 |
Basic Chicken Stock Recipe | |
Chicken | |
|
Ingredients:
1 roaster (5-7 pounds)chicken giblets, except liver 1 large bay leaf 2 whole cloves 1 teaspoon white peppercorns 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried 4 quarts water or enough to cover chicken generously 1 cup dry white wine, optional 2 medium onions, quartered 2 large carrots, sliced 2 ribs celery, sliced 1 leek, white part only, cleaned and sliced, optional 1 bunch fresh parsley, stems only 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Directions:
Remove giblets from roaster and discard bird-watcher thermometer, if it has one. Place roaster along with giblets in a large stockpot (8 to 10 quarts) or other large sauce pot. Wrap bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, and thyme in cheesecloth as bouquet garni; tie closed with string.Add to stockpot along with remaining ingredients. Cover pot and simmer over medium-low heat for 2-1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Carefully skim stock from time to time with a ladle or spoon to remove fat particles and foam. To check roaster for doneness, pull back a leg or cut into meat close to bone; it is cooked when no pink color remains in meat. Remove pieces with a slotted spoon. Cut away meat from bones and return bones to stock; simmer 30 minutes longer. (See Chapter 10: Cooking with Leftovers for uses for the cooked meat.) Strain stock through a fine sieve. If you want, prepare in advance to this point and refrigerate or freeze. Skim off top fat before using. To make a soup, bring as much stock as needed to a simmer. Then follow the soup recipe, adding chicken, vegetables, thickeners, seasonings, and garnishes. Makes about 8 cups
If you need to, you can make the following substitutions for the roaster: 1 stewing hen or spent fowl (5-7 pounds); 2 fresh young chickens (2-4 pounds); or 6 pounds fresh chicken parts, preferably dark meat portions. Cooking times for meat will vary from 3 hours for stewing hens or spent fowl, to 1-1/2 hours for 2 smaller birds to slightly less time for parts. In each case, time from beginning of simmer and return bones to stock for an additional 1/2 hour after you've removed the meat.
Chicken stock is delicious served as a simple broth with herbs, shredded or julienne vegetables, slivers of meat, or rice. It also is the base from which countless other soups are made.
| |