Chicken stock is one of the great all-purpose kitchen preparations, and you’ll be surprised at how useful it is in chowder making. It is unsurpassed as a vehicle for soups and stews, providing nutrients, a luxuriant texture, and a delicious flavor. I am always amazed at how the flavor of chicken stock melts into other flavors and allows them to come through clearly. That’s why it is staple ingredient in most any culture’s soups.
Chicken stock can be used in place of fish stock or clam broth in chowder or seafood recipes. It is a necessity in corn chowder or other farmhouse chowders. It is so useful, in fact, you may want to double the recipe and keep some in the freezer.
Chicken stock is made with chicken bones, vegetables, herbs, and spices. Not all markets cut chicken as frequently as they once did, since the large processor companies have taken over the job, so it is a good idea to call your butcher or supermarket to be sure they will save them for you. Typically necks, backs, and wing tips are sold for stock and they work fine, but it helps the stock to have a few carcasses as well. Cut the carcasses into 3 or 4 pieces before using. My wife, Nancy, freezes carcasses from roast chicken dinners. When she gathers enough, she defrosts them and makes a very good stock. You can make stock from raw chicken bones, cooked chicken carcasses, or a combination of both.
Makes about 2 1/2 quarts.
INGREDIENTS
- 6 pounds chicken bones (backs, necks, carcasses, and/or wing tips)
- 3 quarts water
- 2 large onions, unpeeled, coarsely chopped
- 4 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
- 3 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 8 fresh parsley stems (italian or curly)
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 whole cloves
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- kosher or sea salt
DIRECTIONS 1. Place the chicken bones in a 6- to 8-quart stockpot, add the cold water, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon and skimming the white foam from the top of the stock. (Using a ladle and a circular motion, push the foam from the center to the outside of the pot, where it is easy to remove.) Turn down to a simmer and skim again. It is important to have a clean stock before you add the other ingredients, because the foam is impure and should not be cooked into the stock; if the stock is not clean before you add the herbs and spices, you will wind up skimming them off, altering the flavor of the recipe. However, there is no need to skim the fat; it will flavor the stock during the cooking and can be removed after straining.
2. Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, parsley stems, thyme, cloves, and peppercorns and simmer slowly for 3 hours, gently stirring a few times. Top the stock off with water if the level goes below the bones. Towards the end of the cooking time, season the stock lightly with salt and start tasting it for doneness.
3. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve. If you are not going to be using it within the hour, chill it as quickly as possible. You can skim the fat while the stock is still warm, but the easiest way is to wait until the fat solidifies at the top of the chilled stock, then just remove it in one piece. Cover the broth after it has completely cooled and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
Chef’s Notes
Leave the skin on the onion, it helps give the stock a lovely golden color.
Follow my recipe, but don’t be afraid to add a bit more chicken, onion, carrot, and/or celery. The vegetables for the stock can be coarsely chopped, in large pieces — the cooking time is ample to extract all of their flavor.
For equipment, you will need a 7- to 8-quart stockpot, a ladle, and a fine-mesh strainer.
