Perfect Chicken Stock

Perfect Chicken Stock

DSC08438_1.jpg
Sorry if you were expecting another art shot. I chose this brightly coloured pottery bowl to illustrate how clear chicken stock should be, not tantalize you with a new soup.

I have a confession. Until recently, I didn’t understand the fuss about homemade stock. No wonder. I’d been doing it all wrong. I would dump chicken bones in a pot with veggies, bring the whole mess to a boil and forget about it for a few hours. The resulting stock looked murky and tasted uninspired.

After a bit of research and taste testing, I realized properly made chicken stock can be a dish all on its own. Really. I had a bowl last night, hoping to ward off what feels like a very determined cold. The clear, hot broth was surprisingly flavourful and soothing. Although my nose is still a bit congested, my mouth is convinced that homemade is the way to go.

While I’ll still use commercial low-sodium stock for highly spiced or creamed soups, homemade stock will be the only base for my clear soups from now on.

This is also the ideal multi-tasking dish. If you’re going to be home for a few hours make a big batch while you go about your business. Just be sure to check it every so often to skim off any residue that rises to the top and ensure it’s not boiling. In a few hours, your house will smell wonderful and you’ll have a batch of delicious, inexpensive and potentially cold-curing broth.

No real recipe is required if you follow these basic steps:

Perfect Chicken Stock
Printable “recipe”

  • Use only fresh chicken bones (or freshly frozen)
  • Cover the bones with cold water
  • Do not boil, only bring it to a gentle simmer and leave uncovered
  • Skim the stock occasionally, making sure you don’t disturb the liquid too much
  • Add chopped veggies after a half hour to an hour
  • Don’t rush the process, simmer 3 to 4 hours for maximum flavour
  • Add the herbs in the last half hour (parsley, bay leaf, thyme, whole pepper corns are classic)
  • When done, strain thoroughly (if you don’t have cheesecloth, strain through coffee filters, you’ll be shocked at the residue that’s left behind)
  • Skim off fat (easier if you chill in the fridge so it solidifies)

Not sure how much to use? You won’t have to worry about accurate measurements if you follow these guidelines:

  1. Fill the pot 2/3 with chicken bones and cover with 1 inch water.
  2. Use 3 parts chicken to 1 part mirepoix (fancy French term for a mix of chopped onions, carrots and celery.
  3. The classic mirepoix ratio is 2 parts onion to 1 part carrots and 1 part celery.
  4. Salt is usually 1 tsp for every quart (or 4 litres) of water.

Now that I have a lovely clear, homemade broth, I’ll go make the soup I’d intended to share with you in the first place.

44 Comments
  • Tom
    Posted at 12:59h, 23 October

    Thanks for the tips. I made chicken stock for the first time a few weeks ago, but I boiled it and added the veggies early.

    Do you know why the vegetables are added later?

  • Tom
    Posted at 12:59h, 23 October

    Thanks for the tips. I made chicken stock for the first time a few weeks ago, but I boiled it and added the veggies early.

    Do you know why the vegetables are added later?

  • Christie's Corner
    Posted at 13:49h, 23 October

    Tom, boiling the stock won’t kill you. It just won’t return the best possible results.

    Why hold off on the veggies? Adding them a bit later (once the stock has become clear again) gives the water a chance to soften the gelatin and proteins from the bones and cartilage and release any impurities. Of course, this assumes you’ve skimmed the surface clean. No point in holding off on the mirepoix otherwise.

    I know some recipes call for sauteing the veggies first and adding bones and water later, but it’s so much easier to get clear stock when you aren’t skimming around chunks of vegetables.

    Hope this helps and happy soup making.

  • Tom
    Posted at 17:03h, 23 October

    One more question, then: why is clear important? Do notice a flavor / mouth feel difference or simply for looks? Thanks!

  • Dana McCauley
    Posted at 17:45h, 23 October

    Hmm…I thought I left a comment earlier but I guess I just meant to leave one…I could be losing it!

    Anyhow, glad you are making and enjoying your own stock. It really is a great way to save money and to make your food tastier.

  • Christie's Corner
    Posted at 19:24h, 23 October

    Dana, apparently Blogger was having issues today and not all comments went through. It’s not you!

    Tom, ask away! While clarity is pretty, a clear stock also indicates you removed all the fat and impurities. If you let the stock boil, these get emulsified into the stock and can’t be removed. An emulsified stock will not just be cloudy, but also greasy. With the impurities incorporated into the stock, it won’t taste quite as good.

