Roasting a chicken fills the house with the most delicious aroma. Today, I'm using one of our free-range chickens from this summer's harvest. Once it is roasted, I let it cool, debone it and re-roast the bones with veggies at a higher temperature. Then, I simmer those in a big pot, adding aromatics, to make the most satisfying chicken broth. It can be used in soups, stews and even on its own to warm up on a cold day; like today! This roasted chicken is not a show piece for the dinner table, so there is no browning of the skin while roasting, that happens later in the process, to prevent drying out the meat. Yes, the chicken broth is truly as dark as the photo, due to the roasting of the ingredients, it is so rich!
How it's Made
Fresh chicken, thoroughly washed
Turn chicken Breast side down in a roasting pan
After deboning, place all bones, skin and veggies on a bakign tray
Prepare all aromatics: Sage, thyme, bay leaf, salt and peppercorns
Roasted bones, skin and veggies
Everything into a stock pot to simmer for at least 2 hours
Yield: 8 cups
Ingredients:
1 4-7 lb chicken (ours was 6.5lbs)
1 medium yellow onion
1 carrot peeled and roughly chopped
1 celery stalk roughly chopped
2 large sprigs of fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
6 sage leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
3 bay leaves
1 tsp peppercorns
1 tsp salt
10 cups water
Spritz of oilive oil
Steps to Follow:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, place rack in middle of the oven
2. Thoroughly rinse the chicken inside and out
3. Place it breast side down (this keeps the white meat more moist) in a roasting pan with a deep lip, cover loosely with foil
4. Roast in the oven 15-20 minutes per pound - mine took 2 hours - you are looking for an internal temperature of at least 165 degress
5. Once roasted, remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle
6. Remove all meat and skin from the bones. Reserve the meat for your next few meals - try our Chicken, Cabbage and Kidney Bean Soup. Reserve drippings.
7. Place the bones, skin, chopped onion, celery and carrots on a foil lined baking tray - I reuse the tenting foil - spray veg with a little olive oil, return to the oven and increase the heat to 450 degrees
8. Roast until the bones and skin reach a nice brown colour and veggies are softened- about 20-25 minutes, watch carefully to avoid burning
9. Place contents of the tray, the drippings, and all other ingredients in a large stock pot or Dutch oven
10. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat (2 out of 10) at least 2 hours. Stir occasionally.
11. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before straining, through a mesh sieve, into a large bowl, dispose of the leftover bones and skin
12. Use immediately or refrigerate and skim off any fat that solidifiies on top and use as desired
Notes:
Avoid omitting the skin from the mix, despite it's higher fat content, there are beneficial nutrients and collagen in it which come out in the broth, and the fat can be skimmed off later
Try to start with a fresh or frozen unseasoned bird, as rotisserie chickens are heavily seasoned and you may not end up with the flavour profile you want
Use within 4 days if refrigerating and freeze for up to a year in an airtight container
Nutrition Facts:
Serving size: 1 cup
Servings: 8
Calories 41
Total Fat 1.7g 2% Saturated Fat 0.5g 2% Cholesterol 11mg 4% Sodium 414mg 18% Total Carbohydrate 3.2g 1% Dietary Fiber 1.1g 4%
Total Sugars 1.1g Protein 3.5g Calcium 22mg 2% Iron 1mg 4% Potassium 115mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
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