I never make chicken stock! I always go the easy route and use bouillon cubes when I make chicken soup. Well this summer I have changed my ways. For dinners we have done a lot of grilling, therefore there have been numerous chicken bones discarded around here. So I have decided not to simply dispose of these precious remnants anymore! I am using them for one of their great purposes – to make chicken stock that can be used in cooking so many fabulous things, not just soup, mind you. In fact, I am cooking some stock right now and the house smells WONDERFUL! I guess I have never been a stock maker because it takes some planning ahead and life is often a whirlwind and my plans are so often made minute by minute. If you are like me and don’t always have the time to think ahead, then just remember to throw those chicken bones in some Tupperware and put them in the fridge. Then, the next morning when you are pouring that coffee and getting breakfast ready for the kids, throw those bones in a pot with some cold water and the following ingredients. This stock recipe comes from Alton Brown from the Food Network. It is very simple and wonderfully delicious! If you don’t have four pounds of chicken bones (my little family has never been so carnivorous in one sitting) then cut the recipe in half and use two pounds of bones.
4 pounds chicken carcasses, including necks and backs
1 large onion, quartered
4 carrots, 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 parsley with stems
2 bay leaves
8 to 10 peppercorns
2 whole cloves garlic, peeled
2 gallons cold water
-Place chicken, vegetables, and herbs and spices in 12-quart stockpot.
-Set opened steamer basket directly on ingredients in pot and pour over water. Cook on high heat until you begin to see bubbles break through the surface of the liquid.
-Turn heat down to medium low so that stock maintains low, gentle simmer.
-Skim the scum from the stock with a spoon or fine mesh strainer every 10 to 15 minutes for the first hour of cooking and twice each hour for the next 2 hours.
-Add hot water as needed to keep bones and vegetables submerged.
-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 large cooler of ice or a sink full of ice water to below 40 degrees. -Place in refrigerator overnight.
-Remove solidified fat from surface of liquid and store in container with lid in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or in freezer for up to 3 months.
-Prior to use, bring to boil for 2 minutes. Use as a base for soups and sauces.
