I love recipes with zillions of options to tinker with, and stock is the quintessential mad scientist recipe.
- The Stock!
- 4 lbs. of chicken carcass pieces: Bones, neck, backs, etc.
- 2 gallons cold water
- The Aromatics!
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut in half
- 4 ribs of celery, broken in half
- 1 leek, white part only, cut in half lengthwise
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 10 sprigs fresh parsley with stems
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 to 10 peppercorns
- 2 whole cloves garlic, peeled
You’ve heard of comfort food; this is comfort aroma. Right up there with bread in the oven!
Let’s get through the instructions, then get to the fun part: the experimenting!
The Directions!
Put everything in a 12-quart or larger stock pot over high heat until it just starts to bubble. Reduce to a nice gentle simmer, scooping the scum off the surface with a fine strainer every 15 minutes for the first hour, then every 30 minutes for another two hours.
Simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 hours, topping the water off with hot water as needed, until the bones are getting soft and crumbly.
With tongs and/or a large strainer, remove the biggest pieces. Using a 4‑cup measuring cup, scoop up and pour your stock through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth into another large stock pot (YMMV, but me, I don’t like trying to pour the stock out directly from the stock pot—it’s messy, some of it will go down the drain in the sink, and it’s risky to handle a big stock pot full of hot stock).
From here you can put it back on the stove and reduce it some more if you want.
When you’re done, cool your stock down by putting it in a cooler or sink full of ice, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate overnight, then scoop any fat off the surface and store it in a covered container or containers.
The stock will keep for several days in the fridge and 3 or 4 months in the freezer.
The Experimenting!
I love recipes with zillions of options to tinker with, and stock is the quintessential mad scientist recipe.
Ingredients:
To meat or not to meet: If your carcass(es) has skin or gristle or cartilage, that’s great–you want all that to get the stock set up nice and thick.
What about meat? Depends. If you have little shreds here and there, that’s okay. If there’s more meat–leftover pieces that didn’t get eaten or whatever–leaving them in will add a bit more flavor and body, but it’ll leave more stuff to strain out, including more fat. Your call!
Does chicken stock have to be chicken? For me, it’s poultry stock, not just chicken stock. Whenever you have KFC or a rotisserie chicken or you just spatchcocked a turkey or chicken or have Peking duck leftovers, stick the carcasses in the freezer.
Turkey, duck, goose, quail, Cornish hens or anything else; toss it in there. I won’t tell if you won’t.
What about salt? Your call, but when it comes to salt, I approach stock the way I do butter: unsalted. You can’t remove salt from butter or stock, but you can always add it.
With or without aromatics? If you want plain stock–nothing but water and bird parts–go for it.
How much aromatics? Whether you’re using the aromatics in this recipe or not, it goes without saying you can tweak the daylights out of the portions.
Which aromatics? Anything you want; sky’s the limit. Chilis or chili powder; citrus fruit or zest; tomatoes, mushrooms. Some of those suggestions might make you want to hurl. Okay; don’t use them. But if you’e interested in customizing your stock, why not give it a try? You have nothing to lose but leftover chicken.
Is garbage okay? Lots of folks put veggie scraps in the freezer along with chicken carcasses. When you cut up celery, onions, carrots or other veggies, take the stuff you’d normally discard and freeze ’em for your next batch of stock.
How stocky ya want yer stock? Your call! From broth to mirepoix to demi-glace; it’s your happy little world.