Chicken Stock

Have you ever wondered what makes soups so delicious? Well, it's all in the broth baby

And that broth is comprised mainly of chicken stock. (Or vegetable or beef stock).

So what is chicken stock exactly? Chicken stock is a great way to make use of the whole chicken. When you go to the grocery and get bone in chicken or a whole chicken, don't toss the remaining portions once you've removed the meat! Instead, use up every little bit you can, and make stock for soups and stews.

 


You start with the ingredients for a good stock:

• Chicken leftovers (bones, fat, etc)
• 1 coarsely chopped carrot
• 1 rib of celery
• 1 coarsely chopped onion
• 1 bay leaf
• Fresh thyme
• Fresh parsley
• Salt to taste (I do not salt my stock. I in turn, salt the soup when making it).

 

The rest? Simple. You put it all in the crock pot, add water till its about an inch from the top and set your timer for 10 hours on low. The great part? It can be done overnight or all day long.

When it's done simply run it through a sieve, and freeze the stock. I use plastic freezer jars that hold 16 ounces of liquid. This way, I simply grab a couple when I'm making soup, and the rest stays frozen until next time. I am able to get about 10 pints of stock. That's several batches of homemade soup! And the best part is you can then preserve your soups by canning them if you wish.

 

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