One of my primary culinary instructors was my dearest Aunt Nadine. She taught me so many culinary basics, maybe none so fundamental as the value of homemade chicken stock. Like most of you, I find many uses for rotisserie chicken (salads, casseroles, etc.) and now, like me, you will have a use for the skin, scraps, and bones left behind. I generally strip the chicken meat and while still warm, pull apart the bones, and snap the backbone in half. You want pieces that are about the size of your palm or smaller. I don't even bother getting rid of the trussing string. Then throw it all back in the original container or a resealable bag and stick the bag in your freezer. Once you have adequate chicken bones (usually 3 standard grocery store chickens or 2 big roasters from Costco), then it's time to make a batch of stock. This recipe does call for one item you may not have readily available, namely cheesecloth. You can purchase it in packages at the grocery store near the cooking implements. Trust me, it's critical to getting nice clear stock.
Ingredients
- 2-3 rotisserie or other whole cooked chickens white meat removed, carcass cut up and all joints split
- 3 stalks celery add bottoms and leaves too
- 2 large carrots or handful of small carrots
- 1 large yellow onion with skin on quartered
- handful of parsley
- 1 tsp marjoram
- 1 tsp rosemary crumbled
- 1/2 tsp sage
- any other root vegetable scraps
- 8 cups chicken stock made from Better than Bouillon
- 4 cups additional water
Instructions
- Directions:Combine all vegetables and seasoning with chicken bones in dutch oven or other heavy stock pot.Cover ingredients with chicken stock and water. Depending on the shape that the bones froze in, the liquid may not initially cover the ingredients and that is ok. As it heats just shove all the bones down into the liquid with a wooden spoon.Bring stock to just boiling, then immediately reduce heat to a low simmer, you only see just a few bubbles rising to the surface. You do not want your stock boiling so check it a couple times that first hour to make sure you have the heat right. Simmer for 5-6 hours. You will know you are getting close when your whole house smells of delicious chicken aroma.Remove from heat, place a colander over another large pot and line with two layers of cheesecloth in a crisscross so that the edges overlap over the colander. Pour the stock into the lined colander so all the solids fall into the cheesecloth and stock collects below. Gather the edges into a little package and press the remaining liquid out of the solids with a wooden spoon. Let stock cool so the pot only slightly warm to the touch. Cover and refrigerate stock overnight.Skim the fat off the surface by scraping it off the top with a spoon. You will be left with a lovely clear, gelatinous stock full of collagen goodness.Reheat the stock, just enough to get it liquified. Sample the stock to assess strength and adjust seasonings. If stock is hollow, bring it back to a simmer and reduce. If it is too strong, add additional water.Use or freeze for future use (see tips below).Notes:Fresh stock should be used within 3-4 days but can be frozen for 4-6 months. This recipe generally yields about 10 cups of stock. I love to freeze my stock in different configurations for different uses. If I am planning to make soup, I will fill one container with 4-6 cups. Otherwise I have invested in several sizes of silicone muffin trays. Put the silicone onto a rimmed cookie sheet, carefully fill the cups with stock, cover with plastic wrap (to prevent freezer burn) and place in the freezer. Once frozen, pop out your little "pucks" and transfer to a plastic bag. Then when you want to use them for any recipe you have a pre-measured amounts and can just defrost what you need. Mini muffin pans hold about 2T, regular muffin pan about 1/3 cup and my jumbo muffin pan (pictured) hold a convenient 1 cup.HAPPY EATING!!
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