Foodstuff: Still feasting off a whole bird

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about whipping up a delicious roast chicken for a family visitor. This culinary endeavor was sparked by a recent visit to ACES’ Rock Bottom Ranch to learn where our food comes from and what happens before it gets to our plates. 

As a lifelong hater of Thanksgiving food, I have to admit I’m not one to cook whole birds at home — turkey, chicken, or otherwise — so it never occurred to me that this recipe could enjoy a reincarnation as something I actually cook with quite a bit. Soup season is upon us, and voila! Our feathered friend is officially in another new phase, this time in the form of scratch-made chicken stock, perfect for all of your favorite cozy cooking. This recipe came in especially handy as the last gasps of the summer’s CSA share have been lousy with root vegetables, so I was able to use up those, as well. 

Homemade chicken stock

Yields four cups

• Four pounds chicken backs and bones
• Three medium carrots, peeled and quartered
• Two stalks celery, quartered
• One large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• Four sprigs parsley* 
• One leek, green parts only 
• One garlic bulb, halved crosswise 
• One teaspoon black whole peppercorns
• Six quarts cold water 

Put the chicken backs and bones, carrots, celery, onion, parsley, leek greens, garlic, black peppercorns, and cold water (approximately one and a half gallons) into a large stock pot. Set over high heat, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the stock has reduced by about a third, for about three hours, occasionally skimming away the fat and scum from the top of the pot. 

Once the liquid has reduced, use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove the large pieces of vegetable and bone from the pot, and discard. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve** into another large stock pot. Cool completely, cover, and store in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months.   

Cook’s notes

*I noticed when looking back at the photos, a bay leaf was also thrown in there for good measure, courtesy of my riffing cooking companion.

**You could also use cheesecloth here if your colander has holes on the larger side.

This online Food Network recipe seems tried and true and turned out perfectly. Ina is right: Homemade really does make a difference. The stock was subsequently used to make an excellent chicken noodle soup, yielding three terrific meals (plus leftovers!) from one fantastic chicken, which gave its life, so we could eat well, and I’m grateful. Grateful even after telling my plus one, “You have blood on your face,” when he showed up at my house on the morning and learned how to butcher the little guy properly. Hey, we should all know what we’re eating.

Katherine Roberts is a mid-valley-based writer and marketing professional who is already “stockpiling” recipes that use stock, hardy, har, har. She can be reached via her marketing and communications firm, Carington Creative, at katherine@caringtoncreative.com.