​Crockpot Chicken & Veggies

• 3 – 4 pound pastured chicken, whole or parts
• 4 carrots, sliced
• 1 - 2 onions, sliced
• 2 sweet potatoes or other root vegetable, chopped (optional)
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 - 2 Tab. each fresh chopped basil & parsley, or 1 tsp. each dried (or fresh or dried herbs of your choice)
• 2 tsp. unrefined salt
• ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup water
• If using bones to make Bone Broth:  1/4 cup organic, unrefined apple cider vinegar with the "mother"

Place vegetables in crockpot.  Add chicken (cut up chicken to reduce cooking time).  Top with remaining ingredients and water.  Cover and cook on high until boiling (1 – 2 hours), then cook on low  until chicken is cooked through (total cooking time is about 4 hours).

If you are using a happy whole chicken (organic and free-range), use the carcass to make mineral-rich Bone Broth: Once chicken meat has been pulled off carcass, return carcass, including skin and fat, to crockpot (it's very beneficial to chop the bones up first to release even more of the healing marrow).  Add the apple cider vinegar & enough water to fill the crockpot.  Continue cooking on low for up to 24 hours.  (24 hours cooking time is ideal to pull as many minerals from bones, but 8 - 12 hours is acceptable.)  Make sure to check water level and add more water as necessary.  Option: add 1 - 2 tsp. dulse or kelp flakes at beginning of process then 1 bunch of parsley during last 10 - 15 minutes of cooking.  Strain and place broth in refrigerator or freeze for later use.