Back to basics...chicken stock

Many of you can imagine, I make my own soups, I don't need no stinking cans.  Progresso and Campbells can do you know what to my naughty parts. (You will see some of their stuff in my recipes to make things easier for you though).  The basis for a good soup is a good, strong, flavorful stock.  Admittedly, sometimes I buy it, because I just don't have enough materials to make my own stock when I need it in a pinch; but I do save bones from almost everything I eat.  I buy meats with the bone in not just for the bone and the flavor it imparts, but if you can de-bone  your own meat you can pay less per pound for your meat...sometimes dramatically.  If I get enough requests, I'll do some basic butchery tutorials for ya...I also need to convince the guy in the basement to take pictures...that's not easy either.  Sometime he doesn't like the disco ball brightness in the lab.  Moving on....here what you'll need to make about a gallon of good strong chicken stock. 

5 lbs. chicken, turkey, duck, or whatever, poultry bones
1 package soup greens (if your grocery has it,  if not...)
OR

Lazy bubbling deliciousness

2 small onions, cut in half
3 large carrots, cut in half
5 ribs celery, cut in half
THEN
1/4 bunch parsley

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. black peppercorns
4 whole cloves garlic
1 parsnip (if you can find it)

1.  Now here's the easy part.  Put everything in a nice, big heavy bottom pot.  Cover everything with cold water.  Not too much , you can always add more later, but just barely enough to cover everything.  All those bones and vegetables are going to cook down so don't worry if you're a little over.

2.  Turn your stove on medium high, when that pot starts to boil move it slightly off to the side and then lower the heat to medium low.  You really want just a lazy bubble. 

3.   Let this go for 6 hours. If you want to do this during the workday when you're not at home, you can do it in your crock pot too.  Simply set it and forgot it until you get home.  You may have to cut the recipe down a bit, it just depends on your crock pot.  Don't forget to skim the funk off the top too. There will be some fat that comes out, you can easily recognize that, but there will also be a grey-ish foam that forms too.  Just take a spoon and scoop it out, it's really not so tasty and we don't' want anything un-tasty in our tastiness.

4.  After 6 hours, strain the stock out, and pour it into either an old Chinese food take out soup container, or any Tupperware you can find.  I like to take some and make ice cubes from it so I can have a small amount ready in  a pinch, and not have to worry about thawing a whole gallon for a little bit of meat juice love.  The sock will also last about 6 months in your freezer too. 

Remember to make friends with your butcher,.Even the guys in the big grocery chains will hold on to bones for you if you ask nicely.  Even though you don't  have to make your own stock from my recipes, it's always nice to have some on hand.  It's a good thing to do with left over turkey, or chicken bones if you have that too.  As always, if you have questions, just comment, I'll get to you.

Happy Eating,

-The Doctor