With the leaves in full autumn colors and the temperatures starting to drop, it's time to start thinking about the holidays! I've said this before, and I'll say it again - homemade chicken stock is really the best you can get. It's a breeze to make, makes the house smell fantastic, and makes a LOT. You can easily buy reusable quart containers online, freeze the stock, and I'll say it - it's the unsung hero of the holidays! Want to make a hearty and belly-warming soup? Homemade chicken stock. Want moist and delicious stuffing/dressing? Homemade chicken stock. Gravy from a package - eww. Homemade gravy? Homemade chicken stock.
It really does taste much better than the box from the supermarket, and I'd argue for the cost of a box, considering this recipe makes about 12 quarts, it's about the same price with dramatically better flavor. And my favorite part - you can control the salt! Even the low sodium chicken stock available in the supermarket has a lot of salt, which means your recipes may end up overly salted. By making your own, you control the amount of salt (I use a minimal quantity), and that way when you season every layer of your dish, you don't end up with a salty dish. I HIGHLY recommend making your own before the craziness of the holidays sets in, and you'll be one step ahead for all your holiday cooking!
Ingredients
2 large, whole roasting chickens, giblets removed
3 large onions, unpeeled and quartered
6 carrots, unpeeled and cut in thirds
4 stalks celery, cut in thirds
4 parsnips, cut in half
1 whole head of garlic, halved crosswise
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
1 large bunch of fresh dill
1 large bunch of fresh parsley
1 medium bunch of fresh thyme
Optional: 1 bottle dry white wine, like Pinot Grigio
Directions
Bring the chickens to room temperature for about 2 hours on the counter, so your stock doesn't take forever to boil. As a pro-tip, stuff the cavities of the chickens with the herbs and peppercorns; this not only saves space in the pot, but also prevents the peppercorns from bubbling to the top and getting scooped out. Place the chickens in the pot with all the vegetables, herbs, pepper, garlic and 1 tbsp kosher salt, and fill to the top with water. On high heat, bring the entire pot to a low boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 4 hours, scraping any grey foam off the top with a spoon and discard. This should only happen for about the first hour. Occasionally, top off with more water as needed. After 4 hours of simmering, turn the heat off, and strain the stock through a colander into a large bowl, discarding the vegetables and chicken (see note). Then, strain the stock again through a fine mesh sieve and transfer to storage containers. Stock will last about 1 week in the fridge, or 6 months in the freezer.
For French chicken stock, add 1 bottle of dry white wine at the end of the cooking, and stir to combine. If you choose this method, please take note that you will not be cooking the alcohol off, so if you're serving the stock uncooked further to children or those who don't drink, the stock will have some alcohol content.
NOTE: after 4 hours of cooking, the chicken will be dry and tasteless, and therefore is no good to eat. You could cool and serve it to your pets, but I don't recommend it, as it may upset their stomachs. If you'd like to use any of the meat, after 1 hour of cooking, remove one or both chickens, cut off the breast meat and use in your next recipe, returning the carcasses to the pot for the remainder of the cooking time for the stock.
Bon Appetit!
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