Experiments in Cooking: A Whole Chicken in a Crockpot

[radiantbaby]

So, I made my first whole chicken today [well, minus the disastrous attempt I made at 21 to do so before -- which still gives me nightmares] and it -- lo, and behold -- came out quite nicely, I think.

I'm not gonna lie, the idea of cooking a whole chicken scared the pants off me before tonight [I'm not a very experienced cook, especially when it comes to meats], but a friend of mine recently told me how easy it was to do one in a crock-pot, so I thought I'd give it a go. I mean, justben and I are trying to save money by eating more cheaply at home, and a whole chicken is actually quite cheap comparatively, so it all seemed like a perfect -- if not worrisome -- idea.

My friend had suggested to put it atop a bed of carrots in the crock-pot, but I couldn't find the carrots I thought I had on hand, so instead I grabbed a can of green beans and potatoes and put the chicken atop them. I didn't add much else in the way of seasonings, really, except for some garlic and a tiny bit of water, as I wanted to chicken to be pretty versatile [i.e. be used for anything from Chinese to Italian-themed meals]. Then I turned it on and let it go for 8 hours (2 on high and 6 on low).

Tonight, when it was all done, the meat was perfectly tender and well-cooked. I told my friend I was nervous about cutting a chicken up, but she said there was no need, that the meat will be so tender it will fall apart as you pick up the bird. She was definitely right. justben and I had an interesting time getting the fella out of the pot. She also said there would be no need to baste it as it cooks it its own juices and she was definitely right there as well -- there was a bunch of liquid in the crock-pot when things were done and the meat itself was quite juicy as well.

Anyway, justben and I cooked up some yellow, saffron rice [which we flavored with some olive oil and fresh rosemary] and pulled off bits of chicken to serve on top of it. It was all surprisingly good. :)

Then, after dinner, I pulled all the meat from the bones and packed it away for the next few days of meals. Then I strained the liquid in the crock-pot into a container and put it in the fridge. It looks like a proper broth/stock. We'll see how it turns out tomorrow after I scrape off the fat.

So, in the end, the whole experience leaves me with a few questions:

1) I ended up tossing the bones, but I was just now reading on the internet to keep the bones when you cook meats for future broths/stock. Should I keep the bones in the future or did the slow cooking method of the crock-pot already use up their flavor?

2) Do I eat the vegetables that the chicken was cooked with (the green bean and potato mix)? I've put them in a container with a bit of the broth and hope to try them tomorrow. Not sure if that is normal, but I thought they might make a good part of my lunch. We'll see.

Any advice is appreciated. I am quite new to this whole thing.

Hmm, methinks I need another cooking icon as well. Maybe one of Tennant on 'Ready Steady Cook'. Will have to check the internet. The internet knows/has all.

Comments

[tyme.livejournal.com]

A few quick notes:
1. If you want a mini lesson on disassembling a bird let me know and bring over a roasted chicken one day. :)
2. You can save the bones, but personally I always end up with more bones than use for them so I do toss them. I will occasionally save the bones from roasting though as mentioned above. I try to make congee from the stock after a turkey.
3. Your 'stock' from slow cookering will be gelatenous, no way around it. It comes from slow cooking the bones and cartilage. Still usable as stock for cooking and stews, but not so good for 'soup' in the traditional sense.
4. All the veggies are great for eating.
5. I prefer slowcooking over roasting because of the energy involved and also I can slow cooker on our screened porch and not introduce a ton of heat into the house.

-Tyme

[tyme.livejournal.com]

Here's a fast version of 'breaking down a chicken'. I am not 18 seconds but I can break down a roasted turkey in about a 2 minutes if it's cool enough for me to hold.

There is an old adage in Chinese cooking that the a good cook never has to sharpen their knives. Sharpening is from hacking, and if you are skilled you can cut the emptiness between bones and there is nothing there that will dull a knife. :D

http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=2_EztXjmtPY&feature=related

-Tyme

[radiantbaby.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the awesome and detailed responses, tyme!

You said that the stock is good for cooking and stews, is that because it's so thick? I went ahead and froze it, but I expect to try and use it for something down the road (I'll have to do some google-ing for some ideas).