Slow Cooker Stock

To get the most out of my pasture raised chicken, which are quite pricey, I thought I would make my own chicken stock.  At almost $3 a quart for store bought stock it would definitely offset the cost of a more expensive chicken.

I placed the whole chicken in a pot, added celery, carrots, onion and salt and pepper, and then covered with water.  I brought it to a boil and then turned it down to a very slow simmer.  I skimmed off any foamy stuff that surfaced too.  I simmered it for 2 hours before taking the chicken out to strip the meat off.  It was practically falling apart.  

I cleaned all the meat off the bones and set aside to cool.  I'll freeze it and use in recipes as needed.  

I placed all the other chicken parts - skin, bones, whatever else - into the slow cooker  along with the water and veggies from the pot.  I added a bay leaf, fresh carrot and celery stalk and a little more salt and pepper to freshen it up a bit.  I turned the slow cooker on low and let it simmer for the afternoon and overnight.

I let it cool a little and filled my jars almost full.  I put them in the freezer without the lids until frozen, and then put the lids on for long term storage.

Now, anytime a recipe calls for chicken broth or stock I'll just take some out of the freezer.