Making chicken stock

McCall St. Brewer · 12-31-2007, 09:28 PM

I love homemade chicken soup, but I have never been very satisfied with my ability to make it myself the way I would like it to taste.

Does anyone have any tips on how to make chicken stock with a lot of good chicken flavor? I hate having to resort to using chicken stock or bullion powder to bump of the strength of my broth.

I consider myself a pretty good cook, and I think I have a good recipe for stock that uses a good amount of aromatic vegetables, but I need help with the strength of the stock. Do you think that perhaps I am using too much water? Do I need to just reduce the stock down a bit when it is finished?

**sTango** · 12-31-2007, 09:33 PM

reduction is the key to making a stronger stock and eventually glace for sauces

**sTango** · 12-31-2007, 09:35 PM

if you reduce stock all the way down until it just coats the back of a spoon, you can then drain the pan into an ice-cube tray and freeze it. make sure you skim the impurities off when you are reducing.

then pop them all out and put into a freezer bag

then when you are making almost anything, you can pop one or two cubes in for extra flavor and richness.

SuperiorBrew · 12-31-2007, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McCall St. Brewer

I love homemade chicken soup, but I have never been very satisfied with my ability to make it myself the way I would like it to taste.

Does anyone have any tips on how to make chicken stock with a lot of good chicken flavor? I hate having to resort to using chicken stock or bullion powder to bump of the strength of my broth.

I consider myself a pretty good cook, and I think I have a good recipe for stock that uses a good amount of aromatic vegetables, but I need help with the strength of the stock. Do you think that perhaps I am using too much water? Do I need to just reduce the stock down a bit when it is finished?

If I dont have the time or ambition I will use the big boxes of chicken broth and add the bones etc. to that and boil and reduce. Costs more but saves time. Once in a while I will use all boxed broth and no home made stock. I rarely add any straight water.

McCall St. Brewer · 12-31-2007, 09:56 PM

Expensive is right. I don't know about where all of you shop, but in the stores here in Southeastern WI chicken is no longer cheap. Nowadays with the popularity of wings, it seems that no part of the chicken is inexpensive any more. A "sale" is when a whole fryer is $.99/lb.

SuperiorBrew · 12-31-2007, 10:04 PM

It seems that way with all the cheaper cuts of meat, wasnt that long ago you could buy cheap ribs, butts. Briskets were the same price as cheap hamburger. Then smoking caught on and now the stuff is like gold.
I paid $21 for 2 racks of baby backs today

McCall St. Brewer · 12-31-2007, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperiorBrew

It seems that way with all the cheaper cuts of meat, wasnt that long ago you could buy cheap ribs, butts. Briskets were the same price as cheap hamburger. Then smoking caught on and now the stuff is like gold.
I paid $21 for 2 racks of baby backs today

You got that right. Oxtails, shanks, neckbones, soup bones... you name it. They're all expensive now. You'd think some of that stuff would be really cheap.

The stores here used to carry packs of chicken backs and necks for making stock. I haven't seen them lately, though.

p.s. baby backs were on sale here for about $6 or $7 a rack here this past week.

**Brewtopia** · 12-31-2007, 10:38 PM

I usually make stock with the left over carcass anytime I roast a chicken or turkey. I put a little olive oil in the bottom of my stock pot and saute the bones first then cover with water. Add a couple of onions (quartered, skin and all), a whole head of garlic (quartered, skin and all), coursely chopped carrots, coursely chopped celery, and bouquet garni (a few sprigs of thyme, sage, rosemary, parsley) tied together and a couple bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for a couple of hours and strain. Add stock back to heat and reduce if desired or begin to add your soup ingredients as normal.

**sTango** · 12-31-2007, 10:40 PM

yeah, i was gonna post that when we buy those grocery store roasted chickens, i pick the meat thats left after we eat for the dogs and then I just throw the carcass in the freezer.

when I get three or four then I go ahead and make stock and then soup.

**EdWort** · 12-31-2007, 10:46 PM

I could make chicken stock out of the winglets I cut off whole chicken wings when I grill them. I save the wing tips in a plastic bag and SWMBO will boil them and save the broth. Pretty cheap chicken stock.