Reader Beware: The following post reveals an easy recipe for home-made chicken stock from which there is no return. Once you have added home-made chicken stock to your culinary arsenal you will never buy stock in a can again. The good news is that making chicken stock in not difficult and will make every dish it's in better- much better.
Chicken Stock
4 pounds chicken backs
2 large carrots, peeled and rough chopped
1 large onion, peeled and rough chopped
3 stalks celery, rough chopped
1 head of garlic, sliced in half horizontally
3 bay leaves
12 thyme sprigs
1 bunch Italian parsley, sprigs only
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 gallon cold water
(Ingredient Note: Chicken backs are sold at many supermarkets including Whole Foods that have chicken backs left over after they butcher chickens. If your butcher does not have backs you can buy whole legs or wings for your stock but the price will be more then for backs.)
1. Start the stock. In a large pot combine the chicken backs and water and bring to a simmer. The idea is to have the stock simmer and not boil rapidly. As the fat rises to the surface you can skim it off with a ladle or leave it since after the stock is strained and cooled down the fat can be easily taken off the top.
2. Add the veggies and herbs. After the stock has been simmering for an hour, add the rest of ingredients. This will cool the stock and you may lose you simmer. So raise the heat briefly and then lower it again when the stock is back to a simmer. Continue to simmer the stock for another 3 hours (your whole house will begin to smell like home-made chicken soup...yum!).
3. Strain the stock. Strain the stock through a large colander over another large pot or large bowl. Discard the solids. Since putting the hot stock in your refrigerator is a bad idea, I like to throw about 8 ice cubes into the stock and leave it outside for 15 minutes before putting it, uncovered, into the refrigerator. The next day there will be a fat cap on the stock that can removed with a spoon and the stock will keep in the refrigerator covered for 5 days or can be frozen in small batches. I like to put the batches into plastic baggies to make it easy to de-frost later.
