Making Chicken Stock from Leftover Bones

A Recipe for Golden Chicken Broth

Oct 2, 2009 Colette Haydon John

Make your roast chicken go further by simmering the leftover carcass and scraps with some basic aromatics for a delicious homemade broth.

Making your own stock is such a comforting and rewarding process, and keeping a store of homemade chicken stock in the freezer means you always have a flavoursome base on hand for whipping up a soup, sauce or risotto. Packaged ‘fresh’ stocks have been appearing on store shelves recently, but the good ones are very expensive, especially considering how cheap and easy it is to make at home.

The recipe below is for a ‘golden chicken stock’ made from roasted bones and skin. It has a richer flavour than the ‘white chicken stock’ a French chef might make with a raw chicken, and the beauty of it is that you can enjoy your roast chicken and make stock from the leftovers that usually end up in the bin. The optional ingredients listed depend on what you have in the cupboard, or if you want to experiment with the flavour. Remember though that in most cases you want a stock that can be stored for a variety of dishes, so never overdo the herbs, and never add salt.

A Recipe for Golden Chicken Broth

Main Ingredients

• Roasted chicken parts (1-2 carcasses or equiv. bones, skin, cartilage, meat)
• 8 peppercorns
• 1 large carrot, halved
• 1 stick celery and celery leaves
• 1 brown onion with skin, halved
• 1 bay leaf

Optional Ingredients

• 1 tomato halved
• 100ml white wine
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 3 juniper berries
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 small sprig of tarragon
• 1 sprig of parsley and/or parsley stalks
• Chicken gizzards from 1-2 birds, raw or cooked

Freeze Your Leftover Chicken Carcasses

The first step is to keep a bag or container in the freezer labelled for leftover bones and carcasses. Any meat, gizzards, skin, cartilage and bones can go straight in the freezer after dinner to go in the stock pot at a later date.

Combine Ingredients and Water

Prepare and place all the main ingredients in a large pot. Cover with cold water generously to approximately 7cm above the chicken carcass.

Simmer for Four Hours

Bring to a simmer, adjusting the heat so it never reaches boiling point. Gently simmer for four hours with the lid off, occasionally skimming off any foam that develops on the surface with a large spoon.

Cool and Sieve

After four hours turn off the heat and leave stock to cool until it can safely be strained through a fine sieve. Discard the simmered bones and vegetables.

The fat in the stock can be removed by chilling it in the refrigerator so the fat solidifies on top and can be scooped out, but this is optional.

If you require reduced stock or would prefer a richer concentrate, boil the sieved stock until reduced to one quarter of the original volume.

Storing the Stock

The stock can be stored for 2-3 days in the refrigerator, or frozen. You might like to store a range of quantities, such as 2 litre jugs for soups and 500ml portions for sauces and gravy. Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli suggests freezing your stock in ice cube trays then transferring them to a bag in the freezer so you can defrost precise amounts as needed.

Defrosting Portions

Containers or frozen stock can be defrosted in the refrigerator the day before or in a saucepan on the stove. Loosen the frozen stock by placing the container in hot water, then drop into a saucepan and heat gently.

It’s that easy, and just wait until you try the delicate yet flavoursome base a homemade stock provides. A simple broth or a creamy risotto are only moments away.

The copyright of the article Making Chicken Stock from Leftover Bones in Recipes is owned by Colette Haydon John. Permission to republish Making Chicken Stock from Leftover Bones in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Golden Chicken Stock

What do you think about this article?

---

NOTE: Because you are not a Suite101 member, your comment will be moderated before it is viewable.

post your comment

What is 6+3?