You can make chicken broth or stock at home and store it in the freezer for later use. Homemade chicken broth is much more flavorful than store-bought, plus it fills the house with a wonderful aroma while it cooks. It's also a great way to use leftovers.
Instructions
Making Homemade Chicken Broth
1. You can make chicken broth with the leftover bones and meat of a whole chicken that you've had for dinner. You can also use whole pieces of chicken, if you want stewed meat for another use. Whichever you use, you want about two pounds of meat and bones for the base of your broth.
2. The vegetables and herbs that you add to your broth will enhance the flavor. If you cook only the chicken and some onion and garlic, you will have a fine, simple broth, but you may want to add other vegetables and herbs for a more complex flavor. Carrots, celery, onion and garlic will make a tasty, traditional broth. You can also use whatever vegetables you have that are about to go bad, just keep in mind that whatever you put in will change the flavor. You can add bell peppers, cabbage, fennel, greens like kale or swiss chard, asparagus, broccoli and so on. Whatever you are using, just chop coarsely so that everything will fit into the pot. There's no need to chop into small pieces, as you will be discarding most of the vegetables once the broth has cooked down.
3. If you have fresh herbs on hand, they are always recommended over the store-bought, dried versions. Use any combination of the following to flavor your broth: rosemary, marjoram, basil, thyme, oregano and bay leaves. If using fresh, about a tablespoon of each, coarsely chopped, is enough, except for the bay, for which you only need one leaf. For dry herbs, reduce to about a teaspoon of each.
4. Place your chicken in a large pot, adding the coarsely chopped vegetables and herbs, then cover with water. Turn the heat on high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. If you are using whole pieces of chicken and want to use the meat for something else, then remove the chicken after 30 minutes or so, checking that the meat is cooked all the way through. Once the chicken pieces have cooled, remove the meat from the bones and return the bones to the pot to continue simmering for another hour and a half. If you are using leftover bones and meat, then just simmer the whole thing for two hours. Taste occasionally and add more salt and pepper if needed.
6. After your broth is finished, turn it off and let it cool for a while. Strain through a collander and discard vegetables and chicken bones. The broth can be kept in the fridge overnight, but if you're not using it immediately, it should be frozen. Pour the finished broth into freezer-safe containers and once it has cooled completely, freeze until needed.
Tags: your broth, vegetables herbs, bones meat, chicken broth, chicken want, coarsely chopped