Chicken Stock

Chicken Stock is the “liquid gold” of professional chefs and kitchens. It’s so versatile, useful for making soups, braises, stews, purees, sauces or pretty much anything you like. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise — Making your own chicken stock at home is as easy as boiling water and chopping up some vegetables.

I’ve included two recipes for chicken stock: a white chicken stock, and a brown chicken stock. Both are equally great. If you’re looking to make a recipe such as potato leek soup, white chicken stock is the way to go. It’s rich, clean and the subtle flavor and color will keep your soup a nice pearly white. Now, if you share my love of French Onion Soup, then it’s time to whip up that delicious brown chicken stock. This recipe calls for roasting the ingredients, which lends a more robust, meaty flavor.

I’ve included some invaluable chef tips that I’ve learned from my mentors over the years in both recipes. Most tips, such as adding a quick onion brulee (which is literally what it sounds like, a burnt onion) to your stock, are an easy way to take the dish to the next level. I’ve been adding onion brulee to my chicken stocks ever since I learned this trick. It adds a depth of flavor, richness of taste and a classic golden color to your chicken stock.

One last thing: Don’t forget to save the meat from those chicken legs and wings after you’re done making the brown chicken stock. The leftover meat becomes super tender and great for mixing into salad and stir-fry, or tossed into braises. Of course, you could always just add a little mayo and bread for the perfect sandwich snack.

Chicken Stock

Yield: 1 gallon

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 5 hours (simmer overnight for truly hands-off cooking)

Ingredients:

• 8 lbs of chicken bones
• 6 quarts of water
• 1 thyme sprig
• 3 parsley sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 onion, 1” dice
  • Farm2ChefsTable Tip: Onion Brulee: Cut onion in half, then sear in a cast-iron pan until charred. This tip is something I learned from some of my mentors, and I’ve been adding it to my chicken stocks ever since. It adds a depth of flavor, rich color and more roundness to the stock.
• 4 oz. celery root or 2 celery sticks, 1” dice
• 1 parsnip (4 oz.), 1” dice
• 1 leek (4 oz.), 1” dice
  • Farm2ChefsTable Tip: This combination of veggies is called a white mirepoix.

Steps:

Build and Simmer the Stock

1. Cover bones with water and bring to a gentle boil
2. Turn down the heat to a simmer
3. Skim off the fat and impurities
4. Add the white mirepoix and onion brulee
5. Simmer for 5 hours

Strain & Serve or Freeze

• Strain and use immediately. Farm2ChefsTable Tip: You can also freeze it for later using ice cube trays or quart containers. It is excellent when frozen or simply when used right away for soups, sauces, braises, stews, pretty much anything.

CHEF’S NOTE

Make this right before you go to bed. It’s hands off, just bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer overnight as you sleep. This works especially well if you have a slow cooker.