Roast (Brown) Chicken Stock

Like the chicken stock recipe but with a deeper, richer flavour due to the browning of the chicken pieces, this roast chicken stock is a worthwhile staple ingredient in the fridge or freezer.  Lots of recipes require a base of stock and although some of the stocks now available in the supermarket are a massive improvement on what used to be available, homemade stock is still better.  The better the stock, the better the end result!

If you can get your butcher to chop up the chicken wings for you the preparation time will be cut down significantly.  You can tie the herbs together to make a bouquet garni (as shown in the picture) though it isn’t strictly necessary if you can’t be bothered as the stock needs to be sieved at the end anyway.

I make the stock on the stove but you could achieve the same results using the oven and a temperature of around 180 degrees.

Don’t add any salt to the stock at this point as the dish you ultimately use it for may have ingredients in it that are already salty (e.g. bacon, cheese) and if you are reducing the stock down it will increase the saltiness.

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep oven roasting dish.  Put the chicken wing pieces in and gently brown them in the oil for 30 minutes.
   
2. Add the onion, garlic, peppercorns and bouquet garni to the pan and continue cooking gently for a further 10 minutes.
3. Add the cold water and bring the pan to the boil.  Boil for 2 minutes and skim off any fat or impurities on the surface with a spoon then turn the heat down so the contents are simmering gently.  Continue simmering for an hour.
   
4. Pour the stock through a fine sieve into a bowl or large jug then cool the liquid.  Put it in the fridge overnight and skim off any fat.  You can either keep the stock in the fridge if you are going to use it in the next day or so, or freeze it for future use.