Crockpot Curried Chicken & Lentil Soup!

I’m experimenting!

And it’s a bit slow going.  And I might screw up with additives from seasonings here and there ---but I’m learning.

I don’t have any digestive tract problems with wheat products, the sensitivity to wheat just shows up in other ways in my body ---but I’m trying to adjust what I eat to work with my new and improved gluten-free life style.

A couple days before leaving for Portland I made a wonderful soup using a left over broiled chicken carcass we had already eaten most of the “good” parts from and some simple ingredients I had on hand.

Flavor is really important to me and I added Tone’s brand curry powder as a seasoning.  And yes, I did read the label.  It said “Spices, Turmeric (as color), Black Pepper, Salt, and Red Pepper.”

So this is the way things came together:

The Evening Before:

Place leftover roast chicken carcass in crock pot and cover with  6-8 cups of water.  Allow to cook on high until all the meat falls off the bones. I think it cooked for about 4 hours total.

Strain broth from bones and meat –place broth in a covered dish in the fridge overnight to separate the fat from the broth.  Remove meat from bones and either cut it into small bits, or shred it with your fingers.  I put the gleaned meat ((It’s amazing what you can get off of a chicken you thought was pretty much eaten up already!)) into a ziplock bag in the fridge until the next day.

I like to make my own broth this way without the need of bullion cubes to enhance the flavor ---you get great flavor from simmering the bones along with the meat in the crock pot for a long time.

Around noon the next day ---skim the fat from the chicken broth and add back to crock pot.

Add the meat back to the broth and add the following as desired:

2 medium carrots, sliced
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper
1 large onion diced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/3 cup rice
1/2 cup dry lentils ((or more if desired))
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp poultry seasoning

From here it was just simmering all day until rice and lentils were tender and it was time to eat.  The aroma was wonderful, and it was a very easy, hearty  meal with a bit of an exotic curry flavor.

Diced potatoes could replace the rice if you so desire, or leave the rice out all together – but it did help the soup to thicken.

This would freeze really well also – great for a quick meal on hand!