Homestyle Chicken Broth
4 hours
Serves: 1
Making your own fresh chicken broth is just as easy as popping a pot roast in the oven on a Sunday afternoon—just figure you can go organize your pantry or read a book while it’s simmering away on the stove!
Ingredients
- BOUQUET GARNI
- 4 large sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary, if desired
- BROTH
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 (4 pounds) Just Bare Whole Chicken
- 3 stalks celery, with leaves, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 medium carrots or parsnips, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 leeks, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled, lightly smashed with side of knife blade
- 8 black peppercorns
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- Coarse salt to taste (begin with 1 teaspoon)
- About 3 quarts (12 cups) water (enough to just cover ingredients)
Instructions
- To make bouquet garni, tie herb sprigs together with kitchen twine.
- Heat oil in large stockpot (6- to 8-quart) over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes or until it begins to brown.
- Add chicken and remaining broth ingredients to pot, along with bouquet garni. Reduce heat to low, cover, and slowly heat until liquid is simmering (just below boiling). Uncover; skim foam off surface as it rises to the top. Simmer 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- Lift chicken pieces from broth; cool. Remove skin and pull meat from bones. Return the skin and bones to the pot. Continue simmering broth, uncovered, for 2 hours longer. Shred or chop chicken meat; use in soups, salads, or sandwiches.
- After 2 hours, remove stockpot from heat; cool 30 minutes. Strain broth through a wire mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth, discarding solids. Season broth with more salt, if desired. Cover and refrigerate until the fat in the broth solidifies on the surface.
- Lift off fat; refrigerate for up to 3 days (to make soup!) or freeze for 4 to 6 months.