Homemade Chicken Stock

When I cook chicken, I usually buy the bird whole and break it down into the parts I need.  One night I'm pan searing airline chicken breasts and later that week I'm braising coq au vin.  Or maybe I'll de-bone the whole thing, season it real well, and grill it.  Or perhaps roast it with lemon, white wine, and aromatic herbs and vegetables.  Whatever the treatment, there are sure to be unused bones and backs, wingtips and giblets.  These go into the freezer and hang out until I’ve reached critical mass.  Then it's time to make stock!

In case you've never tasted homemade stock or used it in your cooking, let me just say that there is no comparison.  I've tried half a dozen store-bought varieties and nothing comes close.  I would argue that butter, aggressive seasoning, and house-made stocks are the top three reasons you go "WOW!" when you eat in a good restaurant.  If you can combine that with love - the secret ingredient of all great home cooks - your family and guests will most likely fall out of their chairs…unable to handle so much goodness.

Some notes before we begin

A stock pot should be big.  It takes time to make stock, so you want to make it worth your while.  And it should be taller than it is wide (this allows for slower evaporation of liquid).  I use measurements such as ¾ & ¼ of a pot below so that you can make stock in whatever size pot you own, but you don’t actually want to fill up the pot entirely.  Leave a little room for the veg to dance about as they simmer.

The recipe below is for brown chicken stock which I tend to use more frequently because it is a deeper, richer stock.  You can make a white chicken stock - which is lighter in color and more subtle in flavor - simply by following the recipe below without browning the bones or the veg.  

If you're dealing with whole chickens, I recommend using a big-old cleaver the break them down before you start.  And you may want to trim excess fat and skin so that the stock doesn't taste overly fatty.

I suggest only using parsley stems because the leaves will give off a bitter flavor if they are cooked too long.  Don’t let the leaves go to waste, though.  Try an Italian salsa verde or a French parsley persillade.

When I make stock, I like to put ¼ in the freezer, ¼ in the fridge, and reduce the rest into a demi-glace which you can use to make a ridiculously good sauce later in the week. Instead of freezing the stock in large containers, divide it into smaller ones so that you can take down a little each time you need it.

Finally, if you'd like to know more about cooking with bones, I highly recommend Jennifer McLagan's Bones: Recipes, History, and Lore (and if you’re feeling adventurous, check out her equally edifying Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient).

Supplies

• 3/4 a stock pot of chicken scraps and1/4 a stock pot of rough chopped mire poix (carrots, celery, and onions in a ratio of 1:1:2)
• A couple of bay leaves, whole peppercorns, parsley stems, and some sprigs of thyme
• White wine
• Water
• Ice (for an ice bath)
•  A stock pot
• A shallow, wide metal spoon
• Large, metal bowl (or glass would work too)
• A chinoise, china cap, or other large strainer (coffee filters or cheese cloth if you want a really clear stock)
• Metal sheet trays and an oven pre-heated to 450
• Stock storing container(s)

Method 

1) Lay the chicken scraps on the sheet tray and place the tray in the oven.  You want to leave a little space between the scraps so that the hot air can circulate and crisp up as much of the exposed meat, bone, and skin as possible (you may need two trays).  This builds flavor.

2) When the exterior is dark brown and crisp, remove the tray from the oven.  Place the chicken scraps in the stock pot and pour the liquefied fat and drippings into the metal bowl.

3) Place the sheet tray over two burners on the stove top.  Turn the burners on to medium- high.  When the pan starts to sizzle, deglaze with white wine, using a metal spatula to scrape up all of the brown bits from the tray.  Again, you’re building flavor.  Pour the wine and mushy brown bits into the stock pot.

4) Toss the mire poix in the bowl with the liquefied fat (if you'd prefer, you can just toss the veg in your favorite oil).  Spread the veg onto the sheet tray and place it back in the oven until the edges of the veg are dark brown.  Then throw them into the pot too.

5) Add the parsley stems, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and peppercorns to the pot.  Then fill with cold water, just ½ inch shy of the top of the pot.

6) Bring the pot to a boil and then lower to a simmer.  You will most likely notice dark foam collecting on the top the water.  Use the metal spoon to skim it off, trying to leave as much of the water and solids in the pot as possible.

7) Simmer the stock for at least 3 hours.  

8) Pour the contents through the chinoise into whatever container you plan on storing it in. This will remove the bulk of the solids, but if you want an even cleaner finished product, strain the stock a second time using a coffee filter or cheese cloth. 

9) Before you put these in your fridge and freezer, you want to bring the temperature down.  If you’ve made a lot of stock, this may take some time, resulting in a larger window of lukewarm exposure.  Since this is unsafe, you can use an ice bath to bring the temperature down more quickly.

10) When you remove the stock from the fridge or freezer, you’ll notice a yellowish layer of congealed fat on the top.  Discard that and use the delicious stock below it.