Chicken stock is the way high end restaurants hydrate foods that are already par cooked for service which adds both moisture and flavor to the dish. My chef at the restaurant would use whole chicken parts with vegetables and would yield a thin stock that may have served its purpose but as I’ve been studying and experimenting, I’ve found a more economical and practical means to get a better result. To me it’s a shame to treat perfectly good chicken meat as a tea bag and I’ve found that the meat really doesn’t yield much flavor. The flavor is found in the skin and bones, which are usually thrown away. Well, before you throw them away this time, let me show you how to get the most out of your roasted chicken. You can improvise with this by using fresh chicken bones from a butcher, whole chicken parts, or even other types of poultry like turkey, but my best batch of broth was made from the bones of four discounted rotisserie chickens from Kroger costing me about twelve dollars. This recipe does adapt itself to any other types of bones, so ask your butcher what they have available and you’ll have that much more choice in flavor.
What you’ll need:
– Rotisserie chicken (one or more)
– ¼ tsp of Powdered milk
– 1 tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar
– Mirepoix vegetables: carrots, onion, celery rib (one of each)
– Bouquet garni: Bay leaf, parsley, pepper corns
Poultry seasoning: Sage, Thyme, Rosemary
– 1/2 tsp of Sea Salt or Kosher salt
– 2 Stock pots medium sized
– One metal bowl
– Chef’s knife and cutting board
* For Chicken Consumme: Two egg whites, more mirepoix veg shredded, sliced mushrooms (optional)
If you serve chicken for a meal, simply save all the bones or you can disassemble a rotisserie chicken ahead of time. Carefully remove the meat from the drumsticks and save the wings whole. Using a chef’s knife, cut small bones (wings, wish bone) in half, cut off the ends of the long bones to expose the inner marrow, and cut the cartilage spine found between breasts into smaller pieces. Chop up the skin and add it to the chopped bones.
Sprinkle a ¼ teaspoon of powdered milk into the bones and toss until fully distributed. Powdered milk contains protein rich milk solids which will brown up and add body to the stock. Roast the bones for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit in a medium sized stock pot with a capacity for four quarts. (Budget for 50%- 75% more water and vegetables for each set of chicken bones you add to this process. This will take less time to reduce the volume while still allowing enough water for extracting flavor.)
Protect your hands and move the stock pot out of the oven onto the stove top and add three quarts of water to the pot. Bring the pot to a boil for ten minutes, then use a sieve or colander to drain the bones into another pot. While still hot, set the bones into a bowl and add one teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar to be absorbed into the hot bones as they steam. This will also help remove more minerals from the bones and add a little bite. (Just a little bite, not too much.) While this mix marinates in the bowl for about 30 minutes, allow the broth to boil and reduce in volume. Gather up your “bouquet garni” herbs (parsley, sage, thyme, bay leaf, pepper corns) either into a cheese cloth tea bag or wrapping them up together and binding them with butcher’s twine. Chop your mirepoix vegetables: (onion, celery, carrot). Add them to another pot with two quarts of water and then toss in your chicken bones and bring to a boil for 30 minutes, allowing for the liquid to reduce while it steeps. Drain off the liquid into the first batch of broth and continue to reduce the volume to your desired amount. Add half of a teaspoon of your favorite salt to adequately season the broth. I always prefer sea salt but kosher salt is acceptable.
Usually I keep 2-3 Mason jars specifically for storing my bone broth. Be sure your glass is not cold or they may crack. Warm them with hot water before pouring the reduced, boiling broth into them. This will also sterilize the container and you’ll have to boil the lids separately to sterilize them. Allow the full jars to steam for one hour before placing lids on them. It’s best to store them in the door of your refrigerator while they are still warm so the heat can escape through the door as it gets opened and closed. This way you won’t heat up anything on the shelves. Do not freeze, your broth will last for months if unopened and refrigerated. Once opened, use the refrigerated broth within two weeks.
For Chicken Consumme:
To clarify the cloudy bone stock into consumme, start by shredding mirepoix vegetables in a food processor (you can add sliced mushrooms if desired). Separate two eggs and mix only the egg white into the shredded vegetables. Pour this mixture into a pot of cold, cloudy stock and turning the burner to medium high, stir while it heats up to a rolling boil. Once the boiling begins, lower the heat down to a simmer and watch as the raft forms on top of the stock. Use a small ladle to make a hole in the center of the raft. Taking liquid from the center hole, baste the raft slowly to filter out the cloudy particles. Continue until you are satisfied with the clarity of your stock. Finally, strain the consumme through a cheese cloth and a chinois strainer or a fine mesh sieve.
Serve in a glass with an egg custard, asparagus spears, pearl onions, olives, caper berries, or just sip it and feel like the amazing cook you are.
