Homemade Chicken Stock
It’s another kitchen staple recipe, today!
I’m about to completely bombard you with red, pink, and sprinkle-y recipes for Valentine’s Day ). I mean, it’s the cutest holiday, ever, to bake delicious delights for…but we’re not talking about that today!
Today, I thought we’d talk about an important component to any kitchen—chicken stock. Actually, at first I wrote “kitchen stock” and that sounds decisively less appealing…
Chicken stock is easy to find at the store, and that boxed stuff will work in a pinch, but you will not believe how freakin’ incredible homemade chicken stock will make your recipes taste!
Plus, it’s not even difficult to make. You just plop everything in a pot and let it simmer away for a few hours. You don’t even have to peel the carrots, onions, or garlic!
This recipe makes a ton (18 cups, to be exact), so if you spend a little time one day making it, you’ll have homemade chicken stock to enjoy in all your favorite recipes for months (this will last 3 months in your freezer).
You can also use whole, raw chickens, or some cooked chicken carcasses in this. I used the leftover carcass from this roast chicken (that I froze in a large Ziplock baggie until I was ready to make stock), along with two raw chickens. You could get away with using two carcasses and one raw chicken, but I wouldn’t go with three. You need the raw chicken for the stock to gel up.
A really good stock will become gelatinous in your fridge or freezer. It happens when the collagen in the raw chicken melts and infuses the stock. It means your stock is extra rich!
You don’t, however, need to necessarily use a whole chicken. Random raw chicken parts will work: breasts, wings, etc. Use whatever you have/can get. Actually, chicken feet, if you can find them, will make the most gelatinous stock!
Oh, and while you’re making the stock, don’t worry about skimming any fat off the top. After you put it in the fridge or freezer, the fat will rise to the top and harden. Then, it can just be easily removed!
As for what to do with the chicken that’s been simmering for hours? Throw it out. It’s done it’s job! Or, separate it from the veggies and put it in the fridge to feed to your happy pup 🙂
PrintHomemade Chicken Stock
Yield: 18 cups (4 and 1/2 quarts)
Ingredients:
- 6 to 8 lbs chicken parts*
- 2 large yellow onions, quartered
- 4 celery stalks, chopped into thirds
- 5 carrots halved
- 1 head of garlic, halved
- 1 small bunch of fresh parsley
- 1 small bunch of fresh dill
- 1/2 of a small bunch of fresh thyme
- 1 small bunch of fresh marjoram
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- (6 quarts) 24 cups of water
Directions:
- Place everything in a very large pot and simmer for 3-4 hours.
- Strain the stock through a colander, and then through a fine mesh strainer.
- Refrigerate, and remove the hardened fat that accumulates at the top. You can freeze the stock for 3 months.
*I used 1 roasted chicken carcass and two whole, raw chickens. You can use any combinations of raw and cooked chicken bones that you want, but just be sure to not use all cooked bones.
**Feel free to change up the herbs as you see fit!
recipe adapted from here
