I saw chicken stock being sold for $9.00 for 500 mls the other day, almost the cost of a whole chicken. Which is spectacular when you think about how it is made.
Chicken stock can be made with those parts of the chicken you normally wouldn’t eat. No, you don’t have to make stock with chicken feet, this is just a photo I took at the wet markets in Hong Kong. Although this particular photo looks kind of creepy, it still looks better than the ingredients that usually make up my chicken stock. I start with a chicken carcass, left over from a roast chicken or perhaps a poached chicken with ginger scallion sauce. I use the ribs of celery for salads, and put the leaves and tips into the stockpot. Finally, chicken stock is home for the carrots that bend! This definitely not photogenic however, it doesn’t make a difference to the flavour. I’m not recommending using vegetables that are rotten, but this is perfect to use up ones that are a little past their prime.
What follows is barely a recipe, just an encouragement to try using up those forgotten vegetables, and the chicken bones you’d normally be throwing out. Give it a try. You’ll never pay top dollar for stock again.
Chicken Stock
1 chicken carcass
1 onion, quartered
2 carrots, quartered,
3 ribs of celery, or the equivalent volume in leaves and tips
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
4 black peppercorns
1. Add all ingredients to a large pot, then cover with water.
2. Simmer for 1-2 hours, the longer the better if you have the time.
3. Remove from heat and strain the stock, discarding the solids.
4. Refrigerate stock overnight. In the morning it will have developed a fine layer of fat which can be removed. Discard it if you need to keep to a low fat diet, otherwise keep it for roasting potatoes.Yum.
5. Stock will keep in the fridge for a few days, or freeze into 1 cup capacity containers to make for easy measurements down the track.
And finally, because it’s barely a recipe, I thought I’d add some links to some great blogs where you can find recipes to use all that lovely home made stock.
- A soup with Mexican flavours, best in late summer with fresh peak season corn
- A quick and colourful midweek dinner of confetti penne with shrimp
- Make sure you get help with the wrapping for wonton noodle soup
- Try the simple cauliflower soup with a secret ingredient
- A chicken pot pie, or six, will help with winter chills
- Adapt your own leftovers with this chicken casserole with dumplings
- Don’t mind a little stirring? A sausage and red pepper risotto sounds good
- Got some time up your sleeve and want to impress? How about twice cooked pork belly with toffee crisp crackling plus a cherry and brandy glaze?
And finally, although I haven’t tried it myself, I couldn’t leave you without a recipe for chicken feet could I?
What’s your favourite way to use chicken stock?
Thanks for posting this, Heather. I used to save all the leftover produce in a bag in the freezer and make stock when I had a chicken carcass – somewhere along the line I stopped doing it. I’m covered over in summer garden stuff – this is a great idea!
And thanks for the shout out – always fun to see your “name up in lights!”
You’re welcome