    I wouldn’t worry about this too much if you’re making a very flavourful soup, but if you’re going to use it in something like a chicken noodle soup, you want the best broth possible.

  • Cheryl
    Posted at 21:42h, 23 October

    What an excellent reminder for me to check my stock of chix stock I keep on hand in the freezer. Depleted! Now I know what I’ll be doing this weekend…

  • FRANCESCA
    Posted at 00:21h, 24 October

    My mother would always make a large pot of stock as soon as anyone had the sniffles and it was a miraculous cure for the cold in our home. No wonder they call it “Jewish Penicillin!”

    http://www.jewishpenicillin.com/

    Simmering, not boiling is the key and it was only a few years ago that I learned another little trick from an elderly Italian lady who made the best “brodo” imaginable. I couldn’t understand why my broth didn’t turn out as well as hers – I was following her method. One day while visiting her house she had the pot simmering, the aroma was divine. I thought I was helping her and went to “STIR” the broth and she literally screamed at me “NOoooo, you don’t stir it! that makes it milky!”
    Lesson I learned: Don’t STIR the brodo, let it simmer!

  • Divawrites
    Posted at 09:15h, 24 October

    Oh sure..AFTER I’ve made the turkey soup…Oh well, I have another bag of bones in the freezer. I’ll have to try this. I always made the broth and then put it in the fridge overnight and skimmed the fat that way once it had solidified. I’ll have to try your way, since even my kid will eat homemade soup.
    does this work for beef broth too?

  • Christie's Corner
    Posted at 09:45h, 24 October

    Francesca, great story. Yes, no stirring is another point. You want to disturb the stock as little as possible.

    Dive Lisa, the straining removes residue, not fat. You should be skimming the fat along with the impurities, so there won’t be a lot left, but there will be some. You can chill the stock and remove the remaining fat as normal. I should have put that down.

    This stock will work with beef bones, although you might want to make a dark stock for added flavour with beef. This requires you caramelize the meat and vegetables by baking them first. The rest of the technique is the virtually the same.

  • Lisa magicsprinkles
    Posted at 20:26h, 24 October

    Huh- I’ve always used the dump it all in the pot method. I need to try this one out!

  • Bob LaGatta
    Posted at 02:46h, 25 October

    I don’t know on how I stumbled upon this cooking blog., All I know is that I’d better check out the archives for a good read. Ha-ha! Just droppin’ to say hi!
    Oh. You might want to check this out: http://www.technocooks.com for uhm…a different “menu.”
    i could try this at home. clear chicken stock thru slow simmering FOR HOURS…whew sounds like slave labor(ok im exagerrating)

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 20:14h, 21 August

    Yes, by fresh, I do mean uncooked. Bones that are fresh from the butcher or fresh and then frozen before cooking work well.

    Using cooked chicken will yield what is technically called a broth. Although we tend to use the terms “stock” and “broth” interchangeably, there is a slight difference. Broth remains liquid when refrigerated. It has flavour but is watery. Stock should be gelatenous when refrigerated and even when heated maintains a fullness often referred to as “mouthfeel.” Uncooked bones provides true stock as the marrow and cartilege hasn’t been cooked out of them and this is what provides the gelatin.

    If you can’t find stewing hens (some small butchers in our area have them on occasion), you can ask your butcher if he/she sells chicken backs. Mine does, and they are usually frozen. These work well for stock and tend to be inexpensive. That said, when I need boneless chicken for a recipe, I buy bone-in chicken, debone it myself and then freeze the bones in ziplock bags until I’m ready to make stock. I always leave a good bit of meat on the bones to provide flavour. The resulting stock is tasty and fairly gelatenous due to the high bone-to-water ratio.

    I hope this helps and that you can once again enjoy good homemade chicken stock.

  • Barbara Lashinsky
    Posted at 18:43h, 21 August

    How does one get “fresh” chicken bones? I’m assuming you mean uncooked bones? I have tried using bones from a cooked chicken and have not been happy with the results. Ever since the old fashioned stewing hens are no longer available I cannot make good chicken broth.

