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HOMEADE CHICKEN STOCK/BROTH RECIPE

Chicken stock is very multi-purpose, and is used as a base for many sauces, soups, and dishes. It is used in almost every cuisine in the world. However, commercially bought chicken stock is often inconsistent in quality and taste, and contains many artificial ingredients.

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INGREDIENTS: 

  • 1 roast chicken carcass

  • 5 chicken wings

  • 5 chicken drumsticks

  • Water

  • Aromatic vegetables (whatever you like. I recommend celery and onion)

  • Herbs (whatever you like, such as thyme, rosemary, or peppercorns)

  • Olive oil

 

It is very important that you do NOT add salt to the broth.

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PROCEDURE:

  1. Preheat an oven to 400F/200C.

  2. Lightly oil the roast chicken carcass, chicken wings, and chicken drumsticks. Do not season with any salt.

  3. Roast the carcass, wings, and drumsticks until slightly golden-brown, approximately 45 minutes.

  4. Using a paper towel, remove any oil from the browned chicken.

  5. Put the chicken into a large stock pot, along with any aromatic vegetables and herbs that you choose to put in. 

    1. For aromatic vegetables such as celery or onion, cut them into large chunks so that they fit nicely. There is no need to slice them finely; simply cut sticks of celery into three-inch pieces, and cut onions in half.

    2. For fresh herbs such as thyme and rosemary, tie them together into a bundle using butcher’s twine to save time while straining.

  6. Cover the chicken, vegetables, and herbs (if using) with enough water to submerge everything one to two inches below the surface.

  7. Bring the pot to a boil.

  8. As soon as the liquid comes to a boil, immediately bring it back down to a gentle simmer. Use a spoon to remove scum as it rises to the top. Allow to simmer for at least 2 hours, but ideally up to 3 or 4 hours. 

  9. As the stock simmers, remove scum as it rises once in a while.

  10. Once you are satisfied with the stock, strain it using a chinoise, sieve, or colander. Discard the solids, and save the liquid. 

 

NOTES:

  1. DO NOT ADD SALT TO YOUR STOCK AT ANY POINT. Remember that chicken stock is often reduced when you use it for other recipes. If you salt your chicken stock now, it might taste great now, but when you reduce it, the saltiness will be overwhelming and there will be nothing you can do about it.

  2. Alternatively, you can pressure cook the stock. Follow the same preparation instructions, from steps 1-6. Then, cook on high pressure for 45 minutes to 1 hour. This is a great way to achieve the same results in less time.

This means that commercial chicken stock (as well as bouillon cubes) are often inconsistent in quality, and extremely unhealthy. Commercially bought chicken stock also tends to be very high in sodium, and contain no collagen.

 

However, it is extremely easy to make healthy chicken stock at home. This recipe does not contain salt, which is important for two reasons: one, this means the stock will be sodium free, and two, you can later control the amount of salt you want when you use this stock for other recipes. By controlling the whole cooking process, you can be assured that nothing other than high-quality ingredients go in, and it will produce a stock full of nutrients like collagen, amino acids, protein, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. More importantly, it will taste great in any recipe you decide to use it for.

WHY IT’S HEALTHY FOR SENIORS:

  1. Collagen: provides structure, support or strength to your skin, muscles, bones and connective tissues. Can ease the pressure of joints.

  2. Amino acids:  build muscles, cause chemical reactions in the body, transport nutrients, prevent illness, and increase immunity.

  3. Protein: helps preserve muscle mass and strength.

  4. Calcium: supports healthy bones, prevents fractures and bone decay.

  5. Magnesium: helps muscles and nerves function properly. Also helps maintain blood sugar level, and helps make proteins and DNA. Also helps relax and improves sleep quality.

  6. Phosphorus: helps filter out waste in the kidneys and plays an essential role in how the body stores and uses energy.

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Difficulty: very easy

Time needed: 4 hours to simmer, but you only need to be physically preparing for 15 minutes at most.

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IDEAS FOR FURTHER RECIPES USING CHICKEN STOCK:

  1. Traditional chicken soup: super warming and satisfying. Simple comfort food is great for a weeknight dinner.

    1.  Sear a few chicken drumsticks in a dutch oven over high heat with olive oil until nicely golden brown. In the same dutch oven and using the same oil, saute a mirepoix (equal amounts diced onion, celery, and carrot) on medium-low heat. Once the onions turn slightly translucent, deglaze the dutch oven with one cup of white wine on high heat, scooping up any fond from the bottom of the pan. Once the alcohol is evaporated, add back the seared chicken drumsticks, and pour in the chicken stock. At this stage, add any vegetables and herbs you like; I personally like thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and peppercorn. Bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, bring it down to a simmer, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. After that, salt the soup according to personal taste, but ideally keeping salt levels low to reduce sodium intake. Serve piping hot in a bowl.
       

  2. Chicken noodle soup: Follow instructions for chicken soup above, but boil pasta (I recommend Conchiglie, or shell pasta) according to packet instructions separately until slightly under al dente before serving with the soup. Boil the pasta separately so the soup does not become cloudy.
     

  3. Any sauces that call for a dark stock: bordelaise (etc).
     

  4. Any rice dish: rice cooked in chicken broth is much more flavorful.

STORY:

There is not one culture that does not use some form of chicken stock. While yes, it is basic, it can build incredible flavor into anything that you use it for later on, be it as part of a sauce, cooking liquid, or soup base.

 

Unfortunately, however, commercially available chicken stock/broth and bouillon cubes, especially in the United States and Asia, are full of preservatives, chemicals, salt, sodium, and other substances that cause negative health effects on the elderly.

 

In addition, all the artificial substances, flavors, and salt already present in commercially available chicken stock makes it very difficult for a chef or home cook to control the flavor of the final product since you do not know what is inside. The vast majority of commercially available chicken stock contain salt (even low sodium ones), and once you reduce the liquid, there is no telling how much salt there is, and you might end up with an extremely salty and inedible product.

 

This is why you must make your chicken stock from scratch at home. Every good restaurant worth its salt does this, as making chicken stock is incredibly easy, cheap, and allows complete freedom of control over flavors. All you have to do is simmer chicken and aromatic vegetables and herbs of your choice over a pot and forget about it, only checking once in a while to ensure that the liquid has not completely destroyed itself. This recipe is especially easy for seniors, as none of the prep requires any advanced knife skills or technique; you just simply cut vegetables until they are not physically too large to handle, and put chicken in the oven until it looks brown without worrying if it has over/undercooked as it does not matter.

 

The final product will be a pot full of healthy and delicious goodness. Filled with protein and nutrients, this broth will contain many nutrients vital to a senior’s health while having none of the harmful artifical preservatives or chemicals. In addition, knowing that there is no salt in the broth can allow for a senior to reduce it as much as he would like without fearing an overpowering saltiness. This restaurant-level stock will build the most incredible base for sauces, cooking liquids, and soups.

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