Iโm going to start this by admitting that this is the VERY first time that Iโve ever made my own chicken broth. Iโve been meaning to for yearsโฆ and itโs almost hypocritical of me not to, but for some reason I never got around to trying it.
So, donโt read this post as a โdefinitive guideโ to making chicken broth, but rather a โhere is my experience, you should try it too!โ Also, because I know there are A LOT of you who have been doing this for years, Iโd love it if youโd share your tips, tricks, and experiences in the comments so that we can all learn from each other :)
So what was my experience? OMG, so easy. Seriously, dump it all in the pot and let it go. Come back later and you have a magical golden liquid full of flavor and good for you nutrients. Why wouldnโt you want to do this?! Plus, I always get warm and fuzzy inside when I know that Iโve reduced my waste. By making broth you get to use every last bit of goodness in your chicken and vegetable scraps. I canโt wait to make some vegetable broth too!
A couple good tips Iโve already gotten from readers:
1) Save your vegetable scraps from other recipes in the freezer until youโre ready to make broth. Just make sure theyโre well washed first to remove sand and dirt.
2) Theresa suggested making the broth in a slow cooker instead of on the stove top for even less baby sitting. Let it go all night and youโll have an ultra-amazing broth by morning!
I canโt wait to hear everyone elseโs tips!
Homemade Chicken Broth
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How to: make chicken broth
Ingredients
- vegetable scraps
- chicken carcass
Instructions
- Pick the skin from the chicken carcass and make sure youโve gotten all of the good meat off. Leave the cartilage as this will โmeltโ into the broth, adding flavor and nutrients. Yes, cartilage has nutrients. Itโs like taking a joint supplement pill, but it tastes better.
- Make sure your vegetable scraps are clean by rinsing well with cool water. You can use the ends and stems of carrots, celery, herbs, onion skins, or any piece of a vegetable that you normally cut off and throw away. The vegetables WILL effect the flavor, so make sure you use vegetables that โgoโ together. I used celery, carrots, parsley stems, and onion skins.
- Add the chicken carcass and vegetable scraps to a large pot and cover with water (about 12 cups, depending on how big your chicken was and how many scraps you have). Bring up to a boil over med-high heat, then reduce to low and let simmer with a lid for 3-4 hours.
- After simmering, pour the broth through a colander into a large bowl or pot. Remove the colander and throw away all of the scraps. Cover the colander with a cheese cloth or another clean, lint-free cloth and pour the broth through once more to remove small particles.
- Divide the broth into smaller containers to help facilitate cooling. Refrigerate until cold and then transfer to the freezer, remembering to label and date each container.
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Notes
How to Make Chicken Broth โ Step By Step Photos
So, I roasted a whole chicken in my slow cooker last weekend, and after it was cool enough to handle I picked the meat off and saved the bones and scraps until I was ready to make the broth.
The next day, after I had accumulated some vegetable scraps, I started the broth. First things first, make sure the vegetable scraps are CLEAN. Sand in broth is not good. I had celery tops and stems, carrot ends and peels, onion peels, and some parsley stems. Place them in a large pot along with your chicken carcass.
Cover the whole thing with fresh water. I used 12 cups. Bring the pot up to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce it to low and let simmer (with a lid) for 3-4 hours.
After youโve simmered all of the goodness out of your scraps, itโs time to strain out the magical golden liquid. Place a colander over a large bowl and pour the whole pot through it. Discard the collected scraps.
After the first strain, this is what I had. Itโs already golden and beautiful. And it smells delightful too.
Youโll want to strain a second time through a fine weave, lint-free cloth to remove any small particles that may have passed through the colander. I just laid my cloth out over the colander and poured through again.
It didnโt catch much, but I bet if I had simmered for longer everything would have broken down more and there would be more small particles.
You can season your broth at this point with salt and pepper, but I prefer to leave it unsalted and then just add salt later when cooking with the broth. Adding salt at the end of a recipe allows you to use less and achieve the same flavor punch. Also, itโs always a good idea to divide your broth (or any food) into smaller containers before refrigerating so they cool down faster. Always chill the broth before placing it in the freezer.
I put my broth in jars because they were sitting there on my counter, but I like to freeze sauces and liquids in quart sized freezer bags. You can freeze in glass jars, but make sure to leave room for the liquid to expand as it freezes, or else your container will burst.
Maybe a stupid question but is broth the same thing as stock can they be used interchangeably for recipes?
Yes, they can!