Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Chicken Stock





You can also use this recipe for: Turkey Stock, Duck Stock, Pheasant, etc...
As the weather turns chilly, many of us will be making soups and stews. This is the stock that I use as a base for many of them. Truth be told, I use this stock year round to cook my grains in and add to various recipes. All of the ingredients are approximate. You really cannot do much to mess this up; the flavor is in the bones.
In addition to being far more flavorful tAlign Centerhan the store bought variety, this will cost you a lot less and contains much less sodium.
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* * * Time Saving Tip * * *
I don't always have time to make stock when I have a carcus or bones lying around. This is when I will throw them into a bag in the freezer and make the stock in a week or so when I plan on being home for an afternoon. ___________________________________________________

INGREDIENTS:
Leftover chicken bones* (with or without meat)
2 Carrots
2 Celery Sticks
1 Onion
5 cloves garlic, in skin
1 bouquet garni (bundle of fresh herbs tied together--not necessary but adds another layer of flavor)
1 tbps olive oil
1 c. white wine**
water to cover; more as neccesary

1 - Toss bones, carrots, celery, onion, garlic and, if using, bouquet garni
ingredients together with olive oil and spread in a roasting pan.

2 - Cook for about an hour, in a 400 degree oven, stirring every 15 minutes.

3 - When the vegetables and bones are brown and carmelized, pull pan out of oven, immediately placing ingredients into a stock pot.

4 - Deglaze the pan: pour wine in and use wooden spoon to scrape up all those little bits of flavor. Pour mixture into pot.

5 - Cover everything in the stockpot with water. Simmer away for several hours, adding water as necessary.

6 - Strain off liquid and discard the bones, veggies, etc. Allow to cool to skim off fat.

7 - Refrigerate for up to one week or freeze in 1-2 cup portions, defrosting as needed for recipes.
* This can be done with bones from beef, pork, veal, turkey, duck, venison, pheasant, etc. For darker meats, I might use red wine instead of white.

**If you do not want to use wine, a cup of water with a 1 -2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar stirred in makes for a nice substitution.

VEGETABLE STOCK:
Increase all of the vegetable ingredients above by at least two. For garlic, I might break up an entire bulb. Roast in the oven the same way as for chicken stock and once in stock pot, add a teaspoon of black peppercorns and 2-3 bay leaves. Strain and store.
SEAFOOD/ FISH STOCK:
I use a completely different method for this and will post this at a later date~
BEEF and GAME STOCKS:
The same can be done with beef, pork, veal, turkey, duck, venison, pheasant, etc, however for darker meats I usually deglaze with red wine. All of these are great for flavoring grains and soups, just remember that some are really pungent (pork stock, particularly) and will be a little to strong for "delicate" applications!
Pictured above is some finished chicken stock. Notice the rich, dark color. Flavorful, low in sodium and less expensive than the stuff from a box or can. Notice a layer of fat on the top, this will skim off easily after the stock has been cooled for about an hour in the refrigerator.

5 comments:

  1. Will using Uncooked chicken scraps and bones work the same for making stock? I have been saving the scraps I cut off full chickens with bones and discard skin, I don't like cooking breasts with the bones or skin. Also I have been saving veggie scraps to make veggie stalk Im guessing this all works the same?

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  2. Discard the skin (at least for stock purposes) but the veggie scraps, chicken bones, throw 'em all in the roasting pan :)

    You may need to increase roasting time a little. Roast, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until carmelized. Proceed as usual.

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  3. How many cups of stock do you usually get from this? And how do you recommend freezing it? I was thinking about getting some of the cheap, almost disposable, Ziplock plastic containers from the grocery store, would that work?

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  4. I get different amounts each time; my favorite way to package it is by filling glass jars 3/4 of the way full and then freezing. I defrost by removing lid and placing in pan of water and heating gently until defrosted. Plastic containers would work as well but there is always the issue of how you will get it out if you don't want to wait to defrost it. You can also freeze it in silicone muffin pans and then place in zip lock freezer bags for ease of use.

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  5. Oh and I know it's done when it tastes great without any added salt!

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