Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Straightforward Chicken Broth

Making broth from scratch is one of those almost-lost domestic arts. Which is a shame, because once you get in the swing of it, it's one of those household routines which reap a lot from a minimum of effort. That being said, it is a *big* pain to set out to make broth by going to the store and buying a chicken and a long list of special vegetables, and making a whole big Project out of it. There is a better way.

1. Have a roast chicken for dinner. That's so easy! Take it out of the bag, take out its innards, rinse and pat it dry, then stuff it with almost anything--three celery stalks, or two lemon halves, or a carrot and an onion, or if you want to be special and fancy, half a cup of currants, a handful of dried thyme, and some crushed garlic cloves. ALWAYS grind some sea salt on top.

2. After dinner, throw the whole leftover chicken carcass, and any of its stuffing vegetables, into your stockpot (don't include citrus here). Depending on what you roasted your chicken with, you will need to add to your pot until you have the following: an onion, a carrot, several celery stalks, and some garlic cloves. Seriously, that's it. I also scour the fridge for anything that might be available--leftover cooked sweet or white potatoes, wilting green onions, etc. Just don't add anything in the cruciferous family.

3. Fill your pot with water to cover everything, add a handful of salt, and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and let it go for an hour. Take it off the heat, let cool a little, then strain out the solids and let sit overnight in the fridge so the fat can solidify at the top,

4. You're done. You have a big pot of your very own stock to use in anything at all!

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I do this 2-3 times a year with a turkey. Don't know why I never thought to do it with a chicken! Duh!!:)

Thanks for all those little reminders of frugal, nurturing homemaking! BTW, I'm going to try the yogurt.

~Eyvonne

Heather K said...

sounds delicious and really easy.is the salt amount a typo?? seems like alot!

Anna said...

By "handful" I'm meaning about a tablespoon--I should probably be a little clearer!

Anna

elizabeth said...

Thank you so much for this! My mom never made broth, so I really didn't put my thought into myself until the last couple of years. It sounds so simple now after reading your directions! We have roast chicken fairly often as we are quite fond of it, so now I will try the broth when next I make it. :)

Charity Grace said...

I love "real" chicken broth. Mmmmm...

Anonymous said...

I know this comment is off-topic, but I saw this and immediately thought of your blog and Giles's as well. Martha Stewart's magazine was offering free bird embroidery templates for the birds of all the states, and I immediately thought of those pillowcases you were embroidering for your son. Here's the link if you (or anyone else) is interested.

http://marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=c1dad0f19132f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&autonomy_kw=bird%20embroidery&rsc=ns2006_m1

I've never embroidered before, but I do cross-stitch, and seeing your projects has inspired me to branch out.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Anna - what a great idea! Do you have any suggestions for storing it? Can I put it in canning jars and freeze it?

Kelly said...

If you are not faint of heart, you can add a pair of chicken feet in the mix. It adds gelatin to the broth. I get mine at the farmer's market, but you can also find them at hispanic markets.

Also, I find that the longer you cook the broth, the tastier it is. I often leave mine simmering for two or three days before straining and freezing in 1, 2, and 4 cup portions.

Darcy said...

Thanks for posting this! I have made broth before but have gone to the work of buying specific ingredients at the store and agree that it is a big chore. I think we will be having roast chicken more now!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this! I'm making stock today, even as I type.

I will miss the cold outside air (new England reader) because it is so easy to put the stock to cool on the back porch and not have to take up huge amounts of fridge space.

floorplan

JacquiG said...

I just found your blog from Charming the Birds from the Trees. How wonderful ... love it!

Where on earth do you manage to find so many vintage patterns in the right size? Some of the things you have made are beautiful. Such a talented seamstress!

I've added you to the list of blogs I check regularly. Looking forward to visiting with you often.

Karen said...

Hi Anna,
That is exactly how I make mine, too. It just taste so much better to me, and I know what is really in it.
I like to use it in place of water to cook my rice.

Anonymous said...

Mmm, I bet it smells delicious. For me the hard part wouldn't be the broth - it would be the roast chicken in the first place!

Kimberly said...

This is what I did last night with our left over chicken! Great timing. It is so easy and tastes so much better than using those little bullion cubes. Plus, it makes the house smell so good!

Heather Anne said...

I do the same thing - and it freezes beautifully in large canning jars. I often throw in a handful of fresh herbs from my garden too - rosemary, or thyme, typically. Mmmmmm!

From the lion's mouth said...

If you add a couple of spoons of vinegar, it dissolves the calcium in the bones, which makes the broth even more nutritious - and you can't taste it in the finished product.

Anonymous said...

Actually I DO buy chicken just for stock! We are lucky to have a wonderful farmer's market where I do most of my shopping - and the butcher sells backs and wings at 50 cents a pound. I roast my starters in my cast iron dutch oven for a while, then simmer on the stove for a few hours. I do this when I have time, and then I freeze the batch and always have it on hand. SO delicious!
Margo

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