Roasted chicken soup

One of my friends recently moved and while cleaning out her basement she found a Litton Simmer Pot and she gave it to me! A couple months earlier I had  put out a plea for stone bakeware to all my friends & family (and Facebook haha) and she remembered me! She also handed over a square baking dish and an original round cake - all pampered chef - hardly used and one original! So, I'm feeling like I've hit the jackpot except that I'm not really sure what to do with this pot. I grab my phone and google "litton simmer pot" and discovered that this lidded pot was the key to roasting chickens! My freezer happened to have 5 whole chickens - organic and local - just begging to be roasted. It's super important to follow the instructions so your pot doesn't crack so be sure to soak it and only place it in a cold oven (never preheat)! My favorite way to season the chicken is with onion, garlic, salt & pepper. I like to rough-chop the onion and garlic and stuff the chicken with them, adding a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme. I will sometimes add cubed potatoes around the chicken (they're super tender and tasty) but this time I mashed my potatoes and roasted a few Brussels sprouts and carrots. The chicken cooks for about an hour which gives me time to prep these veggie sides- chop the potatoes, add to a pot of water and boil until tender. While that's cooking, cut the ends of your Brussels sprouts and then I like to slice them again in half. Mince about 6 cloves of garlic and place in oil (I use primarily olive and coconut) to allow the flavors to mingle. I like to place the sliced sprouts in a bowl and pour the garlic oil over the top, use my hand to stir and saturate, pour onto a stone bake dish and spread so that they are not overlapping, then sprinkle with Celtic sea salt and crushed pepper. Bake in a 425 degree oven until just browned and tender. I sometimes add baby carrots to this dish which is also super yum! Potatoes should be ready to drain and mash - I like to add whipping cream, Greek yogurt, sour cream, butter (whatever you have) and a bit of crushed pepper and salt. I prefer some lumps, so I hand mash instead of whipping. Voila! Dinner is made!

Now, a way to make this stretch into other meals........

As soon as we were finished with dinner I placed the chicken bones and the rest of the chicken into the crockpot, covered it with water and a sprinkle of Celtic sea salt, then turned it on low over night. For dinner prep I remove the large pieces of chicken and bones from the crockpot, pour the liquid thorough a strainer to grab all the little bones and pour the clean liquid back in the crockpot (adding if needed to make a bigger pot of soup). I like to let the chicken pieces cool while I chop the veggies and season the water - using any combination of the following: carrot, celery, sweet potato, white potato, squash, zucchini, peppers, chard (chard stalks are great sliced like celery) brown rice, barley, quinoa, pasta, lentils, black beans, kidney beans, onion, garlic, tomato (crushed, paste, sauce etc), Celtic sea salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, bay leaves, thyme, red pepper flakes, etc. I just like a good combination of veggies, spices, herbs, grains, beans/legumes, and time. I'll let the crock pot simmer and develop flavors while I separate the chicken from the bones and grissle and fat - discard these items and place chicken in the crock as well. Check the flavors about every hour and adjust with more seasoning, salt & garlic. This soup will last a few days in the fridge and is great for lunches with a hot grilled sandwich, or alone!