3 lb Whole chicken sans giblits
1 sm Fennel bulb, 1/4 cup leaves
1/2 c Carrots, chopped biggish
1 ea Leek, leaves and bulb, chop
1 qt Water (to cover)
Defrost chicken if needed. Remove giblits for another dish. Remove as
much skin as you easily can from the chicken. Toss in crockpot. Wash
fennel and chop the leaves as needed. Put fennel bulb inside cavity of
chicken and place 1/4 cup 'leaves' about the chicken. Chop leeks and
carrots and place about chicken. Fill crockpot to cover chicken, with
water (or chicken broth). Cook on high for 3 hours, then cool in fridge.
Once cool, skim off all fat and remove chicken from bones. Chop fennel
bulb and put as much back in the pot as you desire. Put meat back in
crockpot and cook on low for 4 hours.
This one is an 'add to me' stew, where you can add almost any other veggie
you desire to the mix. Squash and Pumpkin make a good addition! A can of
cream based soup does well in this also for a different flavor.
Serves well with: baking soda biscuits (cut and pour the stew over them in
a deep bowl) and a slice of fresh melon (Honeydew suggested).
Nutritional Information: Lower-in-fat than store bought broths and stews
if you use the water method (estimate 25% calories from fat or less),
low-sodium in water version, sugar-free if not using cream-based soup
version.
