I love roasting chicken, both the act itself and carving them. We tend to roast a chicken every week or two, and over time this tradition has evolved into what I like to call the Roasted Chicken Cycle.

The premise is simple: after roasting a chicken in chicken broth (using this recipe), tear apart the carcass (removing the lemon inside if you used one) and put it back in the dutch oven you used to roast it (along with the carrots and celery you used). Add about five cups of water (enough to submerge the chicken completely), one bay leaf and four cloves of garlic.

Simmer it for about 2 1/2 hours. Some of the liquid will evaporate, which is fine. Pour the liquid into two quart-sized Mason jars and let it cool. I usually put the jars in the fridge, uncovered, overnight. Once it’s cool, skim off the extra fat.

I use one pint of the broth in my everyday cooking, and then guess what I use the other pint for? I use it to roast my next chicken! I then use the carcass to make my next batch of broth, and so on. In the end, I’m regularly treated to a natural broth that’s totally free.

If you’re looking for a more fleshed-out chicken stock/broth recipes, here is a good one.