  • Barbara Lashinsky
    Posted at 19:46h, 23 August

    Thanks for your help. Years ago I did have a butcher that gave me chicken backs and necks with no charge and also veal bones that make an unusual gelatin texture. Seems today all the chicken comes in ready to sell. Difficult to find those small butcher shops where the butchers did all of their own cutting and cleaning the chickens. Even nice large marrow bones are hard to find.
    I must hunt up a small butcher shop. There must be one somewhere in my city.
    Thanks for the suggestions.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 00:30h, 26 August

    At the Farmers’s Market on Saturday, I saw a sign saying “Soup Hens — great for stock!” and thought of you. I’m not sure where you live, but perhaps you can find them at your local Farmers’ Market? Good luck. Nothing beats a good chicken stock!

  • Barbara Lashinsky
    Posted at 12:27h, 26 August

    Great! Did you buy one? My daughter’s mother-in-law swears by using pullets for chicken soup. She gets them at a speciality meat shop. I have never seen any where I live, which is steak country. And I am not fond of too much meat,
    I have never seen “Soup Hens” any where here.
    But thanks for the idea – I will ask the buthchers at various stores I go to.
    At the moment soup of any kind does not appeal since the temps have been in the high 90 degrees.

  • Barbara Lashinsky
    Posted at 14:33h, 03 February

    Well, I finally found a small store that cuts some of their own chicken. But all they had so far was chicken backs all wrapped and frozen. I have three large packages in my freezer and they will save more for me. No charge For a while they were charging well over a dollar a pound for these that they now throw away.
    Unfortunately when I moved to an apartment a few years ago I gave almost my whole house away including my stock pot. I have a couple of large soup pots that I will try to use when I get around to it.
    I’m guessin the pot needs to be filled with the chicken and then whatever amount of water that will go in?
    And then go from there with whatever you would normally use for your stock?
    Thanks for any help.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 14:44h, 03 February

    I’m glad you found a source for chicken backs. Homemade stock is certainly worth the effort.

    Yes, you can make chicken stock in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. You don’t need a huge stock pot. Just fill the pot 2/3 full with bones, then add enough cold water to cover the bones by about 1-inch. Follow the instructions for simmering and adding the other flavour components. The principle is the same as with a large batch. You’ll just be making a smaller amount.

    I hope this helps!

  • Barbara Lashinsky
    Posted at 16:59h, 05 February

    Thanks and so much easier to handle two large soup pots than one giant one. Will wait until next week when I pick up my next batch of bones to see how it works.
    Not sure what to add besides carrots, celdery, onion and some seasoning.
    Any good tips for additions?

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 17:07h, 05 February

    I’m glad you found the answer helpful!

    When it comes to seasoning stock, it’s best to keep things simple so the stock is as versatile as possible. You don’t want strong flavours like cauliflower or broccoli or cabbage. Carrots, celery and onion is the classic vegetable combination, and quite affordable. For seasoning, other than salt, I usually add whole peppercorns, thyme, and a bay leaf. This produces a tasty but accommodating stock for almost any soup or stew — plus I can add the flavours I want at the time I make the final dish.

    Good luck with you stock!

  • Barbara Lashinsky
    Posted at 17:35h, 05 February

    Thank you, thank you. Will let you know how this turns out when I finally do make it.
    When I think what great stock I used to make and all due to the kinds of hens we were able to purchase. Now so much comes to the stores already packaged and finding those bones are not easy. I would still rather have just raw bones than these chicken backs. But these are from a small gourmet store where I will buy only my chicken as it seems to taste better – as well as a better price if you are willing to pay for it.

  • Barbara Lashinsky
    Posted at 12:43h, 14 February

    One more question since I have been reading up on various ways to make stock. I have always covered my pot. Should I leave it uncovered the whole time? Seems even with simmering one would lose a lot of the liquid uncovered?
    I must have 50 pounds of backs in the freezer so plan to practice this weekend with a couple of the packages,
    It’s hard for me to feel that just backs will be tasty, but I am listening to you all.
    Thanks again for your help.

    Barb

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 16:57h, 14 February

    Great question! I always let my stock simmer uncovered since I want the water to reduce to concentrate the flavours. This is not a full rolling boil and I have never lost all that much water. That said, I use a large stock pot.

    A lot of the flavour comes from the bone and marrow, not just the meat, so backs should provide enough substance. Plus, they should have skin and meat on them. I make my stock almost exclusively with bones / backs I have kept from deboning chicken breasts or butterflying whole birds. Keep track of your measurements and you’ll find the ratio of back to water that will suit you.

    By the way, I love that you are so tenacious about this! Kudos to you for not giving up at the first bump! I can’t wait to hear how your stock turns out.

