Now We're Cooking -- Chicken Stock

[Chef Kate]

Whether you call it Bouillon Blanc de Volaille or Fonds Blancs de Volailles or Chicken Stock or Chicken Broth--it's what we are making today.

And Chia's lovely photos describe the process.

So here goes:

I've started mine two ways--

First:




about 5 and a half pounds Chicken Thighs (I use Bell & Evans organic Chicken)
bunch of parsley
couple of carrots, scrubbed but not peeled
several stalks of celery
an onion, cut in a couple of pieces but unpeeled
a couple of cloves of garlic, unpeeled
a few peppercorns
a couple of fresh bay leaves.

Second:

all the same vegetables and herbs
a whole chicken (about 4 pounds)
a few chicken thighs to round out the pot.

I put everything into the pasta insert/colander insert of a twelve quart stockpot, add about 7 or 8 quarts of water, and turned on the burner--medium low

[Chef Kate]

This time I am using the second method--a whole chicken plus a few extra chicken thighs.

I may turn the heat up just a tad--a little closer to medium--just to get it going.

Remember, you're starting with COLD water!

[Chef Kate]

It's really amazing what your nose tells you. I just caught a whiff of chicken scent and I know before I even go into the kitchen, that my stock is just about simmering.

[chia]

your kitchen will smell incredible in a few hours!
i will defat my stock later and divide it into 1 cup portions to freeze.

[Chef Kate]

Our first participant--Marg/ Cayman

who, of course, being Zaar's photo maven went first to the pictures.

Great job!! I need to make some soon. I'm new to soup stock cooking so I have a questions...do you then use the chicken in the soup too or do you throw it away and use new chicken when you make the soup?

[Marg (CaymanDesigns)]

Chef Kate wrote:
Our first participant--Marg/ Cayman

who, of course, being Zaar's photo maven went first to the pictures.

Don't blame me!! Chia did a link to her thread in the photo forum!!!

[Chef Kate]

A terrific question because Chia made hers the first way --all parts--and neither she nor I use the chicken when we make it that way.

I'm Doing mine the second way--using a whole chicken and some extra thighs. I have a borrowed picture to illustrate that.

[Chef Kate]

Chia is so much smarter than I am--I started here and started moving her pictures

May we stay here now, Chia?

[Marg (CaymanDesigns)]

The only stock I've ever made was for this soup, Creamy Turkey Soup (crockpot) recipe #102534, and I made it from a turkey carcass not fresh chicken. That's why I wasn't sure about the meat.

[Chef Kate]

Either way--whole chicken or chicken parts, the stock needs to simmer--the slightly higher heat at the beginning is fine. But once the bubbles start to come up the side of your stock pot, it is time to lower the heat to medium low--and make sure the stock does not boil.

You will notice some impurities (also known by the lovely name 'scum') will begin to rise to the surface.

Skim these off and discard.

[Chef Kate]

While we're waiting for the stock to come to a simmer, I thought I would mention that what Chia and I are cooking here is a very basic chicken stock. It is a great base for probably hundreds of recipes--soups, sauces, casseroles, fricassees, etc.

As we saw from the "Everybody has a Recipe for Chicken Stock" thread, there are many variations on this theme. I personally prefer it this way because I like the freedom to flavor whatever dish the stock is going into--and only getting the really pure flavor of the chicken and the aromatics.

I think we should put together a Public Cookbook from that thread tho--because it is so full of great ideas.

[Chef Kate]

Now we come to the full answer to Marg's question.

My stock has been cooking now about forty five to fifty minutes. It is simmering very slowly. I just very carefully removed the chicken to a platter and checked the breast meat for doneness. And indeed it is white through, quite done and beautifully moist.

here's photo, courtesy of Chef Simon:



Therefore, it's time to peel away the skin and carefully, gently with a nice sharp knife (I actually find that it's useful to have both your chef's knife and your boning knife for this, as well as tongs--hot chicken!

[chia]

chicken soup for the zaar soul

[Chef Kate]

Excellent, Chia!

We'll have to figure out if we can post "tips" in recipe form as well.

[Chef Kate]

The breast meat should be removed to a plate and should look like this:



And it's now ready to be used as you like--sauced and served hot, or cooled and used in salad or for stuffing tomatoes or for chicken pot pie.

And as for the rest of the bird--back in to the stock pot it goes--breast skin and all.

And it needs to simmer away and give up all that good flavor to the broth.