On Monday I posted about roasting chicken. After I make a chicken, I usually make stock. It is super easy to do, and I find that it is so much better than store bought stock because I can control the salt content. If I don’t have time to make stock within the next couple of days, I just stick the bones in a freezer bag and freeze it until I am ready.
Ingredients:
- Chicken carcass, any excess skin removed
- 2 onions, quartered
- 2 carrots, cut into large chunks
- 2 stalks of celery, cut into large chunks
- 2 tbsp peppercorn, lightly crushed
- 1 tbsp crushed parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- salt (optional)
Directions:
- Place everything into a large pot. Pour approximately 3 quarts of water over everything. I usually just fill up the whole pot until it is mostly full. Turn on to medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
- Once it is at a boil, turn down the heat until it is a simmer. Cover and let simmer for 3 hours. Check on it periodically to make sure that it hasn’t boiled down too much. Add a bit of water if it is looking low. Use a wooden spoon to skim any foam off the top.
- After 3 hours, turn off the heat and let it sit for a while until it has cooled slightly. Place the pot in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning it should look like this:
- Using a wooden spoon, remove the fat (the stuff on top) from the top. You can use another spoon, but I find that the fat sticks better to the wood. Strain the rest of stock through a mesh strainer to get rid of any solids. Pour the collected stock (there should be about 12 cups) into containers to either freeze or store in the refrigerator.
- If you are planning on freezing it, leave about 1 inch of room so it can expand. Keep in the refrigerator for about a week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
craftysundries 