BASIC CHICKEN STOCK

Basic Chicken Stock image

The difference between a good soup and a great soup is the stock, and if you've never made your own, you're really missing out. This recipe from the legendary Jacques Pépin takes a few hours, but very little effort, and you'll never go back to those cardboard cartons of over-salted stock again. It also freezes beautifully.

Provided by Jacques Pepin

Time 2h30m

Yield 13 cups

Number Of Ingredients 7

Ingredients

3 pounds chicken bones (neck, backs and gizzards, skinless or with as little skin as possible)
6 quarts lukewarm water
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence (see note)
1 large onion, peeled and cut into 4 pieces
12 whole cloves
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

Steps:

Place the bones and the water in a large stockpot, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and boil gently for 30 minutes. Most of the fat and impurities will come to the surface during this time; skim off and discard as much of them as you can.
Add the remainder of the ingredients, return the liquid to a boil and boil gently for 2 hours. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve or through a colander lined with a dampened cloth kitchen towel or dampened paper towels.
Allow the stock to cool. Then remove the surface fat and freeze the stock in plastic containers with tight-fitting lids. Use as needed.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 11, UnsaturatedFat 0 grams, Carbohydrate 0 grams, Fat 1 gram, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 1 gram, SaturatedFat 0 grams, Sodium 51 milligrams, Sugar 0 grams, TransFat 0 grams