Chicken stock
Use chicken stock for ramen, braising green beans, etc.
Ingredients
- 1 or 2 chicken carcasses, from store-bought roasted chickens
- 3 onions
- 3 carrots
- 3 celery stalks
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1-2 bay leaves (recommended)
- 5-10 peppercorns (optional)
- 3 sprigs of thyme (optional)
Chicken Carcass Tips
- keep all of the bones! This is the most important part
- keep anything that is not skin or meat
- including some meat is fine. don't fuss over getting it right. a lot or a little is ok.
- including a some skin is OK, but I usually to avoid it.
- freeze in advance for months, if desired
Instructions:
You need a large stock pot or Dutch oven.
Prep:
- quarter the onions. leave the skins on
- rough chop the carrots into big chunks
- rough chop the celery into big chunks
- smash the garlic cloves
- put everything in the stock pot
Simmer:
- fill the stock pot with water until everything is just covered
- heat the pot until it reaches a very gentle simmer. (~30 minutes or more)
- do not cover
- once simmering, simmer for 3 hours
- occasional bubbles are good. you want lots of steam and a few rising bubbles.
- over 3 hours, liquid will evaporate. this is good.
Skimming: most chicken stock recipes call for skimming the gungy grey material as it forms in the pot. I find that the store-bought roast chickens don't need skimming. Carcasses kept from raw chicken supposedly need skimming.
Finish:
- get a big bowl and a fine metal mesh strainer
- strain the entire mixture into the bowl so that the liquid is saved into the bowl
- throw away all of the veggies and chicken pieces
- store saved liquid in storage containers, then refrigerate
- the next morning, skim the fat off the liquid and throw it aay
- keep refrigerated; try to use within a week