12 hour slow cooked chook

🍽️ Ingredients (Serves 8–10, or 4 with a freezer stash)

• 1 whole chicken, about 1.5–2 kg, free-range if you can swing it
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 large carrot, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1 cob of corn, kernels sliced off
• 1 bunch kale, washed, stems removed, leaves sliced
• 2 L chicken stock (or water + stock cubes/paste)
• 4–5 garlic cloves, smashed
• Thumb-sized piece of ginger, thinly sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• Olive oil, for sautéing corn

🛠️ Equipment

• Slow cooker or large heavy-bottomed pot with lid
• Fine mesh strainer (if making clear broth later)
• Freezer containers (for the batch-saver in you)

🔥 Method

1. Prep the base: Slice onions, carrot, and ginger. Smash garlic (no need to peel unless you're feeling fancy). Rinse the chicken inside and out—remove any gizzards or neck from the cavity if present.
2. Slow cook the chook: Place chicken in the slow cooker or pot. Add onions, carrot, garlic, ginger, bay leaves, and pour in stock to mostly cover the chicken. Cook on LOW for 8–12 hours—overnight is perfect. The meat should fall off the bone and the broth will be rich and golden.
3. Divide & conquer: Once cooked, carefully lift out the chicken and set aside to cool slightly. Strain the broth if you'd like a cleaner soup, or keep it rustic (your call!). Split the batch in half—freeze one part of the broth + meat for another day. The other half becomes your dinner hero.
4. Final flourish (just before serving):

• In a pan, heat a little olive oil. Sauté the corn kernels until golden and slightly caramelized—about 5 minutes.
• Bring your soup portion back to a gentle boil.
• Add sliced kale and cook until wilted (2–3 minutes).
• Stir in the cooked corn and season generously with salt and pepper.

🧠 Tips

• Broth gold: The overnight slow simmer pulls max flavor from bones and aromatics. Chill and skim off fat if you want a leaner broth.
• No slow cooker? Simmer on lowest stove setting, covered, for 4–5 hours. Top up with water if needed.
• Meal magic: Use the frozen half for chicken noodle soup, risotto, or dumplings another night—instant dinner MVP.