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Healthy healing chicken broth recipe

Chicken Stock

A delicious and healthy chicken stock to use as base for other dishes or simply enjoy it as a beverage on its own.
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Prep Time:30 minutes
Course: Base
Cuisine: All
Keyword: Base, Chicken stock, homemade
Servings: 5 cups

Equipment

  • Large stock pot or Dutch oven
  • Fine mesh skimming tool (to skim impurities from the stock)
  • Colander or sieve lined with cheesecloth (to strain the stock)
  • Cheesecloth and string (for Bouquet garni)
  • Ladle or large spoon (to transfer stock to containers or freezer bags)
  • Airtight containers, freezer bags

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken carcass
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 leek
  • 3-4 ribs of celery
  • 1 onion
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic
  • 10 cups cold water
  • 1 bouquet garni

Bouquet garni

  • 15 black peppercorns (or approximately 2 tsp)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • a couple of fresh thyme sprigs
  • a handful of fresh parsley stems
  • 3 cloves

Instructions

  • Prepare the Bouquet garni by wrapping fresh thyme sprigs, parsley stems, bay leaf, black peppercorns, and cloves in a piece of cheesecloth. Secure the bundle by tying it with kitchen twine or by hand, creating a pouch.
    If you don't have cheesecloth, you can simply add the fresh thyme sprigs, parsley stems, bay leaf, black peppercorns, and cloves directly into the stock pot. You can strain them out later using a fine mesh strainer before serving.
    Fresh thyme sprigs, parsley stems, bay leaf, black peppercorns, and cloves in a piece of cheesecloth.
  • Roughly chop the carrot, leek, celery, and onion, and gently crush the unpeeled garlic cloves before placing them in a large stock pot or Dutch oven. Add the chicken carcass and bouquet garni (or all the ingredients for the bouquet garni directly) to the pot.
    Carrots, leeks, celery, onion, and garlic cloves in a large stock pot.
  • Add 10 cups of cold water into the pot and place it on the stove over medium heat. Once it's at the point of boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 3 hours.
    Cold water into the pot with ingredients for chicken stock.
  • During the simmering process, use a fine mesh skimming tool to remove any impurities that form on the surface of the stock. This may need to be done multiple times, particularly at the beginning of the cooking process.
    A fine mesh skimming tool is used to remove impurities from the chicken stock.
  • Ensure the ingredients remain submerged in water at all times by monitoring the water level during the cooking process.
    Ingredients submerged in water for chicken stock.
  • After the simmering process is complete, use a colander or sieve lined with cheesecloth to strain the stock into a large container. Discard the remaining solid ingredients.
    If you do not have a cheesecloth for straining, you can use a fine mesh strainer or a slotted spoon to remove the solid ingredients from the stock. Be cautious to preserve as much of the liquid as possible during the straining process.
    Colander or sieve is used to strain the stock into a large container.
  • Allow the stock to cool completely, taking care not to let it sit out for more than 2 hours to prevent contamination. For faster cooling, place the container in your sink, elevating it by putting it on top of something, and fill the sink with ice cubes and cold water.
    Allowing chicken stock to cool in the sink with cold water.
  • Refrigerate the stock immediately once it has cooled. After a few hours or overnight, remove the layer of fat that has formed on the top.
    Close up of chicken stock.
  • You can store the stock in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or transfer it into freezer bags and keep it in the freezer for up to 6 months.
    Chicken stock in an airtight container.