What's Cook Wednesday: Homemade Chicken Stock

The past three or four times I've purchased a rotisserie chicken, I've used the left over scraps to make chicken stock. Since chicken stock is so useful and versatile, I thought I'd share how I make it. It's really quite simple, you just have to take the time to do it. 

Rotisserie chickens at the big-box stores (Sam's/Costco) are about $5 and huge! I can usually get enough meat for one extra large dish or divide it up for two meals. So I definitely get my money's worth, but when I use it to make a chicken stock, it literally pays for itself. Typically, with a $5 chicken, I can get 3-5 meals (using the meat and broth). 

What You'll Need:

Rotisserie chicken*

3-4 Carrots, roughly chopped

3-4 Stalks of celery, roughly chopped

1 whole onion

2-3 whole cloves garlic

3 Chicken bouilion cubes

2-3 Bay leaves

Salt + Pepper

Water

10 quart Pot

Fine mesh strainer

Instructions:

Put skin, bones, and all other scraps into large (10 quart) pot. 

I'll usually fill plastic container with water and pour into pot - the water will make sure you get all the good bits and pieces from the chicken out of the continer. 

Cut off outside layer of onion and place whole onion in the pot.

Add carrots, celery, garlic, bouillon cubes, and 2 large (or 3 small) bay leaves to pot. 

Fill pot with water until it's 1-2 inches from the rim. 

Put the pot on the stove on medium-high heat and bring to boil. 

Boil for an hour then lower heat to simmer for two more hours. 

Let broth cool for at least 30 minutes. 

Use tongs to remove large pieces from pot. 

Pour broth through fine mesh strainer to remove all other small pieces. 

Store broth in mason jars (or whatever you have on hand) and use within 2-3 days or freeze broth and use as needed. 

Freezing Broth:

You'll want to wait until the broth has completely cooled then store it for freezing. I typically freeze mine in quart or gallon bags. Just think ahead to how you will use the broth and how much you will need at a time and freeze accordingly. I prefer zip-locking bags because I have them on hand, they're easy to use, it's good for proportions, and they lay flat in the freezer taking up minimal space.

*Pull meat from rotisserie chicken. Freeze or use in a meal in 2-3 days - I typically use this chicken for soups, casseroles, quesadillas or nachos, chicken and rice or chicken and pastry, chicken spaghetti, or any chicken dish your heart desires.