Chicken Carcass Soup

Last night, I had a delightful rotisserie chicken! (Yay!) But, it was overcooked. (Boo!) It still tasted pretty good (yay!), but quite a bit of it was inedible due to the scorched parts (boo!). I decided to make some bean stew later this week (a la "Recipe for a Snowy Day")... Which is not only a great way to use up those blackened bones and dried-up meat and shrivelly chicken skin, but also a fab way to get the nasties out of the fridge as well!!

I started by picking all of the usable meat off the bones -- I'll eat that for dinner tonight -- and threw all the rest of the carcass into my trusty crockpot. Some of you might be aghast that I didn't toss that tasty browned skin -- but I never do! I always let the skin simmer with my broth, and after everything is strained and cooled, I just skim the fat from the top. It couldn't be easier, and the broth turns out virtually fat-free this way.  And even the littlest bit of extra flavor helps.

I also added the woody stalk pieces to some asparagus that's been staring me in the face a little too hard... (Because, again, it's all getting strained... Why not add what you can't eat?)

... As well as the green leafy ass-end of my beautiful cauliflower.  (Not pictured: the bug I found clinging onto a floret for dear life!)

Then, I grabbed the ass-end of my celery and chopped it up too.  By the way... You know those green and yellow leaves that you toss whenever you chop celery? Shame on you! ;)  I always use mine in broths, soups, and stews for extra flavor. You should try it!

Last (but certainly not least), I gutted the nasty parts out of a sweet potato before coarsely chopping it and adding it to the mix.

Once the veggies were put into the crockpot with my carcass, I added some liquid.  Add whatever makes you happy -- chicken or veggie broth that you already have, water, booze, anything.  I had frozen a couple of cups of "onion broth" which came from my day-long onion simmering session a few weeks back... It will make a tasty addition for sure!  Tonight, I will soak my dry Lima beans and tomorrow we'll have a yummy, healthy, homemade dinner.

That's all for now. Happy broth-making! :)