Okay, so I admit it. Whenever I make chicken soup, or anything that needs a chicken-broth-like-substance, I typically reach for the bouillon. I know that you purists out there are going all judgie-mc-judgerson on that statement right now, but it's true. Bouillon is fake, I get it. But it's just so quick and easy! And, I mean, it's already right there in my cupboard.
Yet there are those days... you know the ones I mean. Those days when you're all chilly and sniffly and the wind outside is harsh and blustery and you need some hot, silky, rich chicken soup and nothing, nothing is going to cut it but the real deal.
Photo from http://www.estia.biz/products/chicken-leg-quarters/
It's around this time of year that the hubby and I usually get a cold and, like clockwork, he and I have been trading shifts lately on feeling run-down and worn-out. So last week, genius that I am, I saved the bones and bits from the chicken leg quarters I had cooked up. Chicken leg quarters are the thigh and leg attached. They typically come bone-in, skin-on and are super inexpensive and tasty!
And you were just going to throw that away!
I like to cook up enough chicken in advance so that we can just pick on it over the next few days. The first night we'll make a nice "fancy" meal out of it, but the leftovers get unceremoniously turned into chicken nachos, sandwich wraps or just gnawed on cold right out of the frig. We're simple people.
This week, instead of just throwing the bones away (like a normal person) I carefully saved each scrap in a bowl in my frig. Since it's kind of off-putting to just open up the refrigerator and see a pile of bones staring back at you, I at least was courteous enough to use a bowl that had a lid and kept it tucked in the bottom drawer.
DO NOT BUY APPLIANCES FROM FRIGIDAIRE! THEY'RE JERKS!
Over the summer, the refrigerator that my husband and I bought only two years ago DIED and with it went everything in my freezer, including all my frozen chicken stock. Not only would Frigidaire NOT replace our refrigerator, they also didn't seem to care that all my frozen tomato sauce, freezer jam and chicken stock was lost and gone forever. So in return, I'm putting them on blast on the Internet. Vengeance is mine, Frigidaire!
So with all those chicken bones and bits just chillin' (literally) in my frig, I decided I better take an afternoon and get my stock-on. Which is, turns out, incredibly easy.
Ingredients Needed:
- 1 large russet potato
- 1 large carrot
- 2 stalks celery (I buy the cheapest I can find)
- Half a sweet onion
- 6 to 10 cloves garlic (Your preference. I like a lot. Maybe you don't.)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons pepper
- Leftover chicken bones and bits from at least 4 chicken leg quarters OR 2 whole, raw leg quarters
Pretty much, you're just gonna chuck all the ingredients in the pot. Nothin' fancy 'bout it.
Fill your large pot with water to about 2/3 full. Scrub the russet potato, carrot and celery. Throw the potato in whole, break the carrot and celery up into a few pieces and toss them in, too. (No need to chop, just break them into large chunks with your hands.)
Cut the onion in half, remove the skin and add it to the pot, no need to break it apart, just toss it in. Remove the skin from the garlic cloves, crush them a bit, and in the pot they go.
Drop in the chicken parts, sprinkle in the pepper and give it all a stir. Turn the heat to medium, place the lid on the pot, and let it gradually come up to a boil.
You'll notice I didn't include any salt. That's because I thoroughly season whatever dish I'm using the stock in later. A pinch or two in your stock now won't hurt, but I typically save the sodium for next time.
Once boiling, remove the lid from the pot and turn the heat to medium-low, bringing the stock down to a low boil (just a little more bubbly than a simmer). Let the stock continue to lightly boil uncovered for an hour or so. Uncovering it for a time allows the stock to reduce down a bit, which thickens it and gives it a smooth, silky texture.
After about an hour, place the lid back on the pot, keep the heat at medium-low, and let the stock continue to cook for at least another two-and-a-half to three hours. You could cook it another four hours too; longer in this case is better. Stir the stock every so often when you think about it, but really you're just going to pretty much ignore it while it's cooking.
During the last few hours of cooking, I'll break the potato, onion and carrot up a bit just by pushing on it with my spoon as I stir it around, which releases more flavor and starch into the stock.
Once the chicken stock is cooked to your liking, turn off the heat and let it sit uncovered for a while to cool. After it's come down to a temperature that won't scald you, use a slotted spoon to start scooping out any solid items remaining.
I like to set my pot on the edge of my sink, place a colander inside a larger bowl down inside the sink and scoop the solid stuff right into the colander. The bowl underneath the colander catches the stock as it runs off the solid material - whatever's in the bowl after it's all been scooped out goes back into the pot; no waste! I do all this in the sink so that the mess (which I'm guaranteed to make) goes down the drain instead of all over my floor.
Once you've removed all of the solid stuff (which just gets discarded, by the way) start ladling the stock into the containers you'll store it in.
I have found that freezing liquid, like sauces and stocks, in canning jars is super convenient. I used to do it in freezer bags, but that was just a messy, leaky process. Canning jars are nice single serving containers, they stand upright in your freezer, and I always have a ton of jars and lids just lying around anyway. Might as well put them to use.
Using my wide mouth funnel (invest in one!) I fill my jars about an inch or so down from the top. The stock will expand as it freezes, so you need to leave a little room. After each jar is filled, place the cap on top and screw on the lid as tight as you can. And that's it - they're ready for the freezer!
This isn't an exact science. For this particular batch of stock I got about 4 pints worth. Next time I make chicken stock I might get a little more or I might get a little less. I just happened to have 3 pint jars and 2 half-pint jars washed and ready-to-go, so I used those. You can use whatever jar, container or baggie you like, so long as it can be tightly sealed and will hold up to being frozen.
I usually keep stock in my freezer for a few months at a time. I wouldn't let it go much beyond that. If you're pulling stock out of the freezer and it's, like, a year old - pitch it and use bouillon until you are able to make more!
How do YOU do chicken stock?
I would love to hear about it!
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Blair Clark is a wife, teacher, dog-mother, mentor, wanna-be-chef, recipe collector, crafter, painter, novice photographer, thrifter, writer, marriage ministry leader, Sunday school teacher and blogger. In short, she's a busy girl! Blair lives and blogs from the suburbs of Detroit with her handsome hubby and perfect Chocolate lab.
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