Cooking Essentials: Chicken Stock

Let’s face it: store bought chicken stock is good and it is certainly easy to grab a few cans at the grocery and good home to start cooking.  It’s a fact of cooking, epically for larger families and busy parents, if it is makes the process faster it’s a good thing.

To enhance your homemade dishes and to get a better handle on the nutritional value and sodium content, try making your stock from scratch.  Make it ahead of time.  It requires very little attention and can store for a time frozen.

 

 

Chicken stock

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 6-8 hours
Yield: 5 quarts

Ingredients

4 pounds chicken parts, including necks and backs if available
1 large yellow or white onion, quartered
2 shallots cut in ½
4 carrots,lightly peeled and cut in 1/2
4 ribs celery, cut in 1/2
1 leek, white part only, cut in 1/2 lengthwise
10 sprigs fresh thyme
10 sprigs fresh flat leaf Italian parsley with stems
3 bay leaves
8 to 10 mixed peppercorns
2 whole cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 gallons cold water

Instructions:

Set the oven to 400°.

Place 2 cups of water, chicken, vegetables, and herbs and spices in 12-quart stockpot. Set the stockpot in the oven and let the ingredients roast for 30 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and set on the stove top. Pour in remaining water and cook on high heat until you begin to see bubbles on the surface of the liquid. Turn heat down to medium low so that stock maintains low, gentle simmer. Simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 hours.

Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer into another large stockpot or heatproof container discarding the solids. Cool immediately in a sink full of ice water to below 40 degrees. Skim the fat remaining from the surface and use or refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. The stock will keep frozen for up to 3 months.

Try this: freeze some in ice trays then package in plastic freezer bags for easy use. Each cube will be about 2 tablespoons and one cup would be about 8 to 10 cubes.  Simply add the number of cubes you need and life is easy . . . and homemade.