Roasted Chicken, Homemade Chicken Broth, and Chicken Vegetable Soup

Once a week my mom or I will roast a chicken and use it for on top of salads, soups, tacos, and many other ways.  Then we use the bones to make a bone broth, which makes delicious soups!

Roasted Chicken

Ingredients: chicken, olive oil, and seasonings {salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, garlic powder, thyme, rosemary, or any other seasonings}

First, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Then prepare the chicken by taking out the innards and placing it in a large baking pan. Then rub olive oil all over the top and season.  Don't be afraid to put a lot of seasonings on. It helps to give the chicken extra flavor.

Now place in the oven for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes.  For a small chicken lean more towards a little over an hour and for a large one an hour and fifteen.  Then take the chicken out and cover with tin foil for 20 minutes so it becomes juicy allowing all the juices to reabsorb and does not dry out.

Then enjoy w/ your meal of choice! My favorite is sweet potato fries :)

Homemade Chicken Broth

Makes 4-6 cups

First, completely de-bone the chicken and place all the bones, skin, and drippings into a large pan. Fill the pan half way with water, cover, and place on the stove.  Bring to a boil first and then turn down to a simmer for 4 hours or longer.  Remove from the stove and strain the bones.  Then allow to cool, cover, and place in the fridge overnight. 

Then skim off the top layer of fat and underneath should be jello-like.  This is the gelatin/bone-broth.  Use it how ever you would like!  It makes great soups. There is a recipe below!

This is soup made from the chicken broth I made w/ a side of cauliflower bun/bread.  There are many different soups you can make with different seasonings, meats, and vegetables.

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Ingredients: homemade chicken broth, onion, garlic, vegetables {mushroom, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, etc.}, and seasonings

In a large pan, saute on medium low for 5-10 minutes:

•1/2-1 onion chopped up

Then add:

• a couple of garlic cloves

• 3/4 cup mushrooms

Saute for a few more minutes.

Then you will add the homemade or store-bought chicken broth.  You can add a couple cups of water if you want, but it's not necessary.

Then add the rest of the vegetables and season with whatever you would like! This soup has salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, rosemary, and lemon juice.  I also love adding a little bit of cayenne pepper for a little bit more spice.

Simmer until vegetables are cooked through.  This usually takes a half hour.  Then add chicken or any other meat.  This is when I like to taste the soup and season more until I like how it tastes. 

Don't be afraid to get creative and try different variations  If you don't eat Paleo, then consider adding rice, quinoa, lentils, beans, etc.