Chicken Stock

The foundation for chicken noodle soup and most of the soups in this book. Almost entirely unattended — twenty minutes of work and a few hours of the pot doing its own thing. Homemade stock sets to a jiggle in the fridge, which is something boxed broth simply will not do.

IngredientsClear All

• 4 lb chicken parts — backs, wings, necks, and feet if you can get them (or 2 leftover roast chicken carcasses)
• 2 onions, quartered (leave the skins on for color)
• 3 carrots, cut in large chunks
• 3 celery stalks, cut in large chunks
• 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• Small bunch parsley stems
• 2 sprigs thyme (optional)
• About 4 quarts cold water

Instructions

1. Start cold: Put the chicken parts in a large stockpot and add cold water to cover by about an inch. Starting cold rather than dropping bones into hot water draws out more of what you want and gives you a clearer stock.

2. Bring to a bare simmer: Over medium heat, bring it up slowly until you see lazy bubbles breaking the surface every second or two — around 190°F. Do not let it boil. A rolling boil emulsifies the fat into the liquid and gives you cloudy, greasy stock that never quite recovers.

3. Skim: For the first 20 minutes, skim off the gray foam that rises. After that it stops forming and you can leave it alone.

4. Add the vegetables and aromatics: Once skimming is done, add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley stems, and thyme.

5. Simmer 3-4 hours: Partially covered, at that same bare simmer. Top up with water if the bones become exposed. It's ready when the stock tastes distinctly of chicken and the bones fall apart when pressed.

6. Strain: Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot or large bowl. Don't press on the solids — pushing them through is the fastest way to cloud an otherwise clear stock. Let it drip.

7. Cool it fast: Divide into shallow containers, or set the pot in a sink of ice water and stir occasionally. Getting it cool quickly matters — a big pot of warm stock left on the counter sits for hours in the temperature range where bacteria are happiest.

8. Chill and defat: Refrigerate overnight. The fat rises and sets into a solid cap you can lift off in one piece. Save it — schmaltz is excellent for frying potatoes or starting the soup itself.

Notes

Don't salt it. Stock is an ingredient, not a finished dish. Salt it now and you have no room later, especially in anything that reduces. Season the soup, not the stock.

The jiggle test: Good stock sets to a soft jelly when cold. That's gelatin from the collagen in bones and connective tissue, and it's what gives soup body and a mouth-coating richness. If yours stays liquid, use more collagen-rich parts next time — wings, backs, and especially feet.

Pressure cooker: 45 minutes at high pressure with a natural release gets you most of the way there. Convenient, though a long stovetop simmer still gives slightly better clarity.

Brown stock: Roast the bones and vegetables at 450°F for 30-40 minutes until deeply browned before they go in the pot. Deeper, roastier flavor — better for gravies and braises than for a clean chicken noodle soup.

Make ahead: This is the whole point. Make a big batch and portion it.

Storage:

• Refrigerator: 4 days
• Freezer: 6 months
• Freeze in 1-cup and 2-cup portions so you can thaw what a recipe actually calls for. An ice cube tray gives you 2-tablespoon cubes, perfect for pan sauces.

Tips:

• Save vegetable trim and roast chicken carcasses in a freezer bag; when it's full, you have a batch of stock
• Skip cruciferous scraps (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower) — they turn stock sulfurous
• Skip starchy vegetables like potatoes, which cloud it

Source

Family recipe.