Most people think of chicken as being a healthy dish. And they would be wrong. Mostly. Chicken is fine, but because chickens are usually fed diets which include soy and corn and do not have digestive systems which convert bad fats into healthier types the way that cattle and sheep can do this means that chicken fat is similar to whatever fat they eat, which is usually soy and corn, and soy and corn fats are highly unstable and can convert into harmful lipid peroxides and malondialdehyde once they enter your own body. Most people also only eat the chicken meat, or fried also in these harmful fats if you’ve gone to get fast food, and it’s no wonder that diabetes and obesity are so rampant.

It is both responsible, thankful, and healthier to use the whole chicken instead of just the meat. The skin and cartilage of animals contain the healthiest amino acids such as glycine and proline which help fight metabolic diseases and promote tissue regeneration, hair restoration, and more youthful health and appearance, which you don’t get when eating the meat. Our ancestors used all the parts of the animals they consumed, which not only paid respect to the life you have taken and showed appreciation for the food we were given, but also came with increased health sustaining properties you are missing out on with your drive-through chicken sandwich or lean breast and steamed broccoli, both meals which will actively accelerate the aging process and contribute to metabolic problems in the long run.

In order to use the whole chicken carcass you must of course first buy one. This is also a better deal as you get much more food for your money. It can be difficult on a low budget to feed a whole family, but is especially hard if you are buying pre-cut chicken parts, costing you way more money than if you bought the whole animal and took a few moments to learn how to cut it up yourself (watch a handy YouTube video). You can include the skin if you roast a chicken whole, and there is a lot of nutrients from eating the skin along with the meat, but the most efficient use of a chicken carcass is to make your own stock for chicken soup, which results in the thickest, most delicious stock you have ever had in your life, the kind that actually helps cure a cold. Seriously—you have not really had chicken soup until you have had it right, and this is the kind of food you can feel helping you get better, especially when it gets cold or you get a cold and need that extra nutrition in your diet. Chicken soup made this way is actually healthy, and you can eat it to your heart’s content. In preparation of making chicken soup, you will need to have an extra chicken carcass available, so buy a chicken and roast it with salt and coconut oil. The coconut oil and heat of roasting will help to neutralize a lot of the bad fats in the chicken. Serve for dinner and save all the extra parts and juices, especially if it comes with the giblets. You can freeze these pieces until it comes time to boil the stock if you aren’t making it right away. Alternatively, you can roast the chicken with coconut oil and salt the same day you are making soup, but this requires a few extra hours in preparation, so plan accordingly. If you don’t, roast the new chicken for its meat while the stock boils, and freeze the new carcass and juices for the next stock you make. Extra chicken stock can always be frozen and saved for later. Getting into a routine of making your own chicken stock from whole chickens instead of money and nutrient wasting pieces will save your bank account and your good looks.

ROASTING WHOLE CHICKEN

Well ahead of dinnertime, sprinkle about 1 tbsp of good sea salt over the chicken, then place breast-down in a roasting pan. Most people roast their chicken breast-up the way it appears in cookbooks and on TV, but this makes the breasts turn out stiff and dry since they contain very little fat. Upending the chicken causes the breasts to soak in fats during the entire roasting process, thus making them juicy. That is also the secret to a good roast chicken, or any poultry for that matter—juiciness comes from fats, NOT WATER!!!!, so brining or soaking poultry in water, including turkey, only makes it steam during cooking which turns the proteins to rubber. The addition of the salt to the roasting process draws water away from the carcass, thus increasing the influence of fat in the cooking process.

After salting, cover the chicken with a generous layer of coconut oil (about 1/4 cup), then place in the oven uncovered and roast for 100 minutes at 350˚ F (177˚ C). Do not preheat the oven when roasting poultry. Bringing the whole bird up to temperature slowly will avoid shocking the meat which can happen with sudden introduction to high heat. If you want your roast chicken to appear fancy at dinner time (no need if it’s going directly into soup), you can truss your bird as explained in this great YouTube video https://youtu.be/G2leEwcDhXo . I don’t typically do this, however, unless I have a hot date.

YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN SOUP

1-2 chicken carcasses—bones, skin, cartilage, giblets, juices from roasting, etc.
1 gallon fresh water
4 carrots, unpeeled, chopped large
2 celery stalks, chopped very large
2 onions, with peel, quartered
Any other unused vegetables you have lying around and want to get rid of
1 tablespoon good sea salt
2 cups rice or three large yellow potatoes, peeled, cubed small
Cooked chicken meat, shredded
1 bunch parsley (optional)

After roasting a whole chicken the juices and coconut oil should be reserved along with the carcass and skin (the juices from the roasting process are the most flavorful part). Remove the meat from the bird using two forks or a fork and a knife and set aside, covered. When beginning the stock, add the carcass, skin, juices, and vegetables to a large soup pot (not the rice/potatoes or meat). Typically you can use the same roasting pot to get all the little bits that stuck to the bottom, or just make sure you get them. Bring to a boil then reduce to a robust simmer and cover for 90 minutes, stirring every 30 minutes to break up the chicken and vegetables. When finished, drain stock through a colander into a very large bowl. DO NOT zone out and pour the stock down the drain. Discard carcass and vegetables. Return stock to soup pot and add rice or cubed potatoes. If you wish you can add more fresh carrots to the soup as well, but it’s not required. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until soft (rice will be about 30 minutes, potatoes 20). Shred chicken meat and add to still-boiling soup, remove immediately from heat, allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. You can garnish with chopped parsley if you like. You can skip the roasting part and just dunk the whole chicken into this boiling water for the 90 minute period. That delivers a more light--colored, subtle flavor than the earthy roasted chicken. Either are acceptable and the latter takes less time if you’re in a hurry. For more nutrition you can take the skin, dice it into a paste, and add back to the final soup.