Chicken Stock

  • –
  • 4 L (1 gallon / 16 cups)
  • 10 minutes
    1 hour marinating time
  • 6–12 hours

There are no hard and fast rules as to what you add to your bones. You can play around with the flavour of your stock in a number of ways. Chopped vegetables such as onion, garlic, celery, leek or carrot add wonderful flavour dimensions.

Course: Basic
Recipe contains: –

  • 1.5 kg (3 lb. 5 oz.) bony chicken parts (necks, backs, breastbones and wings)
  • 2–4 chicken feet (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 large onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
  • 2 leeks (white part only), rinsed and roughly chopped
  • 1 whole garlic bulb, cut in half
  • 2 large handfuls flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, lightly crushed
Second Tab Content
We tend to add whatever we have in the garden or the fridge, with the exception of foods that will make your stock bitter, like broccoli, turnip, cabbage, brussels sprouts, green capsicum, collard greens and mustard greens. Herbs add a lovely flavour and extra medicinal benefits, too. Parsley, rosemary, oregano, thyme, curry leaves, kaffir lime and bay leaves are often used in recipes for stocks.
1

Place the chicken pieces in a stockpot or large saucepan; add 5 litres (5¼ qt. / 21 cups) of cold water, the vinegar, onion, carrot, celery, leek, garlic and peppercorns and leave to stand for 30 minutes – 1 hour. Bring to the boil, continuously skimming off the skin and foam that forms on the surface of the liquid. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 6–12 hours. The longer you cook the stock the more the flavours will develop.

2

Allow to cool slightly before straining the stock through a fine sieve into a large storage container. Cover and place in your refrigerator until the fat rises to the top and congeals. Skim off the layer of fat from the top and reserve the fat and stock in covered containers in your refrigerator or freezer. The stock can be stored in the refrigerator up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Notes

The reserved fat can be used as cooking oil for meat, poultry and vegetables dishes.

Other recipes you might like