Real Chicken Stock

Real Chicken Stock

Knowing how to make a basic stock should be a part of everyone's cooking repertoire. A chicken stock was one of the first recipes I ever cooked as a chef and once you get the hang of making your own, you'll never go to store-bought versions again. I remember making large pots of delicious stock with my great Aunt as well as in the hotel kitchen where I worked. This wonderful stock was used to make soups or glazes that made the most magical sauces. I always make large batches of stock and freeze it in 500 ml portions, so I always have stock on hand if I need to whip up a quick soup or classic risotto.


INGREDIENTS:


2.5 kg free-range chicken wings or 3 whole chicken carcases.

2 brown onions, peeled and quartered

3 carrots, washed and cut into chunks

1 leek, washed and cut into large dice (white and light green parts only)

few sprigs of thyme, parsley or a few bay leaves

For this recipe, I've used chicken wings and roasted them in the oven before proceeding with the rest of the recipe. This gives a richer more flavorful stock. You can use any part of the chicken for making stock, but I find the wings to have more flavour and are filled with more gelatine which I love. You will end up with about 3 litres of pure stock in total...you'll need about 6 litres of filtered water to cover the chicken wings.

METHOD:

Preheat your oven to 220°C.

Divide the chicken wings between 2 baking trays.

Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until lightly golden.

Remove from the oven and place the wings into a large stockpot.

Add the vegetables and herbs and cover the chicken and vegetables completely and generously with cold filtered water.

Bring to the boil and skim immediately.

Reduce the heat to very low.

Cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours, skimming the stock every 30 minutes if needed.

Remove from the heat and pass the stock through a fine strainer. You can also use a cheesecloth.

Cool the stock quickly - I like to pour my hot stock into a large, clean stainless steel bowl that is sitting in iced water, allowing the stock to cool quickly.

Divide the stock into 500 ml portions and store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze it until you need it. You can also pour into ice cube trays which is quite handy.

NOTES & INSPIRATION:

This stock makes a perfect bone broth just heated up on a stove and infused with a little ginger and garlic. Sip slowly when your digestive or immune system needs to revive and regenerate.

This delicious stock will look like jelly when cooled in the fridge.

For a delicious sauce or jus or demi glaze....just simmer down the  3 litres of stock to approximately 800 ml.

Perfect for my Immune Boosting Chicken Soup, or use in my delicious Green Pea and Spinach Risotto.

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