I like making stock every now and then. It let's me get some cooked chicken without really needing to put much effort into it, I get meals for a few days and stock for about a month and I barely even have to look at the stove. Plus the family walks in, smells the air and goes, "Oh wow, that smells so good, what's for dinner?" And I get to laugh because I didn't make dinner.
How to Make Jia's Lazy Chicken Stock
- Dump a whole chicken (or chopped into pieces, whatever comes packaged) into a large pot.
- Cover chicken with water
- Most recipes call for 4 or 5 bay leafs, I use about 10-15 . . . I like bay leafs
- Add other spices. Just close your eyes and pick at random. Luckily, I didn't accidentally grab nutmeg or cinnamon. Garlic, cayenne pepper, white peppercorns, and salt usually do the trick for me. Sometimes I throw in some oregano or thyme.
- Add in veggies like carrots, onions and celery.
- Cook on low (very low) for about 6-8 hours. No I'm not joking. The meat slides off the bone without you even having to touch it, this is the best way to cook chicken.
- Remove the chicken and let cool for a little bit before you begin poking it with a fork to separate the bones.
- Salivate over chicken for a few minutes, eat a couple handfuls and tease the dogs before shredding and bagging the rest.
- Dump the bones back in the pot and cook another couple of hours (just in case)
- Fill up half of your sink with cold water and ice.
- Drain (I use a pasta strainer) and pour the stock into a large bowl. Set the bowl gently into the ice bath and let the stock cool down before you bag it and freeze it.
- I always double bag the stock. I don't trust freezer bags. (This is why I need to learn how to can.)
- Before you use your frozen stock, a layer of fat will be frozen to the top of it. Chuck that part into the trash.
5 comments:
Hey, I ♥ your blog :)
i've never made chicken stock, but that looks so great i'm going to have to try it this week.
we should learn to can together. i keep meaning to get my mom to teach me but she is just so busy i couldn't possibly pin her down for that long!
wow! this looks so easy/lazy that even i could do it.
thanks!!!
I like to make my own stock as well. It does smell so good when you're making it. I plan to make stock with the leftover turkey next week. It's my first time so I hope it's just as good.
When I make stock, I usually refrigerate the pot until the fat is solid enough to be removed before I package it. That way, I only have to do one round of de-fatting vs. 6 or 7.
I'm all about the least effort that gets me the desired result. :-)
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