Save time and money – slow cook!

The moral of this slow cooking lark is that it allows you to make the most of the time you've got. If you're in your kitchen anyway why not spend an extra five minutes and fill your slow cooker and stock your freezer. It may not seem like much at the time but you might change your mind in the middle of the working week when you're worn to a frazzle and can't string a sentence together, let alone split an atom and create a meal!

Stuff you might find useful - Slow cooking – hints and tips

You can slow cook all sorts apart from meat and poultry – soups, veggies, desserts, the world is your slow cooker!

I've used slow cookers for years and still apply the same principles as I've always done (which does not include the whole chicken recipe – rules are meant to be broken!). I seal my meat/poultry before it goes into the slow cooker and although these days you can buy slow cookers that are suitable for hob to hotplate I use a frying pan to seal – I know it creates washing up but the method in my madness is that I can set aside the protein and then use the juices in the pan, adding stock and whatever else I feel like, then bringing it to the boil, de-glazing and getting the best flavour possible, ready to place everything in the slow cooker. I can see what I'm doing too!

Don't overfill the cooker with liquid – as a guide half to two thirds maximum.

Thickening. I'm not a lover of coating meat in flour and then sealing it. As far as I'm concerned you're slow cooking the coating and not the meat. I prefer to thicken with a teaspoon or two of slaked cornflour at the end of the cooking time.

If you're thinking of investing in a slow cooker you might be tempted to buy a small version. It's my experience that you'll regret it – if you are cooking for yourself but feed family and friends too it's the perfect vehicle for saving you time, effort and of course dosh.

I find that stainless steel and a separate hotplate is most practical for me. I can decant from the slow cooker to freeze but leave enough for a meal and then transfer the cooker to my hob to re-heat later.

If you're new to this slow cooking malarkey invest in a slow cooking recipe book - there are some excellent ones out there – Lakeland publish at least two.

Check out bargains and deals – you'll usually find a chicken. Rocket science it ain't but if you want to make the most of your good deal with a chicken then let the slow cooker take the strain and do the cooking for you - that's two massive ticks!

I make no apology for repeating this recipe. It should read “Slow Cook a Whole Chicken or how to make the most out of your slow cooker – how did I manage without one”.

Slow Cook a Whole Chicken

1 chicken – between 1.5kg – 1.75kg

1 chicken stock pot

2 tsps of garlic paste or 1 garlic stock pot

generous sprinkle of oregano or garlic

Italian seasoning

OR

Alternatively use two whole star anise in the cavity

and omit the herbs

Place your chicken in the slow cooker and mix the stock pot with the garlic paste and spread over the chicken. Sprinkle with the herbs OR add the whole star anise to the cavity and omit the herbs. Switch your slow cooker to the low setting and leave it for 8 hours.

Strain the stock and freeze the resultant liquid gold, strip the chicken, keeping aside what you need and then bag and freeze the remainder.

Here are the photos :

The whole chicken, lifted from slow cooker onto the foil lined tray, ready for action or to be cooled, covered and fridged.

The stock, strained into a jug, ready to be cooled, covered and fridged.

The stock the following day, decanted into a “pour and store” bag ready to freeze. The stock forms a golden jelly with some natural fat from the bird – you've not added any fat at all – nice colour don't you think?

Here's the chicken stripped and portioned into four.

Top right and bottom left are the breasts. I would freeze each breast individually – you may only need one in the future but should you need both it's not an issue. Top left is a leg as is, again to be frozen. There's no doubt that if you leave meat on the bone it is less likely to dry out. Finally bottom right we have a mixture of leg and thigh meat. What you'll also find when you strip the chicken the next day is that you'll have blobs of the jellied stock – don't waste it, freeze it in ice cube trays, the flavour will be great, whatever you decide to cook.

What to do with? Rocket science it ain't!

Who doesn't love a pie – how about chicken and mushroom? You get to use your chicken stock – it's now called liquid gold in my kitchen. It's intense and rich and what better way to show it off than by making the sauce for your chicken and mushroom filling. I apologise, I should have said that you get between 250/300ml of stock depending on the size of your chicken.

Chicken & Mushroom Pie

2 x slow cooked chicken breasts and/or

a mixture of leg and thigh meat -

400g in total, diced and placed in

a large bowl

250g chestnut mushrooms

Sauce Supreme – using your

chicken stock

Sliced cooked baked potatoes – 3 medium size

skin on or skin off, whichever you prefer

salt and black pepper and a dot or two of

butter

Preheat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Ensure that your chicken and stock have been taken from your best friend (the freezer) and fridged overnight.

There are only two elements to cook – the mushrooms and the sauce.

Heat a medium sized frying pan, slice the mushrooms and sauté with 50g of unsalted butter adding salt and black pepper. Turn the mushrooms – they'll produce water and the idea is that you use a high heat to reduce the liquid. Add a glug of dry sherry or red wine and reduce again. The sherry or wine enhances the flavour of the mushrooms. Whilst I'm at it don't be afraid to use mushrooms that might be past their “best before” date. They have more flavour.

Your sauce recipe :

15g unsalted butter

15g plain flour

½ tsp Dijon mustard

200ml double cream

salt and black pepper

Melt the butter, take the pan off the heat, add the flour and whisk. Return to the heat and cook out the flour for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously making a roux sauce – do not walk away.

Tip your cold stock straight into the roux and whisk until smooth, then cook on a low heat for 20 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.

Add the mustard and the cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

You can freeze the sauce if it's more convenient – it's every bit as good from the freezer.

You have choices for your pie lid. I'm using the potatoes I've already baked and have stashed in my fridge.

You could use the ever popular puff pastry sheet, again taken from your freezer stash.

Add the mushrooms to the chicken and then fold through the sauce. Pour the filling into a casserole measuring 23x23 cms approximately or, in my case, a foil tray - layer the sliced potatoes over the top, add a little salt and pepper and a dot or two of butter . Place in the oven for 25 minutes and serve.

That's the first idea …