Homemade Chicken Stock

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Homemade Chicken Stock

Have on hand

Arrgh, matey! Make your own chicken stock and you’ll never buy canned again!

Bones from either one, or two chickens
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
7 stalks celery or 1 large bulb fennel, rough chopped
5 medium carrots or parsnips, peeled and rough chopped
8 sprigs fresh thyme
7 stems Italian flat-leaf parsley
3 cloves garlic, smashed with the back of a knife
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
2 bay leaves

Directions

In a large stock pot, combine all ingredients. Cover with cold water, just a few inches shy of the top of your pot, aka, fill that sucker. Place over a high flame until a low simmer is achieved. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer, minimum of three hours, or a many as ten to twelve hours, adding more water when necessary to keep the bones and vegetables covered.

Strain the stock into another pot, and use right away, or cool in an ice bath before putting into the fridge, or freezing. I like to fill my sink halfway with ice and cold water, then place the pot into the ice water, stirring occasionally to help the stock cool faster. Once the stock is cool, transfer into smaller containers, and transfer into the fridge for use that week, or into the freezer for wonderful chicken stock over the next six to nine months. Before using the stock, after it has cooled, any fat will have risen to the top, solidified, and formed a cap which can be easily removed with a spoon, and either saved, or discarded.

Use stock any time you want to add flavor: soups, rice, or braising.