Hey Hey! Step right up! It’s two for one day here at Idiot’s Kitchen!
Two delicious recipes for the low, low price (free!) of one.
Homemade chicken stock NOW and LATER…..THIS!
Yes, those are meatballs. Yes, they were delicious.
But first….Homemade (by you) Chicken Stock! It’s easy. It’s delicious. It’s cheaper than buying stock in cans from the store. It makes a LOT of stock so you can make something tasty now and also freeze those little containers of nice fresh stock for later.
Here’s what you need:
Chicken Parts*, Onion, Carrots, Celery, Black Pepper Corns, Water (not pictured) and a HUGE pot.
*Chicken Stock is a good way to use up some of the extra chicken parts you get when you buy something like a “Whole Cut Up Fryer” at the store. Those packages usually come with some little wings and a back that aren’t always used in recipes. I put them in a big zipper bag and toss them in the freezer. When the bag is full of parts, pull it out and make yourself some stock.
I’ve also purchased some leg/thigh parts at the store (on sale and really inexpensive) to add more flavor and some usable chicken meat to the stock.
You will need a GIANT pot for this stock. I’m talking HUGE. They are usually fairly inexpensive – mine came from the hardware store. If you don’t have a Stock Pot, ask someone – your mom, an aunt, a neighbor, the crazy flute player down the street if you can borrow theirs. I guarantee you that someone you know will own a stock pot.
Okay, here’s where it gets fun. Take all the ingredients above and dump them into the giant pot.
No need to peel the carrots. Just wash them, cut them into a couple of pieces and throw them in. Same for the celery. Peel the onions, chop them into quarters and toss them in.
Add some whole peppercorns for flavor. I like to wait and add salt and pepper after the stock has cooked. That way I can adjust it for whatever dish I’m making.
Fill the big pot with water so that it covers up all the chicken and the vegetables.
Put the pot on the stove on high heat and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, immediately turn it down to LOW and simmer the stock at a very gentle bubble for a few hours.
Whoa! A swirling vortex of chickeny goodness.
In spite of the trippy photo, you can see that after a few hours (I would say a minimum of 2 hours…this cooked for about 3) the water has become a lovely golden color from the chicken and the vegetables. Smells good too.
Strain out the big pieces of chicken and if they still have good meat on them, set them aside for later.
Scoop out as many of the vegetables as you can and toss/compost/recycle them. They’ve given their all for the sake of our tasty stock.
CAREFULLY pour the stock through a strainer to remove any remaining bits of chicken or veggies.
I had 7 or 8 quarts of stock. That was enough to make a HUGE pot of soup plus enough to freeze for a second pot of soup later.
I chose to freeze mine in a big batch for soup as well as some smaller containers that I can pull out of the freezer, pop in the microwave, and thaw for use in sauces and other recipes down the road.
Don’t forget to pick the meat off the remaining chicken pieces. You can use it for any number of tasty dishes like quessadillas, chicken soup, or pasta OR put it in a freezer container and save it for later.
You’ll have both stock and chicken pieces in your freezer for an easy, easy soup some other day when you’re too busy to think straight.
Grab a big pot and make some stock!
Here’s the Recipe:
9 Responses
Now you are talking Baby!!! This is CHICKEN STOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, the Italian Wedding Soup looks good. However, I make mine with ground beef and pork. More UMPH…………………… for my taste anyway………………………….