Homemade chicken stock

Submitted by admin on Tue 6 Mar 2012

Description

This is an incredibly simple, versatile thing to make. Store in freezer and use for soups, risottos, anything that requires stock. The difference in taste between fresh stock and stock cubes is huge, once you feel brave enough to have a go, you will understand why.

Summary

Yield	Servings
Source	Aggie Redpath
Prep time	20 minutes
Cooking time	2 hours, 30 minutes
Total time	2 hours, 50 minutes

Ingredients

Onion (Large)

1 bn

1 bn

Parsley (Small Bunch with stalks)

1 T

Peppercorns

Water (Water to cover carcass)

Notes

Fen Celery This is the best celery there is, grown in the rich soil of the Fen Country in East Anglia. It has a wonderful earthy fresh taste. Use the outside stalks for stock and the inside stalks, dipped in sea salt for eating with cheese, or perhaps use as a shovel for dips. Don't be put off it by its look, it is dirty and muddy, perhaps a bit like a character from Dicken's Oliver Twist, but with a good scrub tastes divine, the celery not the child (too scrawny!).
If you see it buy it, it is a rare treat.

Instructions

Put chicken and debris into casserole with all other ingredients, cover with cold water, lid on, simmer for a couple of hours at lowest possible heat, with just the odd bubble coming to the surface. Take off heat and leave till cold. Put in fridge overnight. The chicken fat will solidify at the top and be easily skimmed with a spoon from the surface. Discard. Strain liquor through fine sieve. Leave in fridge overnight, skim off any more fat. Use as required or freeze in ice cube trays. When these have frozen, store them in a freezer bag in freezer. Very useful you can use as many or as few as you need.
A NOTE ON CHICKEN FAT
When you have skimmed the fat off the stock, do NOT put it down the sink as it will block it up and you will need a plumber!. Put it on a sheet of old newspaper, wrap it up and put it in the outside bin.