Easy Chicken Stock
Making chicken stock is an art that requires a large stockpot and patience. The ingredients that go into this staple are very flexible, so omit or add whatever you want as long as the carcass, water, and vinegar remain. The vinegar draws out important nutrients from the chicken bones that enhance the health benefit of making your own stock. If you use a raw carcass, roast the bones in the oven for a few hours to enhance the flavor before adding the carcass to your stockpot.
Makes
Serving size
Ingredients
1 roasted chicken carcass, skin removed
Water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
4 celery stalks, chopped into 2-inch pieces
2 sweet onions, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, cut into 2-inch chunks
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
5 fresh thyme springs
5 fresh parsley stems
1⁄2 teaspoon black peppercorns
Instructions
- Put the chicken carcass in a large 4- to 6-quart stockpot, cutting it into smaller pieces to make it fit, if needed.
- Cover the carcass with water until the liquid covers the carcass by about 1 inch, and add the apple cider vinegar.
- Place the stockpot over medium heat until the liquid simmers and then reduce the heat to low so that it simmers very gently.
- Simmer the carcass for 5 to 6 hours, adding more water if the top of the carcass gets exposed.
- Skim off any accumulated foam on the stock.
- Add the celery, onion, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, and peppercorns to the stockpot.
- Simmer for 2 hours, adding more water if required to keep the ingredients covered.
- Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer and discard the solids.
- Let the stock cool, and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Cooking Tip
Dialysis modification: When the stock is finished, add water to increase the volume and reduce the amount of potassium. As many as 3 or 4 cups of water will not dilute the chicken taste too much, but make sure to taste as you add water to reach an acceptable flavor.
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