Chicken stock

Basic recipe – 3½ liter (3 UK quarts, 3.7 US quarts)

Commercial chicken stock is often a rather pale liquid. The taste is salty and artificial. Just try making this chicken stock and taste how a simple chicken broth should REALLY taste. To begin with: chicken stock is made with a soup chicken which weighs about 3 kilogram [6.6 lbs], NOT with the miserable little chickpieces that are sold in some supermarkets under the name of “soup chicken”.
There are some links in the recipe to the tips & tricks of broth making. There you can find descriptions of how to strain, reduce, cool and keep your broth. Because that is the same for all broths and stocks, this information is gathered on one page. On that page you can also find links to other recipes for stocks and soups. Recipe for Chinese chicken stock. Recipe for leftover chicken meat.
For 3.5 liter soup liter soep; preparation in advance 20 minutes; preparation 8 hours + straining and reducing the stock.

1 half soup chicken (6 pounds)
500 gr (5.5 cups) leeks
500 gr (4 cups) carrots
250 gr onions (organic), with skin
3 stalks stem celery
1 sprig of thyme
freshly ground white pepper
some pieces of mace
2 bay leaves
4 to 5 liter water

Preparation

A soup chicken has a lot of fat. To get rid of that, roast the chicken in a hot oven (220 °C/425 °F) until it is browned. The fat will have melted, which makes degreasing the finished stock later a lot less work. This chicken fat is called schmalz in Jewish cuisine, it can be used in preparing fried dishes. If you want to keep the fat, strain it and keep it in a closed jar in the refrigerator.
Prepare the vegetables: wash, clean and chop them. The dried onion skins are also washed and added to the stock, they’ll give a lovely colour to it.

Preparation in advance

Transfer the chicken to the soup pan. Add all vegetables, herbs and spices, and the water. Bring to the boil, skim the surface if necessary. Now lower the fire, cover the pan with a lid, and let it simmer for at least eight hours. Your whole house will be permeated with the divine smell of well made stock.

Strain the stock, and reduce to two litres, then let it cool quickly. Now you can freeze what you don’t need immediately.
Do not forget to label your frozen stock, in the freezer all stocks look alike.

Basic recipe for chicken stock
Home made chicken stock is a treat. And the chicken meat that was used in making the stock, can be used again in salads and other dishes.
© Author Christianne Muusers