I’ve been making my own chicken stock lately, mainly because DH needs me to watch his sodium intake. I have enjoyed it thoroughly and DS, the younger and DH, really like the way it makes the house smell. They also know that I will make something really good in the end. Here is a recipe similar to what I do:
One 3-5 lb whole chicken (Look for sales for $.59-$.79 a lb)
16 cups of water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of pepper
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
other leftover vegetables I have in the frig at a given time
Boil together for 3 hours or until the chicken is falling off the bone. Then simmer for another hour. Remove chicken from the pot and let rest until cool enough to handle. Debone chicken meat carefully and freeze in 1 cup portions for use in recipes. Safe out a portion to make the guys something immediately.
Strain broth and refrigerate until fat hardens and rises to the top. Skim off fat and freeze in 2 cup portions to use in soups and casseroles. When using in a recipe, I heat the frozen portion in a sauce pan and I will add some water to it – just eyeball and tastebud it to make the amount I need.
With the strained out vegetables, I pick through and get out anything unappetizing looking then blend them up with my stick blender, add it to my awaiting broth and do a soup of some sort. The veggies thicken up the soup some and it just tastes good.
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