Homemade Chicken Stock

Chicken

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds chicken backs, all visible fat and excess skin removed
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion, halved
  • 1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
  • 1 small celery rib with leaves, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 4 parsley sprigs
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 quarts water

Directions

1. Using a heavy cleaver, chop the chicken backs into 2-to-3 inch pieces. (You may ask the butcher to do this.)

2. In a 5-to-7-quart pressure cooker, heat the oil over medium-high heat. In batches, add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

3. Pour all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pot. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 2 minutes. Return the chicken to the pot. Stir in the thyme, peppercorns, parsley, and bay leaf. Add the water.

4. Lock the lid in place. Bring to high pressure over high heat. Adjust the heat to maintain the pressure. Cook for 40 minutes.

5. Remove from the heat and release the pressure naturally. This will take about 20 minutes. (You can also quick-release the steam, but the natural-release cooks the stock a bit more to extract additional flavor.) Open the lid, tilting it away from you to block any escaping steam. Strain the stock into a large bowl. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

6. Using a large spoon, remove the chilled fat from the surface of the stock. (The stock can be prepared up to 3 days ahead, stored in an airtight container and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 6 months.)


This is the all-purpose stock that Arlene uses for her cooking classes. Many a particular chef has complimented her on its flavor. Chicken backs, with their high proportion of bones and a modest amount of skin, make the best stock. While they are available at most supermarkets, they can be collected from cut-up chickens and frozen until you have enough for a batch of stock. Save and freeze the neck and giblets - except the liver - and wings, if desired, for stock, too. Chicken wings are a second choice, as the fat in the skin will make the stock cloudy at first-it definitely needs to stand for a few hours to allow the fat to rise to the top, where it can be skimmed off.

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Submitted 1/19/06.
Source: Pressure Cooking For Everyone, Chronicle Books
Submitted By: b smith

Homemade Chicken Stock