Chicken stock is used in many recipes, but where does it come from? Well, for most folks it comes in a can or a box from the store ladened with salt and preservatives. But it didn’t always come that way! Once, long ago, when folks raised more of their own food, including chickens, people made their own chicken stock. And to be honest with you, it really isn’t all that hard to do! While it takes time to make, it is one of those set it and walk away kind of things.
This year we raised our own meat birds for the first time. Hubby recently butchered eight of them and broke them down for freezing. We find it much easier to just grab what we need, then to thaw a whole frozen chicken. More work upfront, less work later on. Well since he had done so many birds at once, we had a nice assortment of “left overs” as we will call them. There were necks, backbone areas and such. Well we just couldn’t let that all go to waste now could we! So we pulled out a BIG pot and set to making homemade chicken stock from scratch. Now I know butchering your own meat is a scary thing for most of the general population….. it is NOT a requirement for making your own chicken stock. You can buy your birds from a farmer or a store. Save up all your “left overs” in a freezer bag till you have a nice stock pile.
When you have a nice mess of “left overs” collected, it is time to get boiling. Now mind you, the carcasses we used had very little meat left on them. We threw them (bones and all) into the pot with five large carrots, three small onions, a few smashed cloves of garlic, and half a bunch of celery, which were all rough chopped. There is nothing fancy necessary to make chicken stock. We brought the pot up to a very low boil and let her set for approximately 6 hours. As the water evaporated we added in more to keep the level about an inch from the top of the pan.
When you’re done boiling and the stock cools, you will have to skim the fat off the top. A little fat adds flavor, a lot is just gross! We strained the contents of our pot through cheese cloth in order to remove everything but the liquid. Who wants big chunks of “stuff” in broth!?!? Chicken soup yes, but not in broth.
Now our big pot of stock came close to around three gallons of stock, which we canned for later use. I know not everyone has eight chicken carcasses or a canner, we went crazy. That being said, you can always scale back the amounts and make a little to keep in your fridge when ever you break down a whole chicken. And don’t worry too much about how much this or that we used. The great thing about making stock is you can adjust the flavor as you go. Taste your stock, add in salt and pepper to taste, be brave!!! Your taste buds will let you know when your “yellow liquid gold” is just right.
**Homestead Tips on Tuesday is a weekly series where we help you learn skills, tips, and trick to help you on your journey of homesteading. Many places post list of things you should/could do as far as homesteading skill, but I feel lists are at times overwhelming and can make people give up before they even start. So every Tuesday I share one thing for you to try or consider. I hope you join us every Tuesday and I would love to hear about your adventures with each weeks topic.**
I always make my own stock from bits and pieces of chicken! Easy Peasy!
Next time try roasting your pieces in an open pan for 30 min or until they're browned.
Then transfer to your stockpot and boil away. It gives your stock a much richer flavor!
The next time we grill a whole one we are gonna try that!
I keep wing tips in a zip lock bag in the freezer when I make marinaded chicken wingettes. I also just bought 4 chicken carcasses from the butcher. I'm trying to source chicken feet as it adds good gelatin.
Way to go!
Hi Mindie! I used to make my own stock but haven't in several years. Have never raised chickens for meat, but used to buy those undesirable chicken parts from a local farm, and use those for stock. We never canned it though – used to freeze it. Absolutely nothing better than homemade stock. You're making me want to do it again!
Do it, do it! LOL
Butchering time is the best time to make stock, that's for sure! I save all kinds of scraps from the kitchen while I'm cooking- garlic skins, onion skins, carrot tops, etc- in a plastic bag in the freezer so when it comes time to make stock, I dump the whole thing in the pot with whatever bones or bits & pieces that I've got on hand. I also add a dash of apple cider vinegar to help draw the calcium out of the bones. Delicious.
Thanks so much for sharing this very easy and beneficial post!
