How to Make Chicken Stock

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How to Make Chicken Stock

Chicken stock. You need it for a lot of tasty recipes, but you really don’t want to buy the boxed version. You’re in luck! It’s not that hard to make, and by prepping it yourself, you know exactly what kind of ingredients are in it and how healthy it actually is. So if you want to know how to make chicken stock, here is a simple, no-fuss method!

Chicken stock is a nourishing base for multiple dinners. It’s good to have some on hand and you can easily transform it into a warm bowl or plate when you don’t have enough time to cook from scratch. Just heat the stock, add some cooked meat, noodles, green onion, beans, sausages, or white rice. In what combination you prefer.

You can also use readymade chicken stock to make risotto, couscous, a variety of sauces like marinara and curry, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Or add it as an ingredient in stir-fries, and casseroles. There are plenty of great recipes, you just have to learn how to make chicken stock.

How to make chicken stock in 10 steps

1. Gather your ingredients

You’ll need raw chicken backs, wings, or legs. Or all of them. Use about 4-5 pieces of chicken. Also a bit of olive oil for frying the chicken, a large yellow onion,  1-2 carrots, 3-4 celery sticks and 1 leek (only the white part). Don’t forget the salt!

2. Cook the chicken pieces

Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil. Place the chicken pieces in the pot and heat on medium-high. Let the chicken cook until it browns. Stir the pieces in the pot.

3. Add the veggies

Cut the veggies into medium pieces and add them to the pot. Cover with cold water.

4. Boil

Bring the pot to a boil over high heat and then reduce it to a low simmer. Skim the dirty foam that surfaces during the process with a spoon. Let the pot simmer uncovered, for 4 to 6 hours.

5. Remove the meat and veggies

Use a spider ladle to remove the cooked chicken and veggies from the pot. They’re not good to eat because the simmering process kills all of their nutrients. So throw them out.

6. Strain

Use a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl or a large pot, and strain the stock through it, to get rid of all remaining solids.

7. Boil again

Boil the stock on high heat for about one hour. This is how you reduce the stock by about half of its volume. And you use less storage space for the task.

8. Transfer

Pour the stock into jars and seal them.

9. Let it cool off

You can’t store the stock while it’s still warm because the fridge or freezer will ruin it. So let it get to room temperature.

10. Store

Store the jars in the fridge or the freezer, depending on how often you use chicken stock in your recipes. If you choose to freeze, remove the excess fat on the surface of the liquid. And leave some space in the jar, because when the liquid freezes, it expands. Stock can last about a week in the fridge, and a few months in the freezer.

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