Chicken Stock

Do not throw away chicken carcasses!

Any time you eat a whole chicken keep the skin and bones.

Last night we had two roasted chickens. I kept the seasoning simple just rosemary from the yard, garlic, salt, and pepper. When we were done eating dinner we picked the bones free of the meat. Tossed all the bones in a large pot. I don't like to eat the super fatty skin pieces, they are too squishy for me, so in the pot they went too. Fill the pot with water and two bay leaves. Simmer on low for 12-18 hours. If I have leftover celery tops or carrot pieces I'll toss them in towards the last few hours but they are not necessary.

Strain out the solids and let cool. I freeze all but one jar (if it's glass freeze it without a lid) and use it wherever chicken stock is called for. The long cooking time yields a super tasty soup base. The longer you cook it the thicker the liquid becomes. If it appears gelatinous when cooled don't fret. Just heat and add water. Think of it like goodness concentrated.

See the fat on top?

Many people tell you to skim the fat and throw it away. That's just silly! If there is a fat layer on top use it to cook your veggies in or in place of butter. Chicken fat has an amazing taste.

The only warning in using homemade chicken stock is to watch the salt. You salted the original chicken so your stock will have some salt in it. If you use the stock in a recipe test the saltiness of the dish before adding any more.

Lots of jars.

This is so easy and only requires minimal preparation time. One pot made all these jars. excuse the hodgepodge of jars. I keep everything that I can use again.