Dressings

First, I should say I’m really excited about this one! If I had to choose one item I make from scratch that simply makes me happy it is my chicken stock. There is something really amazing about creating a flavorful and versatile ingredient to use in soups, casseroles, meat dishes, and so many other foods, all while knowing it is nourishing and simple. I actually feel guilty for ever purchasing this in a box because doing it yourself is a really rewarding experience.

To be honest, there was always something that disgusted me about boxed stocks. Not only do boxed stocks smell and taste weird, they also contain MSG. I have yet to find a boxed stock or bullion cube that doesn’t contain some form of MSG, even the organic versions. If you are on the lookout for MSG in products like these, it will be labeled as Monosodium Glutamate, Autolyzed Yeast, or Yeast Extract. Even products that use the phrase “No MSG added” on their packaging are most certainly using a different source of the same thing. I stay far away from MSG because I simply don’t want to be mind tricked into craving something. I want my body to crave what it needs, not what an additive is making me think I need.

When I began working in restaurants I realized the people really doing things from scratch were making their own stocks. Don’t get me wrong, there are some places that sell so much soup that it just isn’t a feasible thing to do,  but in the chef world using stock bases is really frowned upon. Why? Because making your own is kind of like an art form. It is also budget friendly because employees can collect all of their onion, celery, and carrot scraps and create something out of them. Talk about not wasting anything! Making stock in your home is just as easy, and if you save onion peels, carrot scraps, and the parts of celery you aren’t using you could very well create a nice stock out of it if you have enough. My family doesn’t collect enough scraps to use scraps alone, but you may or may not find a random bag of onion peels in my refrigerator!

There are various ways to do this, but I prefer to make a meal out of it as well, which means I use a whole chicken. I do remove the meat about 45 minutes in, but that way I have meat to make meals with the stock. I also leave the skin on for flavor and if the chicken came with the giblets I will use them as well. The more you can throw in there, the better! Essentially you put everything into a large pot (I use an 8 Qt. KitchenAid stock pot), cover it with water, bring to a boil, and let it do it’s thing. There is nothing labor intensive about it, it just takes a long time. I let mine simmer for at least 6 hours. When I do this, I am not planning on using the chicken or the stock that day. If I am feeling really adventurous I might put the pot on the stove that morning and use the stock for dinner, but most of the time I use it the next day and freeze the remains in jars for various uses. The best part about making your own stock is you will have a freezer stash of stock to put into your other meals! This is a really basic recipe so you can pull this out of the freezer and add other herbs and spices to it to match the recipe you are using.

Other then a whole chicken, I use onions, carrots, bay leaves, black peppercorns, and salt in my stock. I don’t keep celery on hand but if you do I would suggest adding some. Other options to throw it are garlic cloves and fresh herbs. If you want to throw herbs in there, I’d go with thyme, rosemary, and parsley. This will liven your stock up a bit but I’ve made it in a pinch with no herbs and still got a beautiful stock. However, like I said this is a basic stock you can use for anything. As far as chopping your onions and carrots, just roughly chop them into big chunks and throw them in. Putting everything together literally takes less than 10 minutes.  While the stock is cooking you may notice some “stuff” floating to the top of the pot. Just take a ladle and scoop it out. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. When the stock is finished I strain everything out of it, keep the carrots, and throw the rest away. Straining it is really easy, I use a large colander over a large stainless steel bowl and carefully pour.

I’ve gone through pretty much the whole process, so here is the recipe with directions.

Homemade Chicken Stock

• 1 whole chicken
• 3-4 bay leaves
• About 1 Tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 2 large onions
• 5-6 large carrots
• 3 celery stocks
• optional: garlic cloves (2-3), fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, parsley)
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher or Pink Himalayan Salt ( added at the end)
• Freshly cracked black pepper to taste (added at the end)

Roughly chop onions and carrots. Put them into the pot along with all other ingredients except salt. Fill with water to cover everything and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for a few minutes then turn heat down and cover. While covered, allow pot to be simmering, but not at a rolling boil. About 45 minutes in remove chicken meat from bones for use later in soups and meals. Put all bones back into pot. Cook for 4-6 hours, checking pot frequently and making sure ingredients are still covered with water. I usually end up adding more water by the half-way mark.

Strain the stock by placing a colander over another large pot or bowl. Remove carrots from remains if you are using them in a soup. Be sure to check diligently for small bones that can occur with the use of a whole chicken! Now it is time to season your stock. Start with a teaspoon or two of salt and adjust it according to what you like. This is the trial and error part of the process and you have to decide how much salt you want to add. I add about a Tablespoon which gives me a nice balance between bland and super salty.

One thing to note, you want the cooling process to go quickly. I would suggest dividing your stock between 2 or 3 different containers, as a smaller amount will cool quicker. The Serv-safe rules are as followed: Within two hours you should be somewhere around 70 degrees, and within 4 hours you should be around 41 degrees or lower. If your stock is sitting around in a “temperature danger zone” harmful bacteria can grow. Once this happens, no matter how much you boil it, the harmful bacteria will still be there. To be honest in home cooking I have never had a problem with this, as long as I divided the stock between two pots and gave it breathing room in the refrigerator. Please don’t let this scare you into not making it, because really it isn’t a huge deal but something I wanted to mention.

The next day you may notice a layer of fat has surfaced on your stock. If you wish to remove it, simply take a ladle and submerge the bottom half of it into the middle of your pot (you don’t want liquid getting inside the ladle yet). Moving from the middle out, gently move your ladle in circles, pushing the fat to the outside. When you have reached the outside of the pot tilt your ladle and allow just the fat to spill into the ladle.

*As pictured and mentioned I do freeze extra stock in mason jars to use for other meals. Once your stock is cooled, just fill a jar leaving extra room at the top for expanding, and freeze.