Homemade Chicken Broth

Oh man! The crud has really hit our family hard this week. It seems we are not the only ones, as 48 kids were out at our small elementary school yesterday, my youngest being one of them. So, soup is a big must-have this time of year. Even when we aren't sick, we have hot soup to warm us up from the cold Januaryness about once a week.

A good base can make a soup that much better. We use chicken broth like crazy around here so I decided to learn how to make it. I still pick up a can at the grocery store every time I go but when we have roasted chicken for dinner it is a given that the next few days will yield some homemade broth. You have to try it. It is so much better than the canned stuff. It does take a little bit of time so read through and plan accordingly.

So, you want to start with a whole chicken. Save the giblets from the inside. I also pull the neck bone out and save it with the innards. Just put them in a bag and store in the fridge until you are done cooking your chicken & ready to make the broth. Don't be intimidated! There are tons of great, easy recipes for roasting a chicken. Like this one , or this one, or this one. I prefer slow-roasting it in the oven but you can also do it in the crock-pot if you'll be out of the house all day. Once you are done, don't throw away that carcass! (that sounds lovely, eh?)

You will need a big stock pot. Now, throw what's left from your lovely chicken dinner into the pot. Like this:

Add 2 large onions, cut up in large pieces. Leave the skin on. You are going to strain off all of the whole pieces later on.

Wash 2 large carrots and add to pot.

Cut 2 large stalks of celery in half and add.

Add 10 peppercorns.

1 head of garlic. You don't have to peel these either but break them up a bit.

Add 2 tablespoons of salt. I prefer kosher.

Now add enough cold water to cover all of the ingredients.

Put your pot on the stove, cover, and bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil turn down to a simmer and simmer for 4-5 hours.

After 4-5 hours, take the pot off of the burner and let it cool. Once cool, put in refrigerator overnight.

The next day take out the stock pot and remove any fat that has formed on the top. Heat up just until warm and then remove all of the big parts of chicken, bones, and veggies. It will be all squishy like this:

Next, strain the rest of the broth to get any smaller pieces out, and you are left with your lovely broth.

I can usually fill about 3 of the containers below, which holds 5 cups each.

If you are using the broth within the next few days than keep in the fridge until you are ready. If not, then freeze it.

When you are ready to use, just pop in the microwave and defrost slowly, or in a sauce pan. Now you are ready to make your favorite chicken noodle, chicken tortilla, or even your favorite Italian wedding soup!

Chicken Broth

1 large chicken carcass & chicken pieces from inside of chicken

2 large onions, roughly cut in big pieces, skin on

2 large carrots

2 large ribs of celery, each cut in half

10 peppercorns

1 head garlic, skin on, broken up

2 tablespoons kosher salt

water

1. Add all ingredients to pot & cover with water.
2. Cover and boil.
3. Reduce and simmer for 4-5 hours.
4. Cool to room temperature.
5. Put in fridge overnight.
6. Take out of fridge & remove fat from the top of the broth.
7. Warm on oven so it is heated thoroughly.
8. Remove from oven and remove large pieces of chicken, vegetables, and chicken parts.
9. Strain into another pot.
10. Use within the next few days or freeze.

WEEKLY MENU

Being as the whole family was sick this week I'll just include the menu here as it was written out on Sunday. It turns out we ate a lot more soup so far this week (Yay for soup) and skipped a few of these:

Sunday: Grilled Brats & Mac&cheese

Monday: Balsamic Glazed Salmon, rice, & green salad

Tuesday: Hamburgers and fries

Wednesday: Cheesy Enchiladas, rice, & beans

Thursday: Tortellini soup, crispy bread, & salad

Friday: Dinner out

Saturday: Leftovers