How-To Tuesday : Chicken Stock

Soup season is well under way and it shows no sign of slowing down. There is nothing better than a big Olympic sized swimming pool bowl full of soup. Let’s just dive in an slurp our way back to the top. Deal? Good. Synchronized slurping, it’s gotta be a thing.

Learning how to make chicken stock at home is simple and tastes way better than the stuff you can buy at the store.  And it can be done with simple veggies you probably already have in your house. You’re just a few steps away from making your house smells like grandma’s used to when you were a kid.

Step one is to source yourself the remnants of a roasted chicken, a boat load of veggies, and a big stock pot or dutch oven.

In the stock pot heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil and place in quarters of one onion over medium heat allowing the onion to start to brown. Slice up three stalks of celery and two large carrots adding them to the onion and browning them as well. Stir when you feel like it and allow them to start to break down slightly. About 10 minutes or so.

Once the veggies have brown, add in the dinner formerly known as roast chicken to the top of it – skins, bones, and what is left of the meat, too. Top with 2 quarts of cold filtered water, salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary to taste and cover.

Go about your day, cuddle with your hunny on the couch and pop in a movie as your stock simmers away for at least two hours.

Once the veggies and chicken have broken down it’s tim to strain. Into a large bowl with a fine mesh stainer pour the stock through to remove the large chunks of vegg and chicken. Next, add a double layer of cheesecloth to the strainer and pour through again to remove the finer particles. After letting the stock sit for a few minutes some fat will rise to the top. Gently scrape from the top of the stock and discard.

In my case, I wanted freeze my stock – pouring four cups into heavy duty freezer bags. Seal the bags and lay them flat on a large cookie sheet and freeze. When they are frozen and flat, the bags can be easily stacked in your freezer.

Next time you have a hankering for grandma’s prized soup, you’re one step closer to the promised land. Or promised soup? Either way – you’re the winner.

Get this prized recipe below and get cooking!

For additional How-To’s check out these past features!

How to Make Multigrain Bread

How To Brown Butter

How to Roast Garlic

How to Make Chicken Stock

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• Author: Country Cleaver
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 3 hours
• Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
• Yield: 2 quarts stock 1x
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Making chicken stock at home is simple and tastes way better than the stuff you can buy at the store.  And it can be done with simple veggies you probably already have in your house!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 Chicken carcass
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Onion, quartered
• 2 whole Carrots, chunked
• 3 stalks Celery, chunked
• 2 quarts filtered Water
• 1 1/2 tsp Ground Pepper
• 1 tbsp Rosemary
• 1 tbsp Thyme
• Salt to taste

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Instructions

1. Preheat stock pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add olive oil. Saute onion in oil until starts to brown. Stir onions and continue to brown.
2. Add in vegetables and brown carrots and celery. About 10 minutes. Add in chicken remnants.
3. Top with filtered water and seasoning. Bring to boil. Cover and reduce to simmer. Simmer for 2-3 hours or until chicken parts have fallen apart and vegetables have become soft.
4. Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Ladle stock into the strainer to remove the large materials.
5. Add a double layer of cheesecloth to the strainer and strain stock again.
6. Let stock rest and remove fat that floats to the top.
7. Pour stock into air tight container and place in fridge. Use within 3-4 days or freeze up to three months.
8. Use in your favorite soups or other recipes.

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