Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Yummy Chicken (or turkey) Stock

You hear about the benefits of chicken stock, both nutritional and culinary, almost everywhere you look. I tried for years to make it part of my arsenal but I had some kind of mental block and never succeeded in making a stock that I thought tasted any good at all. I would try to hide it in things so I couldn't taste it. I was very happy to finally figure out how the heck to make good tasting stock, so I will share it with you!

YUMMY CHICKEN (OR TURKEY) STOCK



ingredients:
1 whole chicken OR 2 whole turkey legs (thighs + drumsticks)
2-3 chicken feet, scored, optional
any extra leftover bones you have kicking around, optional
1 carrot, cut into 1-in chunks
2 stalks of celery, cut into 1-in chunks
1 onion, quartered
handful of fresh parsley
10-15 peppercorns

Put the chicken or turkey in a stockpot and cover with water. Bring up to a simmer and then discard the now scummy water. Cover the bird with water again and this time add in all the other ingredients. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam/scum that rises to the top. Lower to a bare bubble and cook for 2 hours. You don't want the stock boiling because it will make the meat very tough, so make sure it really is a bare bubble. After 2 hours, fish the chicken or turkey out of the pot and pull all the meat off the bones and save it for later. Return the bones/cartilage/skin/etc to the pot and cook for another 2 hours. Strain, bottle, and refrigerate. If you're lucky it will turn to jello in the fridge!

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The key to this, I think, is the initial discarding of the water and cooking the meat with the bones for the first bit so that the stock gets a much meatier, nicer flavor. If you cook the meat too long though it won't taste very good, so that's why you take it out halfway through and then continue cooking the bones to get some more goodness out of them. I've also found this particular blend of veggies to be pretty yummy.

24 comments:

Againstthegrain said...

I agree, chicken feet make the richest, best chicken broth. That said, I don't have chicken feet in the freezer often enough to add them to every batch of broth.

Pastured chickens make far better broth than conventional OR organic supermarket chickens, IMO.

I poach the whole chicken until the meat is cooked through, then carefully remove it (carefully because the splashes are hot and a leg or a wing can fall off in transit). I let the chicken cool a few mnutes so that I can debone it with my bare hands - most of the meat pulls off easily in pretty big chunks - and I store the boneless meat in a covered container in the fridge for easy meals later.

The bones, cartilage, and skin go back into the pot. I top up the water and add a glug of apple cider vinegar or the juice of a lemon, and I simmer a looooong time. If I'm using a slow cooker (usually), I simmer the broth for 24 hours or more, adding more water if necessary. Then I let it cool a bit, strain it to remove the large stuff, then I run it through a very fine strainer again to remove small debris, then it goes into jars, leaving room for expansion if I plan to freeze it (the top surface will bulge out in the center). When the broth is nearly room temp, I put the jars into the fridge to chill. Then I store the jars in the freezer for longer storage times. I leave the layer of fat on the top for storage, but it can be removed after it solidifies in the fridge.

Hearts and Stars said...

@againstthegrain
I like your thoughts on the stock and will have to try them. :)

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Cheap Aion Kinah said...

Put the chicken or turkey within a stockpot and include with water. take as very much as a simmer after which discard the now scummy water. include the small rodent with consuming water once more and also this time include in each of another ingredients. take to some boil and skim away any foam/scum that rises toward the top
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Andy said...

Bring to a boil and skim off any foam/scum that rises to the top. Lower to a bare bubble and cook for 2 hours.tera fashion forever map story diabloYou don't want the stock boiling because it will make the meat very tough

Lauri Hersh said...

Turkey is healthier. Even better are smaller birds like quails, pigeons and ptarmigans. Just remember to remove the skin to avoid the unhealthy fats. Chicken skin may contain harmful organisms too, if not cleaned properly.

Lauri Hersh said...

Turkey is healthier. Even better are smaller birds like quails, pigeons and ptarmigans. Just remember to remove the skin to avoid the unhealthy fats. Chicken skin may contain harmful organisms too, if not cleaned properly.

Mercedes Sprinter Van Turbocharger said...

Great, great post! It’s something I have never thought about, really, but it makes a whole lot of sense. Thanks for sharing

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caveman diet said...

Looking really great and tempting. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.

mancave2727 said...

Excellent recipe. The foundation of every great dish begins with three things: onions, garlic, great stock. This works for a myriad of dishes.

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greg said...

nice article. easy to understand, thanks for sharing. we'll try this, hoping it will turn to jello. :)

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DrFood said...

The way to make really delicious and nutritious stock is to use a pressure cooker. I save the bones and bits from our chickens (which are usually spatchcocked and roasted whole) in the freezer until I have enough to fill my Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker. I bring it up to high pressure and then I can turn the burner down to "1" for the night. Yes, I start this in the evening and let it go all night.

When I let the pot cool down and strain out the broth, it is golden and clear. (When I made broth by the long simmer method, it was cloudy.). As I pack up the bones to give to the hens, the bones are so soft they break with fingertip pressure. The broth has a lot of gel in it, and I don't generally have chicken feet or much meat in the pot. I think it's the high heat and long cooking time that wrings absolutely all of the goodness out of it.

Unknown said...

A huge round of applause, keep it up.
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crock pot goose recipes said...

This is really amazing! I would like to try that!

Anonymous said...

I get the whole chicken until cooked meat, and then carefully remove it (be careful because splash is hot, a leg or a wing can fall off in transit). I put the chicken mnutes cooler, so that I can use my hands debone - most of the meat off easily in the quite big pieces, I kept in sealed container boneless meat in the fridge convenient after dinner. cheap jerseys wholesale
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I poach the whole chicken until the meat is cooked through, then carefully remove it (carefully because the splashes are hot and a leg or a wing can fall off in transit). I let the chicken cool a few mnutes so that I can debone it with my bare hands - most of the meat pulls off easily in pretty big chunks - and I store the boneless meat in a covered container in the fridge for easy meals later.

Ethan said...

Awesome Recipe! I am gonna try this now.

Matthew @ The Lasik Method said...

Yum-yum indeed!

Chicken said...

Hmmmm. This sounds pretty
unique. I think I might give it a shot. I hope my chicken stock comes out tasting good, kinda makes me nervous.

Unknown said...

Always Bring to a boil and skim off any foam/scum that rises to the top. Lower to a bare bubble and cook for 2 hours. You don't want the stock boiling because it will make the meat very tough, so make sure it really is a bare bubble's.

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