  • Barbara Lashinsky
    Posted at 13:39h, 16 February

    My report on my first attempt to make chicken stock. I firsr let this large soup pot filled with I don’t know how many pounds of backs, but it was a lot. Then one inch of cold water over all of those backs and let me tell you they had a LOT of meat left on them. I started with a small boil and then since my oven had a “simmer” button I used that, but noticed after a while skimming it (and there was not much to skim) it was boiling more than I felt it should so set it to “LO” which was just perfect. It still did lose about an inch of liquid. After reading another site about making stock it suggested adding veggies the last few hours. I added a half of an onion, one large carrot and one large celery stalk. Their suggestions for spices were peppercorns, thyme, bay leaf, parsley and a bit of salt. I added just about a teaspoon of Kosher salt. I don’t care for much salt and it can always be added.
    After removing the bones and then removing all of the meat until I lost patience with that I had a large bowl of nice chicken that I intend to make chicken salad with.
    I left the stock over night in the fridge in order to remove any fat. I tasted it this morning and feel it needs some sort of sallt or a bit of boullion? That’s where I need your help. What have I done wrong or need to do.
    What a great way for someone on a strict budget. If the stock has some added rice or noodles added to it or whatever you like and I make the chicken salad I figure this would easily make four meals. The chicken could be stretched with some pasta and have chicken pasta salad.
    Remember I paid zero for the bones so my only cost was for the few veggies and whatever I put into the salad.
    My surprise was to find so much meat left on the backs.
    So now you can all tell me know what I need to do the next time I make this. I have enough backs to make gallons of stock and know I can get more if need be. Something seems to be missing in the stock to make it tastier and not quite so bland. But it jure is jelly like even without marrow.
    Long ago I used to buy those lomg huge marrow bones for a few cents, Now they are cut up and are charging a small fortune for them. They were especially good for a beef soup and I would now and throw them into a chicken broth. But not when I have t pay $7. for a couple of cut up bones.

    Barb

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 12:32h, 17 February

    Thanks for the details. I’m so glad your stock had a lot of jelly. That’s crucial and can’t be compensated for with added ingredients. As for why your stock lacks flavour, I think you need to increase your vegetables. It’s hard to tell since I don’t know how much chicken you used, but a half an onion doesn’t sound like enough for me.

    Since I think these are great questions and most people aren’t seeing them buried in the comments section, I have written a blog post on adding flavour to chicken stock. Here’s the link. I hope you find a few things there helpful.

    Keep making stock! It’s so worth it!

  • Barbara Lashinsky
    Posted at 16:02h, 17 February

    Thanks so much Christie for the tips. I definitely did not use enough veggies. Still feel it needs something more to make it tastier compared to what I used to make, but I sure do have a lot of gelatin. I guess I will just need to add some salt and perhaps a bit of boullion because, to me honestly at the moment I’m not happy with the stock flavor.
    I certainly do have a large bowl of chicken salad that is quite good.
    Besides the work I have invested just a few cents since all of these bones were free. I guess I could weigh the packages on my regular scale as I have no idea of what they weigh. Wish I could share some of these backs since the butcer just throws them out. At one time they sold them for well over a dollar a pound.. Evidently no one was buying them so out the door they go. I will now take the pot of stock I have not frozen yet and try to doctor it up. Now I am curious how many pounds I have left in the freezer.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 09:35h, 18 February

    Salt is important, too. It really makes a difference. Here are some more suggestions I’d try our before resorting to bouillon cubes. Have fun experimenting. http://themessybaker.com/2014/02/17/make-flavorful-chicken-stock/

  • Barbara
    Posted at 10:14h, 05 April

    This is the second time I have tried to send a very long note to tell you of my experiences of making the broth with my freezer full of chicken backs.
    I don’t know what the problem is of late because as soon as I try to send it all disappears.
    Will see if this goes.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 10:26h, 05 April

    Sorry you weren’t able to post your comment. I’ve had it happen to me before and it’s beyond frustrating. A long time ago I was forced to put a word limit on comments due to spam. Now, I can’t find out where that setting is. If you want to send me your long comment via email, I can post on your behalf once I figure out the settings.

    Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences. I’d love to hear how it went. Again, I’m very sorry you weren’t able to post.

