How To Boil a Chicken

Sometimes I forget that not everyone grew up on a farm, having to use everything down to the nibs.  Or that they did not have a mother or mother-in-law who were wonderful, ingenious cooks, and knew how to improvise.  So I was surprised when asked the purpose of  and to share how to boil a whole chicken.
First, the reason that I boil a whole chicken is simply convenience. It makes it easier to prepare meal later.  I try to keep cooked meat in the freezer for when the mood and need strikes me. This also cuts down on having to run to the grocery store to purchase canned chicken or a rotisserie chicken. 
Looking at my recipes, you probably do not realize that I ATTEMPT to avoid heavily processed food.  I do use heavily processed on occasion, but this is limited.  It is not that I am against big boxes of yummy, sugary, carb laden food, I am not.  Those of you who know me, know this to be true.  But the bottom line is that purchasing that stuff is expensive and can not be healthy for you, if consumed over long periods of time.  I truly believe that this is the reason for the national obesity levels and general bad health. There are other reasons for this epidemic, but this is not a political blog and I will not go down that path.  So before y'all start emailing me, agreeing or disagreeing, just know that I will not respond.

This can cooked in a slow cooker, as well.  Cook 4 to 6 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.

The second part is the recipe, so here it is.

1 4-5 pound Chicken
the ribs from 1/2 a stalk of Celery, washed and cleaned
1 large Onion, peeled but only cut in half
1 large Carrot, peeled but not cut up
Salt, Pepper, 3 Chicken Bouillon Cubes, Garlic Powder, Lawry's Poultry Seasoning

In a large stock pot, place the ribs of half of a celery stalk, 1 large onion peeled, and the peeled carrot. 
Wash the chicken and place it on top of the vegetables.  Remember to sanitize the entire area of sink and cabinets! Fill the pot halfway with water.  Add 3 chicken bouillon cubes, 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, garlic powder and Lawry's poultry seasonings.  Cover and bring to boil over medium heat.  Once boiling, reduce heat to low and let simmer about 3 to 4 hours.  Check on the pot, occasionally.  You will see that the volume of liquid increases.  If the liquid volume decreases, add more water and lower heat, a bit.  When the chicken is thoroughly cooked it will look like this-

The leg will separate easily from the body of the chicken and the bones will loose the pink color.  The liquid will have just about doubled in volume.  Remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes.  Then refrigerate for 8 hours.  This allows the fat to come to the surface and then it can be removed.  If we were in France, we would save the fat for cooking.  But I live in Texas and it is not going to happen in this kitchen.  If anyone has any ideas what to do with the chicken fat, let me know.  What you end up with is this-

Skim the fat from the top and discard. Remove the chicken from the pot of stock.  If the chicken falls apart, do not worry.  That indicates that the chicken is completely cooked.  Pour the stock into a freezer container, be sure to mark the date and contents.  Remove and discard the skin and the bones from the cooked chicken. Now you have cooked chicken for use now or later.  If you freeze all or part of it, notate the date and contents.  This will last about 2 months in the freezer.

Enjoy!

Deloris

Oops!  The link to this recipe says " how to bake a chicken" but it is this recipe. Sorry :(
Printable Recipe: https://sites.google.com/site/basilandrosemarys/how-to-bake-a-chicken