Chicken Stock

Making Nutritious and Delicious Chicken Stock

 Being an overweight nurse, I often feel a bit like an impostor. I am supposed to be a role model for good health. I am supposed to be doing things the right way. I do eat good food, but I am a volume eater which is a nice way of saying I tend to stuff myself way past the point of being full. We could go into the psychological dilemma of that, but that isn't what this post is about. I am starting a blog to discuss a new journey I am embarking upon. A food journey. I am learning as I go here and I won't profess this is the way for everyone. I plan on making some mistakes and learning by trial and error as to what works and what doesn't. What I don't won't to do is what I have done countless times in the past. It just hasn't worked for me. So, this blog is all about trying new things and becoming hands on with food.

I couldn't sleep the other night. I got up, got online and started reading some different articles about food and nutrition. I know how important a role food plays in achieving optimal health. I remember doing a paper about Michael Pollan, a major food guru, and I think the seed was planted there. That was about a year and half ago. I did make some positive changes after that. I started reading food labels, started paying more attention to the types of food I was consuming, started becoming more aware of sustainable living. Like most things in my life though, I only dabbled with it. I have to be honest with myself. I have been seriously pulling the wool over my own eyes and it is really time to make some serious changes.
 
I did finally get back to sleep, but as I was beginning to drift off,  I was thinking about where to start my journey. I decided small changes seem to work best for me. I tend to be a great starter, but not a great finisher.  My first project would be making homemade chicken stock. I had already decided about a month ago that I wanted to explore making soup this fall and freezing for winter. What is the basis of a great soup, I asked. Why....it's the stock of course!
I have always just purchased stock in those cute little cartons with the peel away pour spout and being ignorant of some pretty important facts, I thought I was ok. Hey, it's not soup out of a can and I am using fresh veggies, blah, blah, blah! So much for reasoning. What I didn't know about nutritious, healthy soup was ALOT!

Here's the skinny as I now know it! Homemade stocks made with fresh, high-quality ingredients are a powerhouse of nutrition. All kinds of minerals and vitamins are infused into the broth and the combination is a one-two punch for a variety of ailments. Stock must be an elixir from the Gods! It can help with our digestive systems, bone and joint disorders like arthritis, possesses benefits for our hair and nails, and just overall makes us feel better. It soothes the soul!! I could go into all the technical chemistry of it, but if you are reading this blog, you have access to the Internet and can Google just like I did and read even more about it. An added bonus, it is so much cheaper than commercial stock and YOU control the ingredients so YOU know what YOU are eating!

So, I started with just a simple basic recipe, but here's the real magic! You can tailor your broth to whatever you want by adding or deleting ingredients. You can cook broth in a crockpot or you can do what I did and drag out the much underused and most unappreciated piece of equipment in your kitchen. Well, at least in mine...and that was a monster size stockpot my DH had bought a few years ago and made soup in maybe one time. (I think I have a new best friend!!)

 

 

 

I took a large roasting chicken and placed it in said pot. This was not your typical grocery store bird. Pastured chicken is the way to go here. (Again, I could and probably will write an entire post on pastured vs. caged poultry.) I filled the pot with just enough filtered water to cover the bird. I then added 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar. This is to help pull the minerals from all of the ingredients going in there. I cut up 4 big, chunky, organic carrots, 4 stalks of organic celery, and one large sweet onion. That's it. I didn't add anything else, but I am now certain I will experiment the next time with maybe some thyme, parsley, garlic, or other flavor profiles. I let the whole pot sit for about 30 minutes so that leaching of mineral process could have some time and then onto the burner she went. I  brought all of this to a boil and skimmed off any foam that was accumulating to the top. I had read this 'scum' was impurities coming to the surface. No need for impurities!! Not in my beautiful stock! Once that was done, I lowered the heat down to a mild simmer, put the lid on and forgot about it! Well, actually...that isn't true. The aroma was killer. Both, DH and I kept going back into the kitchen and looking through the glass lid to watch it. Is that a little bit weird?
 

Just starting to come to a boil

Shhh....Magic at Work.

I let the magic unfold through the wee hours of the morning and about 5 AM, I got up, turned off the heat, and let it sit there until a more reasonable hour. I was supposed to add a bunch of parsley at this point before I removed it from the heat just for an added bonus of nutrition, but, hey, it was 5 AM and I was stumbling around without my glasses and just totally forgot about it. Next time though!


Skimming the scum.
 

The next step was to ladle it into containers. I had bought some quart size plastic pitchers just for that purpose. Now, the stock is sitting in my fridge waiting for the fat to rise and solidify so it can be removed. One of the articles I had read said this fat can be used for flavoring stir fry veggies. I will have to read a little more on that. I am so brain-washed about good fat and bad fat and frankly, I remain mostly confused. That will be fodder for another post, I am sure.

Elixir of the God's in my fridge!!

I plan on freezing the two large pitchers and the other two smaller ones will be used this week. I found a recipe for roasted cauliflower soup that sounds delicious and nutritious.

What are your broth making experiences? Do you use a crock-pot or a large stock pot? Do you use bones or a meat bones combo? I am definitely going to experiment with this some more. I think I will make a fish stock and a beef stock. I have read the beef stock is a bit more complicated, but that is not going to deter me. I am determined to keep hands on and delve into this new way of eating and living with my whole heart! I am just proud of my first project!! Stay tuned. I have a whole lot of ideas swimming around in my head. Now, I am going for a walk. It is a beautiful morning here in the Pacific Northwest and exercise is also in the scheme of things. Later!