For His Master's Veneration: Taking Stock!

There are certain things you need to know how to do.

A magic building block for cooking is homemade chicken stock. So set aside a weekend you want to create, learn, and fill your house with the most wonderful aromas. Yes you could BUY commercial renderings waste money and cut corners. But when you have time, why not use it to create.

This easy homemade chicken stock is the perfect base for any soup and can be added to your favorite recipes.

Be aware, first time stock makers, this stock will NOT taste like soup, bouillon, store bought stock or broth (even low-sodium), as there is NO salt in this recipe. However when you use it for a recipe, add salt and the flavors will explode. Chicken stock gains it’s flavor and nutrition from a slow-simmering of the bones. Here we add lemon juice –you wont taste it- to bring the nutrients out of the bones.

(Say on Friday night)

First step:

2-3 chicken breasts (bone in)

Pull your chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking to take the chill off and ensure a more even cooking time.

Pre heat oven to 425 degrees, rub with oil place on cooking rack over foil lined pan

Plan on 15-18 minutes of cooking time per pound, Temp should be 160 degrees.

Add about 45 minutes plus to cool enough to handle, wrap with wax paper and place in zipper bag, place in refrigerator for 1 hour then freeze.

Saturday to make the stock!

A good chicken stock should be aromatic, have a mild savory flavor, and a body that may even coagulate slightly when chilled.

Chicken stock is usually compiled of 4 important components: chicken, water, aromatic vegetables (garlic, onions, celery, carrots), and herbs (thyme, rosemary, bay leaves).

It is entirely up to you what ingredients you decide to add to your stock; however, you will want to make sure you have included these components.

Ingredients:

5 lbs of chicken:

2 pounds chicken wings or drumsticks

4 lbs chicken

1 lbs onion Leave the skins on your onions to add great color.

½ lbs carrots include the tops

½ lbs celery include the tops

head of garlic cut in half

1 Tbs lemon juice

Several sprigs of thyme

Several sprigs of parsley

Ready?

Choose a pot taller than it is wide. Toss in chicken, wings and giblets, but never the liver. That would cloud the stock.

Add water to cover the bones and wings and bring to a boil, remove from heat and pour all this first water off.

While this is coming to a boil, do your cutting: Quarter the onions, remember leave the skins on!

Chop the celery and carrots and place in a large bowl.

Slice the head of garlic in half sideways.

Lay out the thyme and the parsley; Wrap with a cotton string.

Now that you have poured out the first boiling water, add the vegetables and spices, then refill with fresh water, bring back to boll, reduce to simmer.

Skim the scum from the stock with a spoon or fine mesh strainer every 10 to 15 minutes for the first hour of cooking and twice each hour for the next 2 hours. Use a large ladle held parallel to the surface of the stock. If you place the stockpot off center on the burner, fat and foam will accumulate in the coolest area, making it easier to skim.

By throwing out the first boil you may find you have already taken out most of the scum and your skimming will be easy.

After 1 hour, remove the whole chicken and let it cool enough to be handled.

Don't flinch from this, it will be so easy the meat falls off the bone!

Throw out pieces of skin or grizzle. If there is doubt about a piece of meat, pitch it you will have MORE than enough. Prepare to bag and possibly freeze for casseroles and soups latter.

Now add that Tbs of lemon juice – no more, don't worry you wont taste it but it will draw out all kinds of good stuff from the bones, oh by the way be sure to put them back in the still simmering stockpot. Continue to barely simmer the stock 2 hours.

When that is back in the pot, go ahead and cut up the chicken and bag it for soup use latter.

Throw out pieces of skin, Clean up the counters and wash up any prep. dishes!

Now after the cooking process is over, remove the bones and vegetables with a slotted spoon, pour the liquid through a strainer into a large pot or two.

THIS NEXT STEP IS IMPORTANT

Once the stock drops below 135 degrees, you have four hours to get it below 41 degrees (to put in refrigerator) or it is not safe. Do not let it sit on counter. If you leave it on the counter, it’ll drop to 75 in about six hours. If you put it in the refrigerator, the internal temp will still be above 75 in 4 hours.

Some say cool immediately in large cooler of ice or a sink full of ice water to below 40 degrees. However I suggest that now is the time you take the frozen cooked chicken breasts out of their bags and wrappings and plunge them into the stock. They will act like huge ice cubes but will not melt!

Leave them to cool down both pots. It might take about an hour, but then you will be safe.

When stock is cooled, remove the cooked breasts and cut off the meat to bag for the soup.

Check with a thermometer to make sure temps are below at least 50 degrees before refrigerating the stock.

The next day you can remove solidified fat from surface of liquid and store in container with lid for 2 to 3 days or in freezer for up to 3 months. Prior to use, bring to boil for 2 minutes. I usually freeze some in both 1 and 2-cup portions, and I also sometimes freeze stock in ice cube trays just in case I just “need a little” for making sauce or rice.

Here may I suggest home made chicken soup!

Chicken Farmhouse Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 can diced potatoes

2 carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch rounds

2 celery stalks, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

1 cup frozen peas

2-3 cups shredded chicken (use chicken from the frozen breasts and supplement if needed)

8 cups your homemade chicken broth
1 tsp salt + ½ tsp pepper to taste Remember salt will bring the flavors out now!

Directions:

Do your cutting: peel and cut the carrots, dice the celery, chop the onion.

Warm a Tbs of butter or oil in a dutch oven on the stove top.

Add the onions and stir for about 6 minutes until they start to turn translucent.

Add the celery and carrots. Stir for another 4 minutes.

Pour 8 cups of homemade chicken stock into pot. Use this to loosen any bits on the bottom of the pan. Now add the salt & pepper. Stir in the drained potatoes and bring to a low boil then reduce heat to a simmer.

Cook for 20 minutes before adding 1 cup frozen peas and the chopped chicken meat.