Chicken Stock

It is fairly easy to find good stock these days at the larger supermarkets.  However, nothing beats homemade stock – for one thing, it tends to be much lower in salt.  You can make it and store it in ice cube trays, ziplock plastic bags or plastic containers in the freezer until you need it.  It is a key ingredient in risotti and forms the foundation for many soups too.

You can use the carcass from a roast chicken but I find that they are picked almost clean in our house so I usually use a whole uncooked chicken or chicken pieces.

Growing up, chickens used to come with a small plastic bag of giblets (the offal/neck) inserted into the cavity of the bird.  You rarely see this now but if you do happen to get hold of some (perhaps from the butcher), they make a lovely rich addition to the stock – obviously remove the plastic bag before adding them to the pot!

1. Place the chicken, vegetables, peppercorns and water into a large pot. You can tied the herbs together with some string (to make a bouquet garni) or just tuck them into the water individually if you can’t be bothered with this.  If they are tied, it makes them easier to remove but as you will sieve the stock off at the end, it isn’t essential.
2. Bring the pot to the boil and then turn the heat down until the liquid is simmering.
3. Simmer gently for 2 hours with the lid on.
4. Remove the chicken and any large pieces of vegetable or herbs and discard.  Strain the liquid though a fine sieve to remove the peppercorns, herbs and any other debris.
5. Let the liquid cool and then refrigerate.  Any fat will rise to the surface and you can skim this off with a spoon before either using the stock or pouring it into ice cube trays, plastic containers or bags to freeze.