Chicken Stock

So.  You roasted a chicken and you are cleaning up the kitchen after dinner and you are wondering what to do with the leftover bones and this massive carcass on your serving platter.  Throw it out, right?  WRONG!  Plop it into a large plastic bag and save it to make chicken stock - a staple of every kitchen.

While you can buy perfectly acceptable stock at any grocery store, nothing beats the flavor of the homemade stuff.  Use it for soup, saute veggies with it, freeze it for another day - there are endless uses for it.  You will need to dedicate a block of time (2-3 hours), but for the most part you can leave it to simmer while you do whatever else you need to do around the house.  While this is not a project to start at 8 o'clock at night, it is perfect for a slow lazy weekend day of laundry or a quiet rainy weekday at home with the kids.

If you cannot make the stock within a day or so of cooking the chicken (or if you do not have enough bones and such with which to make the stock), just freeze the carcass for a later date.  You can also ask your butcher or market if they have any spare parts lying around that you can have.  Of course, you can also use the leftovers of those rotisserie chickens you can buy pre-cooked at the store - waste not, want not.  

Basic Chicken Stock

Feel free to play with the proportions - add more chicken, onion, carrot or celery, or spices - to fit your taste.  If you do not have celery - leave it out!  Don't have fresh thyme?  Dried will work just as well.  Bottom line - if it smells good and tastes good, it will be good.  The veggies can be coarsely chopped because they will end up being cooked long enough to extract all their flavor.

Ingredients:

6 pounds chicken bones (backs, necks, carcasses, or a combination).
3 quarts water, or enough to cover the chicken bones
2 large onions, unpeeled, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 dried bay leaves
8 fresh parsley stems
6 sprigs fresh thyme
3 whole cloves
3 whole allspice
2 tsps black peppercorns
Kosher salt

Place the chicken bones in a large stockpot, add the cold water and bring to a rapid boil.  Foam will start to accumulate at the top of the stock - make sure to skim it off with a ladle or a spoon. Turn down the heat and keep skimming.  When the stock is clean, and little (if any) foam accumulates, you can add the veggies and other spices.  Let everything simmer slowly for around 3 hrs, gently stirring from time to time.  If the water level dips below that of the bones, add some more. When the three hours is almost up, taste and season with salt.  

Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve.  If you are not going to use it right away, chill it in an ice water bath.  Allow the stock to cool slightly, and then skim off the fat from the top.  Cover the broth after is has completely cooled and keep it refrigerated for 2 or three days.  You can keep it frozen for 1-2 months.