This is not really a main dish, but a painless way to obtain cooked chicken for salads, casseroles, etc. An added bonus is the several cups of double strength chicken broth. Juicy, tender, flavorful chicken and a very rich broth for very little of your time. I like to use those big oven roasters here, but make sure it will fit in your crockpot.
1 Onion, sliced
1 Carrot, sliced
1 Celery rib, sliced
1 large Chicken, 5 lbs or more
1/2 c Chicken broth or water
Place sliced vegetables in the bottom of the crockpot. Sit cleaned chicken on top, neck up. If you wish you may season with herbs, pepper, etc, but this is not necessary. Pour broth over, cover and cook on low 8 or 9 hours.
Remove chicken from pot and let cool until easy to handle. Meanwhile, strain stock and defat. This stock is double strength, so mix with equal parts water for use. Remove chicken from bones and cut into pieces sized appropriately for your recipe.
Yield: about 4 - 6 cups of chicken and 3+ cups double strength chicken stock.