Crock Pot Chicken

One of the things that I LOVE about living in our small town is that we have friends that raise animals for food. My favorite is the chicken. Last year my dear husband helped our friends "process" their chickens for the freezer. Because he helped them, we were able to get some for our freezer. So tonight's dinner is especially special to me - as he really stepped out of his "comfort zone" so he could learn how the process works. I on the other hand was not able to be a part of the process - yes, I am a scaredy cat - I admit it. LOL

I found this recipe online for Crock Pot Chicken. It calls for a whole chicken, but since ours are already cut up, I am using it that way. I made quite a few changes to the original recipe to suit our tastes. To find the original recipe, go to this link at 100 Days of Real Food.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tsp Hungarian Sweet & Spicy Paprika
• 1 tbsp Kosher Salt
• 1/2 tbsp Dried Onions (or 1 tsp Onion Powder)
  
• 1 tbsp Dried Ground Cilantro
  
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Ancho Chile
  
• 1 tsp Garlic/Lemon Powder
• 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tbsp whole peppercorn black pepper
• 1 Large Onion
  
• 1 Large Chicken
  

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the dried spices in a spice grinder and grind spices until peppercorns are ground, then place spices in a small bowl.
2. Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the crock pot.
3. Remove any "extras" from the cavity of the chicken, pat the outside of the chicken dry, and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices and onion inside the cavity. If you are using a chicken that has already been cut into pieces (like I did) then pat dry the pieces and place in a large ziploc bag with the spices. Close bag and shake to ensure all of the pieces have been coated with the spice mixture.
   
4. Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the crock pot, drizzle about 1 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil on top of the chicken, cover it, and turn it on to high. There is no need to add any liquid. (For this recipe to be successful and juicy, your Crock Pot must have a lid that "seals" so it doesn't let the moisture out, If you do not have this, you can place a piece of foil between the crock pot and the lid.)
   
5. Cook for 4 – 5 hours on high (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone.

Don’t forget to check out the 100 Days of Real Food website for the original recipe and also for the recipe of how make your homemade stock with the leftover bones!

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