  • Barbara
    Posted at 11:16h, 05 April

    Thanks so much for your reply. I’ll try to make this shorter. Two weeks ago I attempted again to make the broth as I am bound and determined to get this right with a freezer full of chicken backs. My last try was better. I use a large soup pot and measured the water which was 12 cups and added 1 and 1 half teaspoons of salt. I used two large onions cut in half with the skin, two large carrots, a few stalks of celery with a lot of leaves.
    I let it come to a slow boil with very little to have to skim off and then let it stay at a slow simmer and added the veggies. I rarely touched it, but see that it loses a fair amount of liquid with no lid on.
    When done I first used a large strainer for all. Then the broth was strained with a finer strainer. The backs have so much meat on them I take what I can off until I lose patience as there are so many small bones one has to be very careful. But when I am done I have a nice size bowl of chicken to make children salad from. What a cheap way to eat.
    My neighbor asked me what was I going to do with all of that broth. There really is not that much. I tasted and cheated because it tasted a bit blah to me so added about a teaspoon of chicken granules and that helped.
    I chilled it over night and then heated it again and ran it through a very fine sieve and it was clear as a bell.
    I found a box of matzo ball mixture in the store and made those and gave a large container to my neighbor who had scoffed at my messing around all day, but she loved it.
    I have a package of backs thawing in the fridge and need to get to the organic store down the street where I can get some single stalks of celery and pull out a bunch of leaves. I plan to make this tomorrow.
    Suggestions for what I am doing right or wrong? Still need more veggies?
    Thanks for any help.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 12:22h, 05 April

    I’m glad your comment came through. Thanks for being so diligent! Kudos for producing crystal clear broth! If your neighbour loved the results, then you’re definitely doing something right!!

    I think you still need more vegetables. For 12 cups of water, I would use 1 pound of onions (about 4 good sized onions), and a half pound EACH of carrots (3 to 4 good sized carrots) and celery. Leafy stalks are great. I’d also add herbs — 4 bay leaves, 6 sprigs of thyme and about 2 teaspoons of black peppercorns, preferably cracked. If they’re not cracked, up the amount to a whole tablespoon. If you like garlic in your stock, smash 4 good sized cloves and toss them in. They will get mellow as they cook, so don’t worry about the final results. Salt is a matter of taste, but it’s best to err on the low side since you can add more when you’re making the final dish.

    Just so you know, I don’t bother to defrost the chicken backs when I make stock. I put them in frozen, add the water and heat slowly. They defrost as the water heats. It’s one less step to worry about and you can be more spontaneous.

    It sounds like you’re making great stock as it is and with a tiny bit more tweaking you’ll have it just the way you imagine. Don’t fuss too much. After all, you’re miles ahead of the chicken-flavoured water they sell in boxes. 🙂

  • Barbara
    Posted at 12:52h, 05 April

    Thanks for your ideas. I’m not certain about the amount of water. I do remember using an 8 cup and then adding more water, but not sure now how much.
    I know I don’t have to defrost, but have this thing about doing so I can clean each piece off with cold water.
    Just some of my nonsense. I will add more veggies. For some reason I have never found using Bay leaves to do a thing for anything. Again just my nonsense. But I will try this next time.
    I need to get out and get the celery today and will get more onions. I hate buying the organic veggies that I will just be pitching, but that is the store I will be going to today so I will bite the bullet and pay their prices.
    Thanks again and I will let you know next week how things come out.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 17:45h, 05 April

    Bay isn’t crucial, but it’s one of those support spices that is more conspicuous in its absence than its presence. No one says, “Hmmm, I can really taste the bay leaves in this dish.” Yet, they add a spice to the overall results that somehow elevates all the other flavours. If you don’t find it makes a difference, then omit it. I wouldn’t skip the thyme or pepper, though. But I’m a big fan of both.

    The ratio of the vegetables and spices is aimed at 4 pounds of bones. That usually takes about 12 cups of water but it’s not precise. The amount of bones is more important since the water evaporates. Good luck with your next pot of stock!