Erin
http://yellowbirchhobbyfarm.blogspot.com
Thanks Erin. I never knew about the vinegar.
Yum, yum, and yum. Thanks for sharing on Green Thumb Thursday.
P.S. I featured your Pumpkin Pie Spice recipe this week.
Hugs,
Valerie
Cottage Making Mommy
http://www.lovingmyheartandhome.blogspot.com
Thanks for the feature!
I put my chicken pieces and veggies in the oven first to roast also. Then I simmer mine for 24 hours. It makes your stock gelatinous & a wonderful caramel color plus it tastes wonderful.
Now that is dedication girl!
Awesome I have never made my own chicken stock. This looks absolutely divine! Thanks for sharing!
It is sooooooo easy Elizabeth. Try it!
I went to check to see if I was following all your social networks and I am, but now my comment is gone 🙁 Okay let's see I tried canning once, and the jars blew up & P.U. Anyway, won't you come over and share your Post with my readers too? I have a Recipe linky on Fridays. Surely hope so. Have a great weekend.
They blew up!?!?! OMG That would be so scary!
Love homemade stock!! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again this week!
Thanks for the pin!
Everytime I roast a whole chicken I make stock. I go through it rather quickly with all the soups and such I make so I don't bother canning it, but rather portion it out to 3-4 cups in zip top bags to put in our freezer. I do a lot of canning and my storage space is limited so I save the shelf space for the vegetables and such. Thanks for linking at the Yuck Stops Here. I do hope to see you again this week!
We went without power for 5 days and well…. we can! LOL Can't trust electricity
Pinning this…what a great thing to keep around, especially with the colder months coming soon.
Thanks so much for linking up to Teach Me Tuesday last week! You are very much appreciated! Hope to see you again tonight!
http://3glol.net/2014/09/08/teach-tuesday-20/
Have a great week!!
I can't wait till it get cooler so we can break into our stash! LOL
I have never made my own stock before. I am going to try! I have been doing lots of canning lately. 🙂 Thanks for linking up with "Try a New Recipe Tuesday." Hope you can join us again this week. http://our4kiddos.blogspot.com/2014/09/try-new-recipe-tuesday-99.html
You will love the control you have over the taste and amounts of salts (or the lack of the crazy amounts the store brands use)
What a fantastic idea to make your broth while butchering. I'll have to remember that this fall. Thanks for sharing with us at Simple Lives Thursday; hope to see you again this week.
It's nice to just get it all done at once and be done with it. And so wonderful to have in the winter months.
I have only made my own stock once, but it turned out delicious. Such a great soup base. Thanks for the submission to the HomeAcre hop. Feel free to stop by at http://www.PintSizeFarm.com or another one of the hosts to submit another this week!
It is such a great soup base and with the winter coming, it is nice to know we have a stock pile!
Thanks for coming and linking up at #The Weekend Social. Please be sure to come back next week starting Thursdays at 9PM EST on KitchenDreaming.com ! I hope to see you there!
Thanks for hosting
I imagine that your chicken stock tastes so good, too. Store bought tastes just a little too store bought. Thanks for sharing your process with us at the Over the Moon LinK Party.
I love how we can control the flavor and salt in ours. It really is satisfy to look at our jars LOL
I love making my own stock.I think it is so much more healthy.
Healthier and taste better in my opinion!
I have made chick broth a couple of times and it really makes soups (or chicken n dumplings) taste so much better. I have never made broth this way. I'm always glad to run across new recipes. This sounds pretty easy. Thanks for sharing!
It is super easy to make!
Very nice tips, thanks for sharing wonderful recipe, this Hearth and soul blog hop, pinning.
Thank you doe you kind words
Thanks for sharing this at the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop. Now that we are getting settled in our "new" home (well, new to us!) it's time to get back to this kind of cooking. So glad I found you! Nina @ Vintage Mama's Cottage
The smells alone will make your house feel more like a home. 🙂 Congrats on your new place!