Making Chicken Stock

or Vegetable Stock

If you just finished cooking a chicken and have removed the meat…here’s what you do next.

Notes for those really old birds, known as Stewing Chickens

First roast them to develop a really flavorful stock in the end.  When you’re done roasting the chicken(s), remove the meat from the bones with a knife.  It will likely be far too tough to serve BUT…you can create chicken salad sandwich making by mincing the cooked-cooled meat lightly in a food processor.  Pour into a large bowl and add: minced onions, minced crunchy veggies like hakurei turnips or radish, celery, minced herbs; dill or cilantro are two of my favorites and minced pickles;  either sweet or dill.  Bind it together with a bit of mayonnaise or yogurt and a dash of salt and pepper and you’ll have a satisfying lunch.  Consider freezing the minced meat in 2 cup increments for future casseroles and meat sauces.  Now that you’ve dealt with the meat follow the directions for making chicken stock.

• Put the chicken carcass, skin, left over veggies, and drippings or sauce into a large pot.
• Cover everything in the pot with cold water and a ½ cup of cider vinegar or white vinegar.
• The acid in the vinegar will draw the nutrition from the bones.
• Put a lid on the pot and turn the burner up to high.
• After bringing it to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer.
• Remove any scum on the surface after about 30 minutes.
•  Continue cooking for at least 6  hours or longer if you have time. 

I like to cook mine from 18-24 hours.  Using a crock pot makes this a safe option in a busy household.

• As it continues to cook check to make sure there’s enough liquid in the pot.  Add water if it looks low.

The longer you cook the bones, the more nutrition you draw from them.  If the bones fall apart you know it’s going to be good stock!

•  Once you’re done making the broth, pour it through a colander into a large bowl in the kitchen sink (just in case you spill) and allow it to cool quickly in the fridge.
• Don’t cover it until it has cooled fully.

I usually leave it in the refrigerator for a day and allow the fat to come to the top.  It’s easy to remove the fat before pouring the broth into freezer containers of your choice. I use old quart size yogurt containers. Remember to label them with a date and contents.

Remember to label the  broth and include a date before storing in the freezer.

When you have stock in the freezer you’re half way to dinner!

 Use it for soups, sauces, risotto…

 Don't have time to make the stock now?

Just throw the carcass, veggies, skin, bits and pieces into a zip lock bag (or a pot if you have room) in your fridge.  Pull it out sometime within the next couple of days when you're going to be home for a minimum of 6 hours so you can monitor its progress.