Roasted Organic Chicken ~ Homemade Broth

Roasted Organic Chicken ~ Homemade Broth

So you’ve purchased a nice big, grass fed, organically raised chicken. Now what?

You can do so many things with a whole chicken. There’s roasting, smoking, steaming (beer can chicken), frying, etc..

For my purchase, this time I decided to roast. I like the skin on the chicken to be nice and crisp and the meat to be full of juicy flavor. To achieve that level of scrumptious deliciousness, I put a mixture of herbs and butter under the skin on the breast and coat the outside with a little bit of olive oil.

For the herbs here, we’ve got some fresh thyme, rosemary and a little bit of oregano. Take the leaves off of the herbs and chop finely. Save the stems for the inside of the chicken. The butter should be soft enough to mix the herbs in but not so soft that it falls out when you put it up under the skin.

Just loosen the skin with your fingers and stuff the butter mixture onto the breast. Once you’ve got the butter/herb mixture in, smooth it out evenly by pushing it with your hands over the skin. Brush a little olive oil over the skin so that it doesn’t burn when you cook it.

For the inside of the chicken, sprinkle a little salt in the cavity. Stuff a whole lemon (cut in half) and the stems from the herb in.

Turn the chicken over so that the breast side is up. Tuck the wings under and tie the legs together with butchers twine.

Roast in a 400 degree F. oven for about 2 hours. (depending on the weight of your chicken) My chicken was about 6 lbs. The internal temp should be 165 degrees F. when tested with a thermometer. (Make sure you’re not touching bone with the tip of the thermometer)

After you’ve taken all the meat you’re going to serve and eat off of the chicken, you’re left with the bones and bits of meat.

I put all the scraps and bones in a zip top bag and either refrigerate it for making stock the next day or freeze it for a later date.

For the broth. I love using a mirepoix. That’s a fancy French word for the veggie seasoning mixture of onion, carrots and celery. It just flavors the broth or stock wonderfully. I add a garlic clove or two to the mix (not chopped, just smashed a little).

Side Note: Did you know that the more you crush the cell walls of a garlic clove, the stronger the flavor will be?

Now, you can roast the veggies for a deeper flavor. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. Depends on my mood. Here, I just sauteed them in a little olive oil before adding the chicken bones and water.

After you’ve cooked the veggies a bit, add the bones and cover with water. I had a little over two quarts of water in the pot.

Bring the mixture to a slight simmer and turn the heat down to low. Simmer with just a bubble or two popping up here and there for about three hours.

With a slotted spoon, get all the solid parts out of the broth and strain through a fine wire mesh sieve.

Honestly, I never worry about skimming off the fat or the “scum” while the mixture is simmering. When you cool it, the fat comes to the top and you can just pick it off. I save that fat for cooking with. Waste nothing! It’s great for seasoning veggies with.

If you want a very clean, clear broth, strain the liquid through a cheese cloth.

I put my broths and stocks in the refrigerator over night and then get the fat off the next day but it’s perfectly fine to skim the fat off if you’re ready to proceed with canning.

You can store your stock in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days or freeze it for up to three months. If you are planning on canning your stock for longer storage, you’ll need to process in a pressure cooker. Stocks and broths are low acid foods and require more than just a hot water bath. Check out Stocks and Broths ~ Canning Low Acid Foods for canning info.

That about does it for today folks. I do hope this helps you get the most out of your big beautiful, organic bird. If you’ve got any questions or requests, leave us a comment down below. We’d love to hear from you!

Have a fantastic day and as always, keep it delicious!

Till next time ~ much love, Connie