“The most important piece of equipment in any kitchen,” said Francis Pottenger Jr., MD, “is the stockpot.” - Sally Morrell Fallon, Nourishing Broths
As my mom has always told me, showing up is half the battle. Going back to a traditional kitchen may seem intimidating at first, but here you are friend, ready to take on the task. If you are a hands on or visual learner like me, I have made a video tutorial (link here) to go along with this recipe post, which will be posted at the bottom of this page. Today's recipe is a simple, nourishing chicken stock for beginners, that you can use in soups, stews, veggie dishes, to cook rice, pasta dishes, or simply to sip on during the day. This stock is gelatinous and filled with wonderful nutrition. One of the best things about stocks in general is that while they are rich in nourishment, they are very frugal in cost. If you are interested in my roasted bone broth recipe, you can find that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUc1K51GbPM&t=49s
There are many ways to make chicken stock or bone broth, but this is one of the easiest methods, and you are able to cook up a couple meals worth of chicken while you are at it. Who doesn't love saving time and money while boosting the health of those we love?
What you will need: *All of these items are explained in greater detail in the video tutorial listed at the bottom of this page*
Stock pot
Spoon
Chicken or Turkey (preferably pastured or organic)
Filtered or Well Water
Apple Cider Vinegar (the acidity draws out the nutrients from the chicken and the vegetables)
Pink Salt or Sea Salt
Cup or Ladle
Mesh Strainer or Cheese Cloth
Canning Funnel *Very helpful to reduce spillage If scooping into mason jars*
Glass Jars or Container for your finished broth
Optional Supplies:
Ground Black Pepper
Onions - 1 onion rough chopped or onion scraps and clean onion skins
Garlic - 2-5 garlic cloves including clean skins
Root Vegetable (2 Carrots, Parsnips etc) - You can rough chop these veggies (or simply use the ends of the carrots or clean peels.
Approx. 3 Celery Stalks- You can rough chop a few stalks of celery or simply use the ends that you won't be using to other purposes.
Ginger Root - Rough chop an inch or two of ginger root (you can leave the skins on - just simply wash before adding)
Herbs (Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, etc) - You can add dry herbs while your broth is simmering, or wait until after your broth is strained and ready to go into your container or jars.
Bay Leaves - Add one or two bay leaves to your pot while the broth is simmering
The Process:
Place your frozen or thawed chicken into your stockpot (If your chicken is frozen, make sure you known that the gizzards or baggie of gizzards was already removed)
Dump your rough chopped veggies or veggie scraps and skins into your pot (explained in greater detail in the video below) You can collect scraps throughout the week and keep them in a baggie in the freezer until you are ready to make your stock. This will cut down even more on stock costs by not using whole pieces of new onions, carrots, celery, etc.
Fill your pot to the top of your ingredients with filtered or well water (preferably)
Pour in approx. 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
Add 1 tablespoon of pink salt or sea salt
Bring to a low boil and skim off any foam that rises to the top. Once you have that all skimmed, reduce the heat until you get to a good medium simmer and cook (covered) for 6 hours to 24 hours. (For the quicker version, I do 6-8 hours and still get a beautiful gelatinous broth)
Check your stock periodically to make sure it is not bubbling too hard and that your water level in still a the top on your ingredients.
Let the broth cool slightly and then remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon, mesh strainer, or tongs.
Process the meat for any upcoming meals and store in the fridge or freezer.
Strain the stock with a mesh strainer or cheese cloth into your jars or a container of your choosing, with a fitted lid. If you are pouring into jars, I highly recommend a canning wide mouth funnel to reduce spillage.
Allow to cool a bit more, and pop your broth into the fridge (up to 4 days) or into the freezer. If you are putting glass jars into the freezer, make sure they have cooled completely in the fridge first, and always leave and inch of headspace at the top of the jar to reduce the chances of your glass breaking.
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