Chicken broth is the base for making soups, sauces, gravy, and other delicious recipes. Is Chicken Bone Broth the same as chicken stock though? The answer may surprise you! I’ll show you how to make it, too! It's so EASY and AFFORDABLE!
Heavy Stock Pot or Dutch Oven with tight-fitting lid
Fine mesh sieve
storage containers
Ingredients
3.5lbsBony Chicken Pieces Legs, wings, necks, or back bones
4ribsCelerytops and leaves, too!
4mediumCarrotscut into 2 inch chunks
2largeOnionsquartered
3clovesGarlicpeeled
3Bay leaves
10Whole peppercorns
2quartsWater
Optional Herbs & Spices
Rosemary
Thyme
Ginger
Optional Aromatic Vegetables
Parsnips
Celery Root
Green Onions (Scallions)
Instructions
Layer all ingredients into the pot. Pour in the water.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the pot comes to a rolling boil, cover and reduce the heat to a slow simmer over low heat. Only a very low bubble is needed for this slow simmer. The slow simmer is what draws out all flavor!
Simmer covered over LOW heat for 3 hours, checking the pot occasionally for the water level. If the water level seems to be dropping, add additional water to keep the pot at around two quarts of water. If foam develops, skim the foam away with a spoon and discard.
After the stock is done, it will have a light golden color and smell and taste like chicken soup. Remove the pot from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.Remove the chicken to a large bowl or plate and set asideOnce the stock is cool enough to safely handle. strain the stock by pouring it through a fine-mesh sieve into another large pot or bowl to remove the spent vegetables, herbs, bones, and cartilage. Let the stock cool and skim the fat off the top. The cooler the stock is, the easier it will be to remove the fat floating on the surface.
For the reserved chicken meat, This can be shredded off the bones and the bones be discarded. The shredded meat is perfect anywhere you would use pre-cooked shredded chicken meat like soups, tacos, chicken salad, and chimichangas.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE: The chilled Chicken stock will turn gelatinous. This is perfectly normal.This has to do with the chicken bones themselves. Slowly simmering the bones draws out all the vitamins and nutrients into the broth but it also draws out the collagen and marrow. The collagen is what gives the chicken stock its silky texture. Once you reheat the stock, it will all become fully liquified again. The bone stock adds a beautiful depth of flavor to rice and chicken dishes and is great for other uses like gravy and even ramen noodles.
Notes
Weight Watchers App lists homemade chicken stock which has been skimmed of fat to be a zero point food on all plans.