottom of the crockpot.
• Prepare chicken; remove the giblets. Place chicken in crockpot (on top of the onions) and squeeze lemon juice on top. Throw the lemon in the bottom of the crockpot once finished.
• Gently rub chicken with minced garlic and the dried spices until evenly coated. Using a kitchen glove you can loosen the skin of the chicken for easy seasoning of the meat.
• Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours (based on a 3-4 lb chicken) cook until internal temperature is 160+, juices run clear- or if your like me when the meat is falling off the bone.
• Let rest 5-10 minutes and serve. Leave bones, skin, onion, and lemon in the crock pot for a yummy overnight chicken stock (see above)

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