You hear it all the time on those cooking shows. "Use homemade broth or stock! But if you don't have it, store bought is good, too."
Do you know the difference between broth and stock? Broth comes from the meat boiled in seasoned water. Stock comes from the bones boiled in seasoned water. And yes, there IS a difference is flavors and richness. Broth is mildly flavored. Stock is rich with depth.
I don't know about your local grocer, but mine doesn't carry chicken stock, only chicken broth. Chicken broth is fine for chicken pot pie and creamy potato soup. However sometimes, chicken stock is the only liquid that will make a fresh soup recipe sing.
HERE'S WHAT ALL YOU NEED
- chicken backbone, wings
- 2 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 2 celery stalks, cut in thirds
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
Place all the ingredients in a large pot. Fill pot with 4 to 6 quarts hot tap water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Be sure to set a loud timer to go off, then go watch a movie or catch up on some reading. There's no need to stir the pot while simmering.
Strain the liquid from the pot, through a colander positioned over a large bowl. Discard all the solids. Chill the stock overnight. The next day, skim off the surface fat. You can use it right away or store in good freezer containers for up to 3 months.
It's worth it to take the time to make chicken stock. This is not a recipe that calls for standing over the stove. Set it up and leave it. Just don't forget about it.
To ensure that no part of the chicken goes to waste, try this tip.
If you have a spoiled dog, you can strip the cooked meat and skin off the bones, chop it up and use it to supplement dog food. Don't EVER feed chicken bones to your dog; they can easily choke.
handy! I will never waste chicken bones again.
I’m tellin’ ya, with today’s economic static, we can’t afford to be wasteful.
Plus, all those minerals in the broth from the bones are good for our health.
I like to make a larger amount of stock from turkey as well. And I use more veggies, celery and carrots. This way I have a turkey soup for part of the liquid and the veggies get used up as well. I put the remaing stock away in 2 cup portions(frozen in ice cube trays). Then when I want it for any recipe or rice it’s ready.
My mom and I have been wondering what the difference was! We’ve been making stock for awhile now and just didn’t realize it.
Do you mean chicken bones leftover FROM 4 roasted chicken breasts, but NOT including the meat? I just wanted to make sure I understood, since your wording wasn’t clear to me. Thanks! I don’t know what has happened, but I haven’t received an email from you since April 14, I miss your cooking.
Hi Delia!
I was trying to say the bones only. I left out the word ‘from’, I’ll fix that right away.
Since writing this recipe, I have come to use the bones from the whole carcass. I’ve been saving my money by purchasing the whole bird and saving my time by roasting it all at once.
As for my weekly letter, I believe I sent out a letter last week, but not the week before. I wasn’t feeling well after Easter and it took the wind out of my sails. Thankfully it’s all behind me now. Thank you for noticing. I’ll have another letter going out tomorrow.
Have fun today!