Preparing chicken stock can be extremely easy and fun. The most reliable way to start the process is to purchase a rotisserie chicken at Costco or your favourite market. I cut off the breasts to save for yet another meal, i.e., chicken salad, sliced chicken for sandwiches, broccoli chicken saute, etc., then cut up the chicken into smaller pieces so they can simmer better. Be sure to keep the skin on the chicken for better favour. (You can skim some of the extra fat from the stock when it’s cooled, if you like.)
Dice up 3 stalks of celery, 3 carrots & 1 large onion into medium pieces and add to a large stock pot with the chicken and water. You can always add a bay leaf, salt & pepper and simmer, not boil, for at least 2 hours. You will have a very favourfull & tasty stock at that point. I then strain the stock into a large bowl and separate the chicken & veggies onto a large cookie sheet to cool. I remove the veggies from the pan and return them to the stock. Carefully, remove the skin, bones and inedible pieces from the chicken meat. Place all of the usable chicken meat back into the pot with the stock & veggies. You can add Orzo or any pasta or rice that you like using. Adding a bit of curry will give your soup a great kick and one that’s quite healthy for you, too. Season as you like & perhaps a few herbes to liven your finished product.
I make this stock quite often but change the recipe frequently by adding a can of coconut milk to make an interesting Thai influenced soup. Enjoy preparing this creative dish and let me know if you have any questions or thoughts that I can help you with for this preparation. Enjoy…
Chef Steve
steve@moltobenne.com