Information
Notes
In Chicken Stock 1, the finished stock is what’s important here. You will also be left with 1½ cups of meat, but this should be discarded; after all that simmering, it will be tasteless fiber, having given its goodness to the stock.
In Chicken Stock 2, the cooked chicken pieces will be the featured players, to be used in a soup or another dish. Your resultant stock will still be good, but mild; if you plan to use it as a key ingredient, you will want to enrich it a little (see below).
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 pounds chicken, preferably from 1 stewing hen, or the necks, wings, backs, and feet from younger hens, or 2 whole or cut-up young broiler-fryers
- Pam cooking spray
- 2 medium onions, unpeeled, quartered
- 8 whole cloves
- 3 ribs celery with leaves, each broken in 2 or 3 big pieces
- 3 or 4 sprigs fresh parsley
- 1 medium leek, white part and several inches of green, split open lengthwise and well washed (optional)
- 1 medium parsnip, scrubbed and cut in a couple of pieces (optional)
- 2 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut in large chunks
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 6 to 8 black peppercorns
- Large pinch each of dried rosemary, thyme, sweet basil, sage, and savory, or about 1 tablespoon each chopped fresh herbs
- Large pinch of celery seeds
- 3 to 3½ quarts spring water or leftover vegetable cooking water or any mild found or secondary stock
- 1 to 2 tablespoons distilled white or cider vinegar
- 3 to 3½ quarts spring water or leftover vegetable cooking water or any mild found or secondary stock
- 1 to 2 tablespoons distilled white or cider vinegar
- 4 pounds young chicken (about two 2½-pound broiler-fryers)
- Pam cooking spray
- 2 medium onions, unpeeled, quartered 8 whole cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 whole cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 6 to 8 black peppercorns
- 3 ribs celery, with leaves, each broken in 2 or 3 big pieces
- 3 or 4 sprigs fresh parsley
- 1 medium leek, white part and several inches of green, split open lengthwise and well washed (optional)
- 1 medium parsnip, scrubbed and cut in a couple of pieces (optional)
- 2 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut in large chunks
- Large pinch each of dried rosemary, thyme, sweet basil, sage, and savory, or 1 tablespoon each chopped fresh herbs
- Large pinch of celery seeds
Directions
For Chicken Stock 1:
1. Rinse the hen or chicken parts, leaving the skin on but removing any big lumps of fat. Spray a heavy soup pot with Pam. Place the chicken pieces in the pot.
2. Stud each onion quarter with a clove. Surround the chicken with the studded onions, and add all the other vegetables and seasonings (except the fresh herbs, if you’re using them). Pour over all the cold water and vinegar.
3. Bring the liquids gradually to a boil over medium heat, then immediately turn down the heat and let simmer, uncovered, skimming any surface foam, for 2½ to 3 hours. Stir occasionally. You may replenish the water as it cooks down; otherwise, you will get a lesser amount of concentrated stock, which you can dilute later, if you wish. If you’re using fresh rather than dry herbs, add them after about 1½ to 2 hours cooking.
4. Remove the stock from the heat and strain into a clean container. Discard the solids. Let cool, uncovered, 30 minutes. If the weather is warm, speed up the cooling process by using a sink of cold water. Refrigerate or freeze the cooled stock immediately. You may defat the broth before or after chilling.
For Chicken Stock 2:
1. In a large pot—not the one in which you plan to cook the soup—bring the water or stock to a boil with the vinegar.
2. Meanwhile, stud each onion quarter with a clove. Spray a heavy soup pot with the Pam, and place the chicken in it.
3. Surround the chicken with the clove-studded onions, and add all the other vegetables and seasonings (except the fresh herbs, if using).
4. Pour over all the boiling water or stock. Bring the liquids back to a boil, then immediately turn down the heat, and let simmer, uncovered, skimming any surface foam, for about 20 minutes.
5. Cover the pot and cook. Check the chicken after about 30 minutes (add the fresh herbs now), and again after 45 minutes. The meat should be tender. If you poke it with a fork, you should be able to pull it from the bone with little effort. It should not have reached the point of completely falling off the bone on its own. Most likely, it will be ready after 1 hour of simmering over very low heat. Remove the pot from the heat when the chicken has reached this point.
6. Strain, reserving both the chicken and the stock. Discard the vegetables. Cool the chicken and stock, separately, for 30 minutes. If the weather is warm, speed up the cooling process by immersing the stock in a sink of cold water. Refrigerate or freeze the cooled stock immediately. You may defat the broth before or after chilling.
7. Pull the chicken from the bones in large pieces, discarding the skin. (Save the bones if you want to enjoy the smug feeling of canny frugality that comes from knowing you’ve wasted absolutely nothing.) Return the stripped bones to the strained stock, and cook them a second time, uncovered, for another hour or so. Strain again.
Nutritional Information
Nutritional information is based on 12 servings of Chicken Stock 1.