Homemade Chicken Stock

I have already posted my “recipe” (more of a process, really) for homemade beef stock.  I share an equally fanatical love of making homemade chicken stock.  Except, it’s even easier.  Follows is the basic recipe I use for all of my homemade chicken stock, which is what I use any time I reference the use of chicken stock in my recipes.

Homemade Chicken Stock

Yields 10-15 cups

2 leftover roasted chicken carcasses

4 giblet packages

1 quart bag of vegetable scraps (including carrots, onions, shallots, celery, butternut squash, zucchini, etc.)

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 Vidalia onion, quartered

2-3 bay leaves

5-6 fresh basil leaves

Water

Place all ingredients in a large stock pot and add water to cover.  Place on a burner over medium low heat and bring to a low simmer.  Only a few bubbles should escape every minute or so.  Simmer for 8-10 hours, skimming scum and fat off the top occasionally with a slotted spoon or fork.  The stock can be simmered for only six hours, but I think the longer the better.

Turn heat off on burner and allow to cool 30-45 minutes.  Skim any fat off of the surface of the stock using a slotted spoon or fork.  Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve 3-4 times until as clear as possible.  Place in containers (I use a variety of sizes of Gladware so I have any amount I need at a moment’s notice).  Let stock cool to room temperature, and then place in refrigerator overnight.

Stock can be refrigerated for 1-3 days.   After refrigerating overnight, a layer of fat will rise to the top (the picture above is directly after I took it out of the refrigerator this morning).  If you plan to keep your stock refrigerated, leave the layer of fat because it will help prevent bacteria from entering the stock.  At this point, you can also remove the fat and boil down the remaining stock to save storage space.  Once concentrated, you can stretch it out by adding water, wine, juice or whatever will work with your recipe.  I generally skip this step and remove the layer with a fork and then place the stock in the freezer, where it can be kept for several weeks.  Leave a little bit of “wiggle” room in the container, as the stock will expand as it freezes.