Stock Tip - Chicken Stock

I know you might be asking yourself why would I go to all of this trouble to make stock when you can now buy quality stocks and bouillon bases at your local grocery store. Let me present several reasons why you would make your own. First and foremost: control. The stocks you purchase at the store are already seasoned and in lots of cases are too salty. When I make my own stock, I always make it with future creations in mind. As an example, I almost always add wine to the stock because all of the applications will taste better with wine added to the stock. Secondly: cost. The stocks at the store are affordable but with very little incremental cost, you can create a very flavorful stock. Lastly: it is effortless to make. Stocks are very easy to create and store. Typically, all I am doing is assembling stored ingredients with very little preparation and adding water, then shortly after you have a great stock.

Great stock comes from preparation, effort and technique. First, preparation to make a stock? Well first you must start by collecting stuff that you likely would be throwing away now. Please refer to Waste Not Want Not article on how to collect and store ingredients. With a small amount of effort across several weeks of collecting ingredients along with assembly and cook time, you can have a great stock. The great thing about this technique is that it will make a great stock with many uses every time.

A quick story, I was involved in preparing a plated dinner for 50 and we needed beef stock for the main dish. We had been cutting up onions, celery and carrots. One of the sous chefs mistakenly tossed the round celery root end into the trash and our master chef asked “why did you throw that celery root end away?” The response from the sous chef was because we can’t use it. We promptly pulled the celery root out of the empty trash can and washed it off and made sure it was safe to still use, and into the stock pot it went. Then and there, I decided that every part of an ingredient has value.

One of the perfect situations to make a great stock is after a holiday when you have leftover rotisserie chicken or turkey carcass from holiday celebrations. We attended Thanksgiving at a friends’ house where we had two full turkey carcasses leftover and I asked what the hosts were going to do with the leftovers. Needless to say, I was making stock an hour or so after we got home from our holiday celebration.

Stock Ingredients

1 leftover chicken or turkey carcass (you could buy a whole chicken and boil it if you don’t have a leftover carcass)

1 whole large onion quartered and/or leftover stored onion scraps

3 whole large chopped carrots and/or carrot scraps

3 large chopped celery sticks and/or celery scraps

All of any other stored vegetables

2 tablespoons of thyme (dried is preferred)

2 tablespoons of rosemary (dried is preferred)

2 tablespoons of sage (dried is preferred)

2 tablespoons of parsley (dried is preferred)

1 tablespoon of salt

1 tablespoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

1 bottle of your favorite white cooking wine (I really like Fetzer)

5 quarts of water (fill up your stock pot to about 1 inch from the top)

Cooking the Stock (Prep Time 10 mins, Total Time 2 hours)

Set up your cutting board with a towel, knife, celery, carrot, onion and any fresh herbs you are using.

Cutting board with knife, celery, carrots, onion and white wine

Cut the onion in eighths by slicing in half. Take the half onion and cut into quarters

Cutting the onion

Cut the carrots into 1 1/2 inch pieces

Cutting carrots

Cut celery into 1 1/2 inch pieces

Cutting celery

In a large stock pot over medium heat (I use a 24 quart stock pot I have had for years), place water and chicken and bring to a boil.

Stock pot with water and chicken. Notice this is leftover chicken. I fill the pot about 1/3 full before putting the chicken into the pot.

Add onions to the pot

Adding onions

Add the carrots to the pot

Adding carrots

Add the celery to the pot

Adding celery

Add the white wine to the pot

Adding white wine

Optional step: add the chicken base or bouillon to the pot to fortify the flavor

Add the chicken base

Add your herbs to the pot. Note: I am using some fresh parsley here because I had it on hand. Typically, you only want to use fresh herbs for soups, stocks or sauces in situations where you add them at the end.

Adding herbs

Check the salt level and add some salt, but not too much because this is not your final product. If it is too salty now it will only get more salty.

Adding salt

Adding pepper to the pot

Adding pepper to the pot

Add additional water to bring the water level to about 1 inch from the top of the pot. Potentially, based on your stock pot size, you will add around 2 more quarts. Simmer over medium heat for a minimum for 2 hours

Use a wire mesh strainer over a bowl (large enough to catch the liquid), pour the stock through the strainer into the bowl.

Straining stock through wire strainer

Now pour the stock back into the stock pot, taste and add your final seasoning of salt and pepper. Remember this is a base to start another dish so go easy on final seasoning.

Let it cool to room temperature.

Place cooled stock into storage containers and freeze.

Note: All types of scraps make the best stocks. For example: shrimp shells or meat trimmings

Bon Appetit!.