Have you ever looked at your picked over chicken carcass and wondered…
“There HAS to be something else to do with this thing. I worked so hard to roast it, bake it, grill it, etc. It had GREAT flavor. It would be a shame to throw it away.”
No?
It is just me?
I am always looking to get the most out of everything. Even my chicken carcass. It is just the penny pincher in me.
It is super simple to make chicken stock, it just takes time a a few extra ingredients.
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Carcass with skin
- 1/2 small bag of Mini Carrots (or 3 regular carrots)
- 4 Ribs Celery, cut in large chunks
- 2 Cloves Garlic, skins removed
- 2 Onions, cut in chunks
- 3 bay leaves
- 10 peppercorns
- Water
Procedure
- Use the largest stockpot you own. (I have a All-Clad 12-Quart
that came with a set I got as a wedding present.)
- Place all ingredients in the pot and cover with water.
- Bring to a slow simmer and let simmer for a minimum of 3 hours.
- Remove all ingredients and compost the vegetables.
- Strain the stock through a mesh strainer
.
Now you can freeze it in portions that you are use to using. i.e.. 2 cups, just be sure to cool it completely before you pop it in the freezer.
OR
You can process it in quart jars (or pints) in a hot water bath. I process my chicken stock in quarts for 20 minutes.
If you don’t have a 12 quart pot like mine, use what you have. Just adjust your ingredients to fit in your pot but not the cook time.
Now, every time I roast a chicken or make grilled chicken I DO NOT make chicken stock. A lot of time I do. But sometimes I JUST don’t have time time or energy. If you don’t have the time TODAY to make chicken stock but you have time NEXT week, pop the chicken carcass in the freezer and pull it out next week when you have time.
Now to make this ‘fat free’ chicken stock be sure to skim the fat off the top after you open the jar to use the stock.
I wanted to show you the difference the type of chicken you use makes in the color and flavor of your stock. The stock on the left I used the carcass of a roasted chicken from Sam’s club. The stock on the right I used a baked chicken. The one on the left will have a different depth of flavor. It will be more toasted and have a more ‘chicken’ flavor. I will use this one when the chicken stock is the focus of the dish. I will use the baked chicken stock in a recipe that the flavor of the stock isn’t as ‘important’.
For the cost of a few extra ingredients (that I already had on hand) PLUS my time I was able to make home made chicken stock with out extra salt, artificial flavors or preservatives.
Have you ever made chicken stock? Are you willing to give it a try to save money on a box of stock?