  • Barbara
    Posted at 13:15h, 11 April

    This last batch was a real boo-boo and I don’t know why. I did it the same as the one that turned out so well.
    I did use some white and some yellow onions which should not have made a difference? But the last half hour I added a small bay leaf and some peppercorns. That was the only difference fromthe previous batch. But I could smell the bay leaf. The worst was the broth was not gel like – it was just plain. I had lots of veggies in this time and when it was all strained and little fat to remove after being refrigerated it tasted like bay leaf and I knew I could not use this mess. It all went down the drain.
    What did I do wrong this time?
    I am going to try something new. I have so many packages of chicken backs and have a six quart slow cooker. How do think that would work? Lots of bones and I can set that on a simmer, I think.
    Anything to get rid of these bones knowing I can get more if I want.
    But why didn’t it gel like it always has? But no more bay leaves.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 06:59h, 12 April

    I’m sorry you didn’t like the results. I’m not sure what happened. No, the onions wouldn’t have made a difference. I use inexpensive cooking onions but you can use any kind. A single bay leaf shouldn’t have permeated the stock very much, but if you can taste it too much, just skip it. Stock’s gelatinous properties comes from connective tissue and marrow in the bone that slowly dissolve during the simmering process. The amount of meat on those bones makes little difference to the thickness of the broth. If you had plenty of bones you should have produced a good gel.

    I have never made stock in a slow cooker but have read from other sources that it is not the best method. Slow cooker stock is better than commercial broth, but it’s not as good as the stovetop method or even — believe it or not — the pressure cooker.

    If you do use the slow cooker, I’d love to hear how it turns out. It would be nice to be able to make some stock when I’m not at home.

  • Barbara
    Posted at 08:42h, 12 April

    I am going to try it if merely to get rid of all of these chicken backs in my freezer.
    When I moved my stock pot went away as so many other things that I miss. Using my large soup pot is fine, but that disaster of having to pitch a pot of broth made me want to try something else. If it doesn’t work so be it. Luckily I have not had to pay for these backs. I have three large packages of backs thawing in the fridge now and will just need to get to the organic store for celery where I can purchase just the amount I want and usually find a lot of leaves.
    I will report to you about this and hope I don’t have to pitch it.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 10:05h, 14 April

    Thanks, Barbara. Good luck with this. I am rooting for you!!

  • Barbara
    Posted at 22:55h, 15 April

    Report on using the Slow Cooker. Not using my head that this would take forever to come to a simmer. I had too many chicken backs for the cooker so added them to my regular soup pot like I had previously used.
    I became impatient with the slow cooker and so added the lid otherwise it would have taken 24 hours to complete.
    The regular soup pot broth came out very good and I think I now have it down to where I like it. I needed very little salt and was very gel like. The slow cooker broth was fair and mayhbe with some doctoring it up might be okay.
    But I do not recommend using a slow cooker. It did not gel much and the flavor was just fair.
    Now I need to take a break from making chicken broth as I have a freezer full in individual containers. I don’t know what I will do with all of this broth. And I stll have frozen chicken backs.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 16:39h, 18 April

    Thanks for reporting how the slow cooker worked (or didn’t). I assumed you’d have put the lid on, which can make for a greasy, insipid stock. It was drilled into me NEVER to lift the lid on the crockpot unless instructed to do so. Once you lift the lid, it can take up to a half hour for the pot to return to its intended heat. I wonder if it would ever heat up without the lid?

    On the plus side, your regular method worked.

    The chicken backs should keep for a year if left frozen, so don’t rush things too much! Thanks again for the update. May you enjoy lots of wonderful soups, braises, sauces and stews with your homemade stock.

  • Barbara
    Posted at 17:04h, 18 April

    Yes, I still have chicken backs in the freezer plus all of that broth. And now that gourmet store where I got the free backs recently closed. It was the only store I would buy chicken from it was so good.
    I’ll have to try Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.

  • Barbara
    Posted at 14:29h, 11 May

    Been a while since I talked about my chicken stock as I finally stopped making it since my freezer is full of stock and chicken backs. But I think I have it down pat now.
    That batch made in the slow cooker — and I say Do not Try it that way – I had put it in a regular pot when I realized it might be Xmas before it was done and of course was not that great. But I froze it and marked as not too special. I later wanted to make some chicken salad for our once a month Pot Luck here and so used that broth for cooking the large breasts in for added flavor. Worked out well and I didn’t waste the not-so-great broth.
    It is a cool day even though it is May I think I will take out a container of the stock that had the matzo balls in and add some of the left over chicken from the breasts for an easy meal.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:46h, 12 May

    What a great way to use less than stellar stock. I’m so glad you found ways to breathe life into it. I hate wasting food. Thanks for the encouraging and inspiring update. Keep cooking!

  • Pingback:Make the Most Flavorful Chicken Stock | The Messy Baker
    Posted at 13:13h, 30 March

    […] so I thought I’d start a separate post to share the conversation I’ve been having with Barbara about chicken stock. Barbara has moved to a small apartment and is re-learning to make stock without $7 stewing hens and […]