The secret is out! You can make chicken stock in your own kitchen. So unless you are in a hurry, leave the packaged stock at the supermarket and instead, pick up a chicken, a few carrots, onion, celery and parsley. That’s pretty much all that you need to make a flavorful, base chicken stock.
If you can spare a few extra dollars, purchase an organic chicken, you really would be able to taste the difference.
Choose a chicken that weighs about 4 pounds.
Place the chicken in a large soup pot.
Add 1 large onion, quartered; 3 large carrots, halved; 2 celery stalks, halved; bunch of parsley stems; 4 garlic cloves, crushed and 6-10 whole black pepper corns.
Cover the ingredients with cold water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Next, turn the heat to medium low and simmer the stock for 2-3 hours, skimming occasionally.
It’s best to let the stock cool and refrigerate over night. The next day, remove the fat from the top and strain the broth, if desired.
I personally use the chicken and the vegetables to make soup. Remove the chicken skin and bones and shred or dice the meat and cut up the vegetables. What’s next is up to you!
I love making my own stocks, they add such more depth of flavor than anything store bought. I just got a pressure cooker for christmas and I'm dying to try to make some of my own stocks in that since it cuts the cooking time by like 70%. Thanks for sharing your recipe!Sincerely,Happy Valley Chow
You don't have to use a whole expensive chicken to make stock. I get chicken backs (about $0.98 per pound) from the butcher. 2 lbs of backs will make a gallon or more of stock. It's the bones where most of the chickeny goodness comes from, not the flesh. If you have a whole organic chicken, roast that baby first, and enjoy yummy roasted chicken, then use the bones and skin left over to make your stock.
Great points Kara! What's your favorite way to make stock? Using so many bones, I bet you get a very nice, rich, stock.
I actually use Mark Bittman's oven stock method. Roast the chicken backs and then put them in the big stock pot with onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and herbs. Put the whole thing in the oven at 225 and cook overnight (or longer). Then strain out the stock and use/freeze.