Basic White Chicken Stock
Basic stock making is essential for the professional chef as well as the home cook. Yet, many of us, including me, are intimidated by the long and seemingly elusive process. However, if you have made chicken soup-you have made stock. Stock-any stock-is bones, meat, vegetables, herbs and spices-and no salt.They are the foundation (the fond) of good cooking. Stocks can be used in their simple form in soups, and also used to flavor other dishes and sauces. Whether reduced to a glace, or used to make sauces (the French term sauce comes from the Latin salsus-to salt), stock is an essestial element, which is why it is so important to have on hand. Once you’ve made it you will appreciate the difference between the canned or boxed stuff, and the real thing. Now, I still buy premade stock when I run out of homemade-I just make sure it is good quality.
I’ve been making chicken stock for a while now, and while I’m the first one to improvise in the kitchen, I thought it would be a good idea for me to make a batch of chicken stock according to a more classic method. Although I feel my previous efforts, which involved placing all ingredients into a pot and simmering for hours, yielded good results, I made some observations with the following method. First, the scum/protiens/impurities which float to the top once a boil is reached were much more intense when the chicken cooked first without any other ingredients. Once the initial scum was removed, the stock remained without scum and had minimal foam throughout the remainder of the cooking. Second, while I did refrigerate the strained stock overnight to allow the fat to congeal, the fat was remarkably minimal. Third, I placed the strained stock into an ice bath to minimize the possibility that bacteria would grow as the chicken slowly cooled. Bacteria grows between 40 and 45 degrees Farenheit. My stock reduced in temperater from the mid 90 degrees to 60 degrees in about 20minutes (stirring occasionally)before I refrigerated it. Fourth, placing the herbs and spices either tied together or tied in a bouquet garni and placing them in after I skimmed the scum allowed all of the flavors to stay with the stock and not get taken in the process of removing impurities.
Overall the end result was deep in color with minimal cloudiness. A consume-it is not-but perhaps there is a method to the more meticulous madness of allowing the bones to be placed in cold water and allowed to heat gently (thus the rising of slowly coaguated proteins to the top) . Additionally, simmering the stock gently over a few hours keeps the proteins/scum from churning back down into the stock, and makes it easier to skim.
Basic White Chicken Stock
yields 6-8 quarts, depending on the size of your pot
Ingredients
- 2 1/2-3 lbs. chicken wings
- 2 lbs. chicken necks
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped into 2 inch pieces
- 2 onions, first layer of skin removed and halved
- 1 leek, whites only, thoroughly washed and cut into 2 inch slices
- 3 celery stalks, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 2 Tablespoons dried thyme, or one bunch fresh thyme
- 1 Tablespoon peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 bunch fresh parsley, washed and tied with kitchen string
Directions
Fashion a bouquet garni for the thyme, peppercorns and bay leaves. To do this, cut a sqaure piece of cheesecloth and place ingredients in the middle. Bring the sides together and tie the top with kitchen string to make a sac.
Place chicken and bones into stock pot and fill with cool water to cover by 2 inches.
Slowly bring water to a slow boil.
Allow scum to form on the surface and skim thoroughly
Add vegetables, parsley (tied), and bouquet garni
Bring stock to a simmer and place lid on as to allow steam to escape
Simmer for 3-4 hours.
Skim scum as needed
Gently and slowly strain stock. If your solids are in a basket*, remove basket and strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth lined collander, or chinois.
Place strained stock into an ice bath and cool.
Store covered in the refrigerator for at least 5-6 hours, or overnight preferably.
Skim solidified fat that has risen to the surface
Store stock in individual containers or plastic bags and freeze.
*see pictorial-I use my large pasta pot with insert to make stock.
Nice, detailed post.
Chicken backs are also good for this and often easy to find. I think it’s important to crack the bones to extract the collagen. A great stock almost always congeals after it’s refrigerated.
[...] that I’ve made a whole bunch of chicken stock-it’s time to make something with [...]