Herb Roasted Whole Chicken & Overnight Bone Broth

Meal planning. Blegh.

It's a necessary evil but one that needs to not deprive me of all available creativity. The best trick of the trade I've come across is sticking to a recipe rotation. It's simplistic, brilliant, and has given me significantly more inner peace.

Que roasted chicken & bone broth. I needed something that provided a lot of meat, was easy to cook, and I was sick of paying $10/ container for clean, hearty bone broth. I now *aim* to cook a whole chicken every Sunday night for lunches M-W and then use the carcass to make crockpot bone broth for us to utilize throughout the week. While cooking an entire bird can feel intimidating, it really isn't too tricky with a meat thermometer & a simplified method. Plus I promise it'll taste better than a grocery store rotisserie chicken *gasp*.

Did you know that you can add bone broth to your rice and grains for extra protein? And by making the broth in your own kitchen you can control its thickness? Play around with herb combos and the thickness of your broth, and then sit back and enjoy the creative space that I promise will be left in your brain.

P.S. This is the most basic of the basics. Feel free to add veggies, chicken feet, etc. to your broth once you've gotten your desired consistency and the rhythm down.

Ingredients:

• 1, Whole raw chicken

• 1/2 cup, Kerrygold butter

• 1/8 cup, Chopped fresh sage

• 1/8 cup, Chopped fresh thyme leaves

• One sprig of fresh rosemary

• 1 tablespoon, Garlic Seasoning

• Dash of Sea Salt

• Dash of Black Pepper

• 1/2 of a Lemon

Tools:

• Roasting pan

• Meat thermometer

• Crockpot

• Mesh Strainer

• Jars with lids (recycle those glass jars!)

Instructions:

Roasted Herb Chicken:

1. Preheat oven to 425.. Remove your chicken from its packaging and remove gizzards if present (feel free to saute liver & heart for a nutritious addition or a snack for your pup). Normally I place chicken on a lined roasting pan with the chicken breasts facing up; however, if you're looking for extremely juicy chicken breasts, turn the bird upside down!

2. Heat Kerrygold butter on stovetop until softened. Add chopped herbs, garlic seasoning, salt, and pepper. Rub butter & herb mixture onto chicken. Squeeze lemon juice across top of bird.

3. Place chicken in oven for 1 hour & 15 minutes, or until internal temperature has reached 165. Halfway through, be sure to use a baster or spoon to pour the juice back on to the bird.

4. After your chicken has reached 165 degrees, if the skin isn't as crispy as you'd like you can broil it on low for 3-5 minutes.

5. After pulling the chicken out of the oven, tent it in tinfoil and allow it to rest for 10 minutes on counter before cutting. Serve warm & enjoy or pack away for future lunches!

Chicken Bone Broth:

1. Set crockpot on low. Place chicken carcass, fat, and juices from cooking in crockpot. Add additional herbs, salt, and pepper if desired. Add 4-8 cups of filtered water (less water = thicker broth).

2. Cook on low for 12-16 hours. Turn crockpot off, remove lid, and let cool for 25 minutes.

3. Remove carcass and compost. Using a bowl and mesh strainer, pour crockpot contents through strainer into bowl.

4. Once the broth has cooled, place in sterilized jars with lids. Keep in fridge for up to two weeks.