While watching the "Top Chef" premiere last night I was subjected to a bevy of food promotion, including a Thanksgiving-themed ad touting the wonders of boxed Swanson chicken broth. Michael Ruhlman feels strongly that if given the choice between boxed or canned stock, you should just use water. I won't lie, one box 'o broth does reside in my pantry -- but most of the time, I use my own, straight from the freezer.
Chicken stock recipes abound, but here's how I make a very basic quantity of low-fat, no-salt stock:
2.5 pounds (more or less) of mixed chicken parts -- can be carcasses from roasters you've saved and frozen, wing tips, necks, backs, gizzards. Cooked or uncooked, just make sure the skin and fat have been removed. I throw in a handful of chicken feet, which are perhaps not the most appealing chicken part, but they help the stock gel marvelously. (Locals can buy large, cheap bags of frozen chicken feet and necks from Arnold's.)
I heap them in my slow cooker, cover with water -- 8+ cups -- and cook on low for about 8 hours.
Or you can throw the chicken stuff in a pot, cover with water, and just barely simmer for a few hours, skimming occasionally. You can also roast the bones first. You can add a quartered onion, carrot, celery stalk, and parsley to the water. Or not.
Pour off the stock from the bones and other stuff -- you can strain it if you want -- into a large bowl, then set into a sink full of ice water (those frozen icepacks work great to chill). Let it cool and gel, uncovered. Skim the fat off the surface. Or you can put it into the fridge, uncovered, until the fat has risen to the surface, skim. Then put into containers and freeze or the fridge and use within a few days.
It's an inexpensive, easy, forgiving recipe, and you're making use of throwaway parts to create a base for something tasty -- like a soup, gravy, or sauce. Now THAT'S the secret.
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For my first ever traditional Thanksgiving dinner, I'll be making my own turkey stock, thanks to Bon Appetit's recipe. More on this soon, as Thanksgiving approaches.
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3 comments:
If I don't have enough carcass, I add bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks, chopped up, skin and fat removed. Roasted, or not.
Wow, Michael Ruhlman doesn't kid around when it comes to broth. Can't say I blame him though... the difference between store bought and homemade is just too blatant to ignore. Thanks for your recipe!
This year's turkey also yielded a huge amount of broth, twice. First the classic neck + gizzard + pan juices, for gravy plus a lot of extra golden brown stock which will be great for another sauce base. And then, the carcass post-turkeyfest -- it required lots of skimming and some reduction, though, to get rid of the grease and concentrate the flavor a bit.
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