There are few things in life that I really love (plenty of people, but very few things.) My bed. The baby swing. My water bath canner. Over-sized burp rags. And my crockpot.
My crockpot works for me, producing in just a few short hours things that I could make on the stove or in the oven but just don't have time to watch from start to finish. And the look on my Honey's face when he walks in the door and smells a crockpot supper - priceless.
This recipe is one of our favorites. It is very quick to prepare, can be easily altered to suit your tastes, and makes the house smell uh-mazing!!
You need:
1 whole chicken - 4-6 lbs (you can also do this recipe with 2 - 2-4 lb birds)
1/2 a lemon plus extra lemon juice to taste
2-4 garlic pieces, peeledSalt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Any other spices you enjoy
Remove giblets from chicken cavity and rinse bird thoroughly in cool water. Place lemon half in cavity. The original recipe tells me to place garlic pieces in cavity too. The last time I made this, I minced the garlic pieces and put them everywhere - in, under, and on top of the cavity. The chicken came out with a stronger garlic kick to it. I like it better that way. But I won't judge you for doing it differently.
Now for the fun part. Either apply spices to the chicken individually or mix spices together to make a dry rub, which I like to put under the skin. I also season the cavity quite well. Pour some lemon juice over the chicken for a little extra zest.
Yum!!!
Then comes the hardest part of this process. Give the wittle birdy one final loving pat. Put the lid on the pot. Take it off again and sniff thoroughly to make sure you've added enough garlic. Repeat if necessary. When your snorter is satisfied, turn it on high and let it sit for 4 hours. Don't forget to open the lid every so often and fan some of the smell out into the kitchen. Trust me - it will give the place a Paula Deen kinda sheen.
(You could also cook this on low for 8 hours. But I never have my act together 8 hours before I plan to serve dinner so I can't tell you how wonderful it is to smell this beauty for that long. Maybe one day.....)
I like to make gravy out of the giblets and pour it over my mashed potatoes. Ok, I confess. My husband likes to make the gravy and drown his mashed potatoes in it. I do not like gravy - I never have - so I have this weird "hindrance in my spirit" problem where my aversion affects my gravy-making abilities. I gave up a long time ago. When it comes to animal fat, He's the Man.
I confess again. I can't make mashed potatoes either. I peel them, boil them, mash them, milk/butter/salt them, and blend them in my stand mixer. They are always runny or lumpy or bland - or all of the above. No spirit issues here...I love me a good plate of mashed taters. I'm just an infantile weakling. An immature dolt. You get the idea.
Any suggestions for making gravy and mashed taters?
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