Homemade Chicken Stock

Several months ago I started making my own chicken stock.  You're probably thinking, who has time to make their own chicken stock?  That's exactly what I used to think, but one day I decided to give it a try and since then I haven't been able to go back to buying canned chicken stock at the grocery store. Homemade chicken stock is more flavorful, healthier and cheaper.   

 Making chicken stock is as easy as pulling a few ingredients out of your refrigerator and pantry and throwing it in a pot with a chicken.  I almost always have some veggies that need used up and chicken stock is the perfect place to use them.  In this case, I had 1/2 onion and some baby carrots that were getting old.  I used fresh herbs from my garden, but I've used dried before if I don't have fresh on hand.  Chicken stock can be made with very few ingredients, but today I used:

- a large handful of baby carrots

- 2 ribs of celery, snapped apart 

- 1/2 onion

- 3 sprigs parsley

- 3 sprigs thyme

- 1 tsp black peppercorns

- 1 bay leaf

- 1 tsp kosher salt

- 1 whole chicken, washed

I always try to purchase either an organic or cage-free chicken.  The better your chicken, the better your stock and that's a tried and true statement!   (smile) 

Put all of the ingredients into a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat.  Turn the heat down and simmer until fully cooked (about an hour).   (I rotate my chicken at least once during this time to ensure even cooking.) 

 While the chicken is cooking, I take care of other things.  Today I had time to catch up on dishes, prepare the ingredients for chicken salad for lunch and put supper in the crock pot. 

Remove your chicken, set aside to cool and then strain your broth.  

I always use my discarded carrots for baby food.  Now that Rosetta is getting older though, I don't have to grind them up anymore.  (I can't figure out how it is possible that she is already 9 months old!)  

 Delicious broth.  This yields about 11 cups. 

I pour 2 cups of broth into Ziploc bags and freeze (up to 6 months).  (Another benefit to making your own stock is that you are no longer exposed to the hazards of BPA often found in the lining of cans.  And while some storage bags contain BPA, the Ziploc brand does not.) 

Now you can shred your chicken.  I always make a chicken salad with half of the shredded chicken and then freeze the rest for another meal.  (My very favorite chicken salad recipe comes from Southern Living.  All I do different is add some grapes.  Recipe below.)

I love having a freezer full of chicken stock.  Chicken stock is something I use very often and I highly recommend giving it a try!  It is positively delicious to use when making soup.

Also, for fun I did a little cost comparison.  

I spent $7 on my all-natural chicken.  From that chicken I got about 4 cups of shredded meat (enough for 2 meals) and 11 cups of chicken broth.  

If I had purchased 11 cups of brand-name broth at the store it would have cost me roughly $7.50 for the broth alone.  

Hope you enjoy! 

Cathedral Chicken Salad

From: Southern Living

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup chopped celery

Preparation

1. Stir together first 5 ingredients until blended.
2. Place chicken and celery in a large bowl; add mayonnaise mixture, and toss to combine.