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Martin

Homemade Chicken Stock




As a single parent I am always looking for ways to save money and make life easier in the kitchen without sacrificing nutrition and taste. While this may seem impossible, the reality is that with a little prep work one can save money, time, and even feed their family healthier food. One of the best ingredients for this is homemade chicken stock.


Chicken stock is probably the most versatile ingredient in the kitchen. Stock can be used in place of water to add flavor and/or moisture to any dish. Want to make better beans? Soak them in chicken stock. Need to make spaghetti sauce? Use stock instead of water and your flavors will really pop. Sure you could buy stock at the store but store bought stock is bland and watered down as well as being expensive and full of preservatives and fillers. Buy one whole chicken for 5 bucks and you can get 2 quarts of stock and 6 servings of chicken.


I realize that for those who have not done it carving a chicken sounds intimidating, but believe me it is very simple. Here are step by step instructions:


  1. Lay chicken on its back breast side up so that the legs are pointing at your chest.

  2. Pull leg away from body and slice (not saw) the skin that connects the leg to the breast.

  3. As you carve down you are removing thigh and leg (also known as the quarter) together so bend it gently but firmly till the leg joint pops out.

  4. By now you will be able to see the shape of the thigh simply make a clean cut down between the leg joint and you have removed the quarter.

  5. Repeat on other side.

  6. Once you have separated the quarters from the bird, you can separate thigh from leg by cutting down the little white line of fat where the two pieces come together.

  7. Now make a deep clean slice down the middle of the breast finding the breast bone.

  8. Pick a side and slowly slice down the breast bone gently pulling the breast meat out of your way. If you do this slowly and carefully you will see the skeletal frame of the chicken and just slowly keep cutting down till the meat is only held on by the wing joint.

  9. Find the joint with your fingers and simply cut through the middle.

  10. Repeat on other side.

  11. If you want you can leave on the wings or carve them off the breast and add them to your stock. The wings have a great deal fat and remember fat equals flavor.


Once you have cut up you chicken place the pieces in a storage container and immediately refrigerate.


1. Take the carcass, any trimmings, and the wings and place them in a large pot.

2. Cover with water and bring to a boil.

  1. While the water is heating up peel and chop 2 large carrots, 4 stalks of celery, and 1 large onion.

  2.  Once the chicken has reached a rolling boil add the veggies and two cups of water return to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered about five hours. Add water as needed, but not too much because as it simmers it will reduce down and the flavors will become more concentrated.


Now comes the fun part, after a couple of hours you can start adding herbs and spices to enhance your stocks flavor. This is another clear advantage over store bought stock because you can customize your flavors a little want a Spanish taste add some chipotles, Italian load up on the oregano. As long as you follow the first four steps you can add any flavors you want to suit you and your family’s taste. Remember this recipe is kind of a base model don’t be afraid to make it your own.


  1.  2 Bay leaves

2.  1 sprig of thyme

3.  5 or 6 peppercorns (crushed)

  1.  8 Parsley stems


Once the stock is finished (5 hours) strain through a fine mesh strainer, separate it into containers and refrigerate it properly. Stock can be refrigerated for one week or frozen for several months. As it cools a layer of fat will rise to the top and solidify.




The most important thing is to not get frustrated, it might take you a few tries to perfect it, but the rewards will be unlimited. Once you have mastered making chicken stock you will be able to increasingly branch out making beef stock, demi-glace, and all sorts of other ingredients that can make your meals taste better, cost less, and be healthier for your family. Don’t be intimidated if you make a mistake learn from it and start again.


As always,

Stay hungry my friends.

Martin

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