Homemade Chicken Stock

Today I’m sharing more of a technique than a recipe. I am a huge fan of homemade stock. You can control every single ingredient which is especially important if you have any kind of food allergy or special diet requirements. You can make this stock gluten free, low sodium, low fat, sub the chicken for an array of mushrooms for a vegan stock… the possibilities are endless. The technique is the same.

I begin by combining a mirepoix, some aromatics, and chicken in a large stock pot and cover with water. Don’t worry about chopping the veggies perfectly, because they will be stained out later. I just quartered the onion, tossed in whole baby carrots, smashed some garlic, and snapped the celery. I then bring the entire thing to a boil, pop a lid on, and let it bubble away for about 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, I remove the chicken, shred the meat, and place the bones back into the stock pot with a splash of apple cider vinegar. You can use the chicken for soup, quesadillas, salads, etc.  Then I turn it on high and let it boil away for about an hour and a half or two hours. If I had more time, I would let it simmer for about 6-8 hours, but I typically don’t have that kind of time. You could definitely do this in a crockpot and let it go all day if you prefer.

Lastly, after the stock has a chance to cool, I strain it through a fine strainer. You could use a regular colander lined with cheesecloth if you have it.

Then you can store it in the fridge for about 3-4 days or you can freeze it in ice cube trays so you can take some out when you need it. I love the individual stock cubes, because sometimes I just need a splash or two of stock for a dish. The ice cubes melt so easily into a pan sauce… it makes me happy.

Ingredients:

1 whole organic chicken, about 5 lbs

1 cup baby carrots

4 stalks of celery, roughly chopped

1 onion, quartered

5 cloves of garlic

2 bay leaves

2 rosemary stems

½ bunch flat leaf parsley

salt

pepper

1 tbs apple cider vinegar

water to cover

Directions:

Put all of the ingredients in a pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil covered for 45 minutes to an hour. Until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the broth. Discard the skin and remove the meat from the bones.

Place the bones back into the boiling stock pot. Add enough water so that the bones are covered. You may have enough already.

Boil on high for two hours.

Allow the stock to cool slightly.

Strain through a fine mesh strainer.

You can use it right away if you’d like, but I prefer to let it sit on the refrigerator overnight. Then I can easily remove the layer of hardened fat that rises to the top of the stock. My stock is typically gelatinous from the collagen and gelatin from the bones. The jiggle is a sign of really nutrient rich stock. (but don’t worry once you heat it up it will go back to normal)

Hey, now you can make some easy tortellini soup…

Enjoy!

Xo Ali