Homemade chicken stock is one of those few things that people should always have hand. It really does not take much to make your own — I just put everything together in a stock pot and let it simmer away all day as I do my other chores on the weekend. You can use that ready made stuff and most are not very good, and all of the food recalls these days have me wondering if it’s even worth taking a chance.
I am encouraged to make as much as I can at home because that way, I know exactly what goes into my family meals. This chicken stock can be added as the liquid option for so many things, like my fried rice, homemade chicken noodle soup, cream of chicken soup, minestrone soup, chicken pot pie , chicken gravy, and just about anything else you can think of that requires an underlying richness and flavor.
Homemade Chicken Stock
1.5# organic or free range whole chicken (or bone-in chicken pieces, especially thighs or 2 chicken carcasses)
2-4 qts filtered water, enough to cover your chicken
1 large onion, peeled, whole
3 large celery ribs with leaves, quartered
3 large carrots, peeled and quartered
1 Tablespoon salt
Half a bunch of Italian parsley sprigs
4 whole black peppercorns
3 dried bay leaves
3-4 whole cloves of garlic **optional
Some people like to add garlic to their stock and others do not. Garlic is so good for you, so I like to use it. Rinse your chicken well and put it in your stock pot with all of the other ingredients and bring to a boil. You can also use a few leftover chicken carcasses or chicken thighs. If I have the time, I remove the skin from the chicken before making the stock, and if I don’t, I make sure to skim off the fat later before making the soup.
Once the water has boiled, reduce the heat to a very low simmer and cook it slowly for approximately 2-3 hours until all the flavors from the ingredients have been rendered and the liquid has reduced approximately by half. During the cooking time, remove any scum that may form on the top.
Once the stock is ready, allow it to cool completely then strain everything through a colander catching the stock in another pot, then refrigerate the stock overnight. The next day, the fat will harden on the surface, so make sure to skim it all off before storing the broth into quart size containers. I usually keep one in the refrigerator for use in meals during the week and then freeze the rest.
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