Roasted Chicken and Homemade Broth

In the category of simple cheap food, I think the roasted chicken reigns supreme.   You can use the meat from the roasted chicken for one nice (and healthy and inexpensive) Sunday supper (maybe with mashed potatoes and a flavorful gravy from the drippings) - or you can use the meat over a weeks worth (or more!) of meals (like soups, enchiladas/burritos, salads, sandwiches etc).  Then, of course, you can make chicken stock with the carcass.   

If you are a person who really likes soup - you realize how important good stock or broth is (as well as to add flavor to any number of dishes - like rice pilaf).  While I often use vegetable stock, I do like to use chicken stock as well - especially since I have been pregnant and have been looking for ways to get more protein into my diet (and when making things like Chicken Noodle Soup, well...its kinda required).   I personally think the best chicken stock ever comes from the carcass of a roasted chicken - it gives it a deep rich flavor that I find to be delicious.

Roasting a chicken is one of those things I think everyone should know how to do.  Its so simple-  and even fairly quick compared to a lot of other meats.   You can eat the whole chicken for a nice meal, or once the chicken is done cooking and resting, pull all the meat off the bone and freeze it in individual portions to be used in recipes later on.  After the meat is off the bone, I place everything in a stock pot with just a few veggies (preferring to give a strong pure chicken flavor) and make broth.  Then, whenever I need a single chicken breast for a recipe, or a cup of chicken broth - I have it on hand.  This one chicken cost me 6 euros - but it gave give me 5 cups meat and 9 cups broth.  That is what I would call a good deal.

Roasted Chicken
(this fantastically awesome method came from Zuni's Cafe via Smitten Kitchen)

1 whole chicken (normal sized - not bigger than like 4 lbs or 1.8kgs), rinsed and patted dry (make sure its very dry)
Salt and Pepper

Take your very dry chicken and season liberally allover with salt and pepper, including a bit in the cavity (I would add - if you are using the chicken right away as a whole meal, you could add additional seasoning as well - like honey butter or herbs - if you felt like it, but even keeping it very simple it ends up being very flavorful).  

Allow seasoned chicken to rest for at least a couple hours or up to 2 days in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 475 F / 246 C

Use a shallow roasting pan that is just barely larger than the chicken (I used a round cake pan - you could also use a skillet or something similar). Preheat the pan with the oven.

Place chicken breast-side up in the pan (it will sizzle). Place in center of oven and watch until it begins to brown (around 20 minutes). Adjust temperature if necessary (if it takes too long to brown increase or if it starts charring or smoking, decrease).

After 30 minutes or so, flip the bird over. If the pan is nice and hot, the bird is browning on top and is dry, it shouldn't stick. Roast for another 20 minutes or so, then flip back over to re-crisp the breast for about 5 to 10 minutes depending on the size of your chicken.

Remove from oven and turn off heat. Place chicken on a large plate or platter (unless I am using the chicken whole right now, I actually use the stock pot I will make my stock in). Remove any clear fat from pan drippings, leaving the rest. Slice the skin between the body and legs of bird, then tilt to drain juices into the pan. Add a tbs or 2 of water to the pan and swirl with the hot drippings (I only do this step if I am using the drippings for a gravy instead of the stock).

Break chicken into pieces after it has cooled for about 10 minutes, and allow to cool to a temperature where you can safely handle the chicken with your hands.  Remove skin from bird, then slice or pull meat off the bone (which is easy to do since its virtually falling off the bone already).  I remove both legs and wings first, and set aside.  Then I slice both breast halves off the bone - I either leave them whole or shred them depending on how I plan to use them later.  Then I work my way around the rest of the bird, carefully removing the meat with my fingers, separating out any bone, cartilage and fat as I go.  I place the meat in labeled freezer bags (ex: "1 cup pulled chicken"and the date) to store.

Homemade Chicken Stock
1 whole chicken carcass, including skin and any remnants of meat on the bone and drippings from roasting pan.
1 large onion, peeled and cut into fourths
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into large pieces
1 whole garlic clove
Couple pinches whole mustard seeds
2 bay leaves
12 cups water

Add everything to a large stock pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to low simmer and cook for one to two hours (I check on it every 30 minutes or so, tasting as it goes to see how much longer it needs).

Strain through a fine-mesh strainer (then strain again through a cheesecloth for a really clean stock).  I freeze in 1 to 3 cups increments in glass jars or tupperware containers (don't forget to label with a date!).   I just skim the fat off the top when I defrost - when its about half way defrosted (so still partially frozen and quite cold) its pretty easy to just scrape/skim any congealed fat off the top.