Crockpot Chicken & Chicken Pastina

Oh, it is that lovely time of year again...Michaelmas is today, Fall is officially here! So crack out the slow-cooker and try this one:

Ingredients:

* 1 whole fresh chicken, skin on and bones in, with organs (or baggie thereof) removed from body cavity

* 1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix, split in thirds

* Pepper, Poultry Seasoning to taste

* 1 can cream of mushroom soup

Directions: (NB: start right after breakfast!)

1. Pour 1/3 of soup mix on bottom of pot, sprinkle 1/3 into body cavity of chicken, then place chicken in pot.

2. Using a sharp knife, carefully slit and gently separate skin on top (breast side) of chicken and pat final third of soup mix under skin, pressing skin back down when finished.

3. Set crock pot on low setting, cover and cook all day (at least 8 hours), without removing lid. About 2-3 hours before cooking time is done, stir in cream of mushroom soup and replace cover.

4. When ready to serve, carefully remove chicken from pot (it will be drippy, so hold it over the pot for a minute or so) and serve on a platter - reserve the juices and drippings! (See below...)

This chicken is so good and juicy! It should disjoint and be falling apart when done.

Some practical tips and options:

• Slow cookers differ! If yours tends to cook quickly, reduce time by an hour or so and pour a bit of white wine or water into the bottom of the pot to prevent any sticking or drying out - this has never been a problem for me, but keep an eye on things if you can when you try this one for the first time.


• Got a few extra eaters? Depending on the size of your pot AND of your crowd, you can easily throw in some extra legs and thighs around the edges of the whole chicken. Add more soup mix and liquid if needed.


• For some extra flavor, put a few stalks of celery (greens included) in the body cavity of the chicken.


• Goes GREAT with Pane Toscana (or any nice, crusty bread and butter)


• Leftovers? DON'T chuck the contents of your pot! You can make a gravy from the juice or do our favorite recycling project....


• This recipe makes a GREAT stock for soup, as follows:

Chicken Pastina

Ingredients:

* All the juices and bits of chicken leftover from your delicious crockpot chicken (see above)

* 1-2 cans - or a carton - of chicken broth, or equivalent in bouillon cubes if need be***

* salt and pepper to taste

* 1/2 box of Pastina (tiny star-shaped pasta - I use Barilla)

* chopped fresh veggies - carrots, peas, green pepper, sweet corn - lightly pre-steamed, OR (much easier!) a 1/2 bag of your favorite frozen mixed veggies

Directions:

1. Carefully pour reserved juices from crockpot into a cover-able pan, amply-sized storage container, or even a large, gallon-size ziploc baggie, straining out any bones but reserving any other bits of meat and skin that might still be lurking in the juice!

2. Strip all remaining meat (skin too) from chicken carcass, shredding with fingers into bite-size pieces.

3. Place meat and skin into juice from pot, cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. About 30 minutes prior to your planned lunch or dinner time, take chicken/juice out of the fridge and skim off as much fat (white-ish stuff, Kasia!) as you can to prevent your soup from being "greasy"

5. In large saucepan or stock pot (depending on the amount of leftovers), slowly warm mixture, gradually pouring in your broth or bouillon and seasoning to taste. If it's too salty, add in water, 1/2 c. at a time, testing before and after each addition - don't over-dilute! You can pick out excess skin now as you see fit (Wiley and our other furry friends love this part!) but we leave a little bit in because we like it that way.

6. Bring mixture to a gentle boil, add pastina and bring back to a slow boil for 5 minutes.

7. Add veggies, cover, turn heat to lowest setting and simmer for 10-15 minutes, serve in bowls and enjoy this yummy, filling soup as a hearty lunch or a full-on dinner with a nice salad and/or Pane Toscana on the side!

***Note that the pastina will thicken substantially after the veggie-simmering process - this will make your soup more substance than liquid, so if you like a lot of broth, add extra. We like the thicker consistency - it is a very filling mixture either way.

As always - enjoy!