How to Make Your Own Chicken Stock
There’s something so satisfying about making your own stock. You get to use up all the parts of a chicken and some vegetables; nothing goes to waste. And as with almost anything home-made, it’s just better, richer, fresher, fuller. I find it a fun project for snow days.
I’ve adapted this recipe from my Italian grandmother’s stewed chicken. The addition of fennel stalks was inspired by a chef in Jerusalem, who uses them as the base for a meatless stock, in order to keep Kosher requirements, and said it tastes like chicken. I thought adding it to my own stock would enhance its depth and texture, and I love how this recipe crosses the Mediterranean.
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I freeze it in varying volumes, filling large ice trays with 1/4 cup in each well and pouring amounts ranging from one-half cup to two cups into food containers. That way I can always thaw the precise amount I need. Because it’s just so satisfying to let nothing go to waste.
Chicken Stock
Ingredients
- 1 chicken carcass, in lg. pieces whatever is left over, bones, cartilage, skin, bits of meat
- 1 carrot, cut in lg. pieces
- stalks of 1 fennel bulb, w/ fronds, cut in lg. pieces
- 2 stalks celery, w/ leaves, cut in lg. pieces
- 1 lg. onion, quartered
- 1 bunch Italian parsley
- 4 peppercorns
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt
Instructions
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Place all ingredients in lg stockpot. Fill pot with water to c. one inch below rim.
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Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are soft, approx. 3-4 hours, adding water from time to time if starting to simmer down.
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Remove lg. pieces of chicken and vegetables with slotted spoon and discard. Strain broth into fresh pot. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat. Simmer down to one-half to two-thirds volume, approx. 1-2 hours.
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Use immediately or let cool and freeze.
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