Chicken soup has inspired songs, books, and medical remedies. It is the epitome of comfort and care. A beautiful chicken stock can be a satisfying meal on its own, and it is also a fundamental staple of cooking. If you have a freezer filled with homemade stock (and/or a pantry filled with packaged stock), you can put a delicious dinner on the table in short order by making a soup or a pan sauce. When cooking rice and grains, substitute chicken stock for water for added flavor and nutrition.
Is there a difference between Chicken Stock and Chicken Broth?
Chicken stock is usually a more condensed (or concentrated) version of chicken broth because it is made from chicken meat and bones, whereas broth is made from just meat. Often the terms “stock” and “broth” are used interchangeably (we’re using “stock” in this post). More important for the flavor of your food than the terms stock and broth are the dramatic difference in flavor between homemade stock and store-bought stock. We always try to keep both on hand for convenience, though. Homemade stock can’t be beat as a base for soup or a sauce, but store-bought is helpful to have in a pinch and/or for recipes where it isn’t the dominate flavor. (Sharon uses chicken stock in her spaghetti sauce, and usually prepared stock works fine because of all the other strong flavors, such as sausage, tomatoes, and herbs.)
Easy Homemade Chicken Stock
Chicken stock is rewarding because it is so easy and versatile. Making homemade chicken stock is as easy as chopping a few ingredients, adding them to some chicken and water, putting it on the stove, and basically forgetting about it. Take 15 minutes and start a pot after breakfast early in the morning before the day heats up, or in the afternoon when your children are napping, or in the evening after dinner.
Chicken Stock
Makes about 10 cups
- 1 (3-3 ½ lb) chicken, whole or cut into pieces
- 4 quarts cold water
- 2 onions, unpeeled and halved
- 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 2 celery stalks with leaves (washed) cut into large pieces
- 3 carrots, unpeeled (washed) cut into large pieces
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
Put all ingredients (chicken, water, onions, garlic, celery, carrots, salt, peppercorns, and bay leaf) in an 8-qt. or larger stockpot, and bring to a boil over high heat, skimming froth off the top. Lower heat and simmer uncovered (so that the stock can reduce for a more concentrated flavor) for 3 hours.
Pour the stock through a colander, and collect all the stock in another large pot or bowl. Discard all the solids. Cover and refrigerate. When the stock is cool, skim the fat from the surface and either use the stock, refrigerate, or package and freeze.
Stock will last up to 5 days refrigerated and up to 3 months in the freezer.
Variations: Add any of these seasonings to taste when making the stock: fresh parsley sprigs, fresh or dried thyme, fresh dill, thick slices of fresh ginger.
Easy: Chicken stock is so easy to make that it’s hard to make it easier, but one way is to use leftovers from a rotisserie or a whole roasted bird. The seasonings and fat from the roasting will give added flavor to the stock.
Advanced: Save leftover ends of vegetables (onion skins, carrot and celery ends, garlic cloves) in a freezer bag, and use when you make stock instead of, or in addition to, whole vegetables.
Freezer Preparation: When the chicken stock is cooled, it can be poured into containers and labeled with the date and contents for the freezer. For small amounts of stock to add to sauces, freeze stock in an ice-cube tray, and once frozen, pop out the stock-cubes and store in a freezer bag for easy access. Containers of chicken stock will last for 3-6 months in the freezer.
Super Speedy: Purchase pre-made stock/broth in cans, boxes, or frozen. This is a great way to always have some available, since it is such a cooking basic. Add variety to your menus with other stocks: vegetable, beef, and fish.
Double-batch: This recipe is easy to double-batch by doubling the recipe above and using a 16-20 quart stockpot.
Enjoy!
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