Chicken so easy,

It’s like one, two, three,

As I will, so mote it be.

Okay, so maybe it’s not that easy, but you are going to need a cauldron for this one. I like to use my electric, slow cooking cauldron (Crock Pot) for the easiest, most hands off, moistest chicken you’ve ever had.

Step One

Before you do anything with the chicken, you’ll want to prep a little. First, give it something nice to lay on. Onion slices, garlic, sprigs of thyme or rosemary, and something citrus make your chicken, and the resulting drippings, super flavorful.

The best part about this step is that you don’t have to do anything special to prep the ingredients. I normally take the skin off the onion but don’t bother peeling the garlic. Herbs can just be tossed in and the citrus cut into quarters. I cut the top and bottom off my oranges today just to add a little more support to the chicken’s bedding.

If you want a heaping scoop, use a heaping scoop. If you only want half a scoop, only use half a scoop. If you want to leave out or substitute an ingredient, go for it! Just toss it all in your bowl and stir it together with love. This is your chicken, and pretty much whatever you do, it’s going to turn out magical.

Bonus points if you also stir in the coordinating intentions and magical properties of the herbs.

Step Two

It’s finally time to get out your bird! I’m not going to try and convince you to rinse or not rinse your bird. You do you. I am, however, going to insist that it is completely thawed and fairly dry. You also want to be sure to pull out any hearts, kidneys, livers, and the neck that are usually stuffed inside the bird for packaging.

Don’t throw them out!

I’m not a big organ girl. I know that organ meat is supposed to be fantastic for your health, but I just can’t get around the texture and idea of actually eating it. What I can get around, is extracting all those wonderful health benefits into broth and gravy.

Oh yeah. Gravy that’s good for you.

You heard me.

So just toss those bits into the cauldron and we’ll hide them under the chicken so we don’t have to think about it.

Or do think about it. As you add them, say witchy things like…

Heart for courage,
Liver for cleansing,
And a neck because I’d like to wring my husband’s…

You get the idea.

But back to the bird.

We’re going to spread our rub all over the breast and legs of the chicken. It’s even better to put it underneath the skin. Just slide your fingers gently between the meat and the skin to create little flavor pockets. I’ve also been known to slip a little butter in there when no one is looking but that tends to work better when you’re cooking the chicken in the oven.

Then it’s time to grab those left over bedding bits. Stuff as much of those as you can into the cavity of the bird. Don’t worry if they don’t all fit. Just toss any leftovers into the cauldron as extra bedding.

After you are done stuffing your bird, lay it breast side down in the cauldron. Finish dressing the chicken with the remaining spice rub. Sprinkle any leftovers around the side of the bird onto the bedding. Trust me, it won’t go to waste.

Step Three

Put the lid on the crock and cook on low. Probably a minimum of six to eight hours. I normally let mine go overnight and then shred it around lunchtime.

I told you this thing was magical. It’ll just keep bubbling happily away on its own for as long as you need it too. Maybe I should have called it The Lazy Momma’s Chicken.

Wait. Bubbling?

Oh yes. Something magical happens when this cooks. The cauldron starts out completely dry, but by the time you’re ready to pull out the chicken, it’s full of beautiful, bubbling, flavorful liquid chicken gold.

You can use these drippings for all kinds of things! Add more vegetables, liquid, and the bones and skin of the chicken to make broth. Strain it to make gravy. Or keep it in the refrigerator to add a healthy kick to rice and potatoes during the week simply by replacing some of the cooking liquid with the chicken drippings.

But what about the chicken?

We use it throughout the week in a variety of dishes. Just one chicken stretches pretty far that way. I would add shredding it as step four, but if you cook it overnight it pretty much just falls off the bone for you.

So I guess it really was as easy as one, two, three.

Give this recipe a try, and let me know what you think. Is it really that easy or a bit of kitchen witchery?

Pro Tip: It works for turkey too.