You can use this stock as-is for soups or you can clarify further and turn into a consommé using egg whites. The consommé is used as a base for New Years Ozoni (mochi soup).
Note: Don’t worry about exact measurements. Just use what you have on hand.
Tips
1. No need to peel vegetables
2. Use organic, free-range chicken if you can (happy birds taste better) especially if you’re using the chicken meat for soup, vs. chicken salad.
3. Make sure your storage pot will fit in the fridge ahead of time
4. Save disposable ice packs from any UPS packages you receive to cool food down without using all of your ice
5. If you don’t have time to cool stock overnight, you can use a fat separator. Or when broth has cooled from ice bath, use a cold spoon, ice, or cold leafy vegetable to collect fat
6. Yields 5 quarts (aka 20 cups)
- 1 Whole Chicken
- 2 Carrots
- 1 Onion
- 4 ribs Celery
- 5 cloves garlic
- few sprigs Thyme
- 1 tsp Peppercorns
- 3 Bay Leaves
- Salt
- Wash and cut veggies in large chunks and set aside.
- Rinse chicken with water
- Place all ingredients in a large stock pot. Add water just enough to cover. Slowly bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer on medium to low and partially cover.
- Simmer for 1 hr to 1 hr 30 min. Skim impurities from the top. Check the doneness of chicken as it cooks so you don't over cook.
- When ready, remove chicken and place on cutting board to cool for handling. You can separate bones from the meat and use for your soup or store for later use.
- Strain broth into smaller pot for storage overnight
- Cool in ice bath. Fill sink with ice water (and ice packs) and place the covered pot in to quickly cool before overnight storage in the fridge.
- The next day, separate fat solids from broth.
