Crows in the Kitchen

It’s astonishing how inexpensive whole chickens are at the store compared to just buying the breast.  When I saw the opportunity to spend a dollar more for the whole bird (a small one only about 3 1/2 pounds) of course I went for it.

Roasting the chicken was a great way to use up a lot of root veggies (parsnips, carrots, onions, fingerling potatoes) and was a great way to warm and smell up the apartment on a cold Sunday.  I took a tip from Miz Emily and used celery stalks as a roasting rack- this is a great idea!

This was all really simple, just rubbed some olive oil, salt and pepper all over the bird and shoved some lemon wedges, rosemary and thyme into the cavity.  The vegetables were tossed with the same seasonings and some olive oil and scattered around and underneath the bird as well as some broth to keep everything moist.  Next time I am going to chop the carrots and parsnips a little smaller, they were still a bit fibrous after an hour and 15 minutes roasting at 375!  I also put a few unpeeled, crushed garlic cloves into the mix which I mashed up and whisked into the gravy for extra flavor.

Once we ate our filling of the bird I picked off the rest of the meat and saved the carcass for a stock.  I also saved all the vegetable tops/ends that I didn’t end up roasting so I wouldn’t have to sacrifice as many fresh ingredients for the stock.  I often do this throughout the week as well, saving mushroom stems and onion ends and by Sunday I have enough misfit veggie pieces for a hearty stock!  I add salt, pepper, fresh herbs on hand, bay leaves, then cover the contents with water and let simmer away until it reaches your desired flavor.

Day 1: Roast Chicken
Day 2: Make stock
Day 3: Make soup with stock and side dish with left over chicken

Here was my day three menu that I drew up:
Black Bean Soup topped w/ Creme Fraiche and Scallions  Served with Shredded Chicken Potato Hash

Black Bean Soup

1 onion, 1 celery stock, 1 carrot, 1 green bell pepper, 1 colored bell pepper-diced; 3 garlic cloves- minced; 1 can black beans; 1 can fire roasted tomatoes (preferably with green chilies); 1/4 C pale ale; 5 cups chicken stock; 1/4 C jasmine rice; salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne to season throughout

Saute veggies in olive oil until onions are translucent.  Deglaze any brown bits with 1/4 C pale ale (or any beer you have on hand).  Stir in black beans, tomatoes and stock and simmer for 45 minutes.  Depending on your consistency preference you can puree the entire batch or just a portion of it.  Once soup is pureed return to low heat and add rice and let simmer an additional 15 minutes.  Top w/ a dollop of creme fraiche and some chopped scallions and serve with a side of Chicken Potato Hash!

Shredded Chicken Potato Hash

I used a mixture of sweet and golden skinned potatoes cut in half lengthwise and then sliced fairly thin.  Boil until fork tender and then saute with onion, garlic, bell peppers, salt pepper and red pepper flakes.  Once the vegetables get tender stir in the shredded chicken.  I like to get a good crisp on the hash so I suggest sauteing over a high heat (cast iron would work great for this!)

There you have it- it took 3 days do use the WHOLE bird, well 4 including the soup and hash leftovers I ate for lunch the following day!