Basic Chicken Broth and Gravy
Updated February 23, 2016 
Two pounds of chicken backs may be used if you don’t plan to roast chicken. At home I always buy bone-in chicken breasts, debone the breasts, and freeze the bones to be used for broth at a later date.
Canned chicken broth may be substituted for the Basic Chicken Broth, but be sure to eliminate the salt from the recipe.
4 cups
CostInexpensive
Total Timehalf-day
Make Ahead RecipeYes
Kid FriendlyYes
One Pot MealYes
Five Ingredients or LessYes
Taste and Texturesavory
Type of Dishsauces, stock
Ingredients
- 1 carrot, chopped
- ½ large onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 whole peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 parsley sprigs
- 2 quarts chicken bones (2 skinless carcasses from 2 roasted chickens)
- 5 cups water
- 2-3 cups Basic Chicken Broth (above)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- Salt to taste
Instructions
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In a large soup pot set over high heat, combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and remove any scum that has formed on top. Simmer for 30 minutes, cool for 10 minutes, then strain, discard the solids, and refrigerate the broth. The chicken fat can easily be removed from the surface when the broth is cold.
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In a medium saucepot over high heat, reduce the broth to about 1 cup. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and the cream, then whisk this into the reduced broth. Whisk until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens. Set aside in a warm water bath until ready to serve. Taste for salt and add up to ½ teaspoon.
1996 Elizabeth Terry
