As a part of the Waste Nothing Challenge, I made a batch of chicken stock and wanted to show you how easy it really is.
How to Make Chicken Stock
I start my chicken stock with an entire chicken, some baby carrots that were beyond the snacking stage, the heart of a wilted bunch of celery and the parts of an onion that you would normally discard. Everything gets tossed is a huge stock pot. This is the same stock pot I use to brine my turkey.
TIP: I also keep a gallon bag in the freezer for the pieces of carrots, celery and onion that I have during meal prep through out the week. When the back is full, I can make a small batch of vegetable stock or use it in chicken or beef stock.
Cover all of that with water, plus about three inches. Please note that you can always make a smaller batch in a regular size stock pot with just thighs and wings.
To the pot, I add a palm-full of black pepper, about 1/8 cup salt, and two or three bay leaves. Can you tell that I measure precisely? (Note the sarcasm.)
Put the pot over medium-high heat until it boils.
Once the pot begins to boil, lower the heat to medium and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove the chicken and allow it to cool. It will not be pretty.
Remove the meat and skin from the bones. Discard the skin and any fat. Chop the meat and freeze it in meal-sized portions for quick casseroles. Toss the bones back into the pot with the vegetables and broth. If you have any bones leftover from a roasted chicken, toss those in too.
Rich, Golden Chicken Stock
Bring the pot back to a simmer over medium heat. Let the chicken broth bubble gently for about two hours… or as long as you want. The longer, the better.
When you are happy with the results, remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool. Add a lid to the pot and place it in the refrigerator. If the pot is too big like mine is, you can pour the broth through a colander to catch the vegetables and bones and pour the broth into a bowl or two. Refrigerate the broth overnight.
In the morning, skim off the fat. If you want a truly low-fat broth, line a strainer with coffee filters and pour the broth through the filters. This helps catch any small bones too.
I just adore the rich deep color of the chicken stock that remains. It is so golden.
There will be some sediment in the bottom which I typically discard.
Typically, I store chicken stock in various amounts so it will be handy for recipes as I need them. Some goes into the deep freeze, some goes into the refrigerator freezer, and some goes into the refrigerator.
While a good chicken broth takes time, it is worth it. And, the cost… NOTHING. Totally free. Made from the things you would be cooking anyway or might discard. DEAL!
I make my own chicken stock all the time. Anytime I roast a whole chicken, or if I’ve bought a rotisserie chicken, I just throw the carcass in the freezer for the next time I make stock. I also make beef stock, in fact I just made a big pot yesterday! It saves a ton of money to make your own and it tastes so much better than store bought!
I would love to know more about your beef stock, Lisa. That is a recipe I have yet to perfect. Pretty please?
I’ll have the recipe up on my blog in the next couple of days (probably tomorrow). It’s really easy, not that much different than chicken stock.:)
Fabulous-O! Can’t wait. 🙂
Oh, I make my own organic chicken stock. I actually keep the fat in it, because it’s really good for me and has been beneficial in healing issues with my gut 😉 🙂 I make mine in the slow-cooker simply because it uses less energy than our gas stove!!! (or so my aunt says, anyways 😉 🙂 Homemade chicken stock tastes so GOOD, and costs pennies compared to what you pay for a store-bought version..AND you know exactly what’s going into it 🙂 🙂 Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather 😉
Absolutely. I love knowing exactly what is going into my food instead of those mysterious lists of ingredients that cannot be pronounced. LOL
I basically do this, but in the slow cooker. WHY is my so gelatinous? What I do is cook a chicken in the slow cooker, take the meat off the bone and throw everything back in, add vegetables and bay leave like you, cover with water, about 4 cups total. Maybe I don’t add enough water? When I freeze it in one cup increments. When I thaw it I add a cup of water…hmmm…I must be doing it backwards!
Now that I think about it, I have had mine come out thick before but I don’t exactly remember why. I think straining everything and letting it sit in the refrigerator overnight before skimming off the fat keeps most of the mystery clumps from being a problem as these last couple of batches have been gorgeous. Could it be the presence of extra fat? I do not toss skin/fat back into the pot. Hmmm… not sure but I might need to test it out and see.
I noticed that I have barely any fat when I make broth from a grass fed/pasture raised chicken compared to even organic store bought. Really makes you wonder…..the grass fed is so so so much better!! If you are in the Detroit area, I get my chickens from Melo Farms at Eastern Market. They are so good!
I wish we had something like that close to me. I am in south Alabama. But, if I ever make it to Detroit, I promise to give them a try. 🙂
Would you show this recipe in a printer friendly form? It sounds so good and healthy.