Traditional chicken stock
Instructions:
- 4 pounds chicken parts and/or meaty bones (such as backs, necks, wings, or carcasses);
- 12 cups cold water;
- 2 large onions, quartered;
- 4 stalks celery, roughly chopped;
- 3 medium carrots, roughly chopped;
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed;
- 3 bay leaves;
- 1⁄4 cup lightly packed flat-leaf parsley;
- 3 short thyme sprigs;
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns;
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
- Rinse the chicken parts, pat dry, and place in a large stockpot. Add the cold water and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally and skimming off the foam that accumulates on top of the stock. Stir in the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, parsley, thyme sprigs, peppercorns, and salt. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pot, and gently simmer the stock until the meat falls off the bones, the bones separate, and the liquid reduces to about 8 cups, about 3 hours.
- Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. The stock can be used immediately, but for best results, let it cool to room temperature and then cover and refrigerate until chilled. Just before using or freezing, remove the solidified fat from the stock. Discard the fat or save it to use in other recipes, such as in place of bacon drippings. The stock can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen in airtight containers for up to 6 months.