Chicken Stock Recipe

Chicken Stock Recipe

Written by Tara Carpenter, NC.

Serving customized cooking, consulting, and menu plans.

Chicken stock, like any other meat stock, is rich in minerals, gelatin, and collagen. All of which keep bones/teeth strong; joints supple; and hair soft. I personally experienced my hair improving tenfold when I started drinking a quart of stock each day. In a matter of weeks, my hair softened and with much less grey! Thank God for collagen ….

As a kid, I fondly remember the soup going on the back burner of our stove; my mother always simmering bones after the supper roast had the night before. The scent of onion and bay leaves would permeate into the wooden floorboards of my bedroom above perking my nose and want to wander down and have a bowl. As I got older and became a vegan, meat became a distant memory. I have since returned to eating meat and make stock on a weekly basis for my own family, with slightly different versions of this recipe below depending on what meat on-bone I have and what seasonal vegetables are on hand. You can find the benefits of stock here.

Chicken Stock Recipe

Makes: about 4 quarts

Ingredients

• 4-5 lb whole, pastured chicken ~or equivalent weight in bony parts (neck, back, breastbone, wings, joints)
• Gizzards from one chicken (optional)
• 2-4 chicken feet (optional)
• 6-12 eggshells, cleaned (optional)
• 5-6 quarts cold filtered water
• 2-3 Tbs. acid (i.e., raw apple cider vinegar, lemon) *
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 bunch parsley

Instructions

Remove gizzards from cavity as well as the wings and neck – If the bird’s head is intact, keep it there – better for stock.

Place chicken or bones in a stainless steel/ceramic pot with all but parsley and allow to stand for 30-60 minutes.

Bring to a slow, gentle boil – removing scum that rises to the surface; reduce heat, cover, and simmer 2 hours.

Remove the whole chicken from pot and separate meat from bones (If using only bones only, then leave it alone and simmer 6-24 hours).

Place cleaned carcass back into pot, cover, and simmer another 4-22 hrs.**

Add parsley 10 minutes prior to stock being finished for extra minerals.

Strain stock into large bowl; put in fridge until fat coagulates (rises to top).

Skim and reserve fat to use in other delicious dishes.

Store stock in fridge for 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

Tips & Tricks

1. Fat rising to the top acts as a preservative and leaving this layer until ready to use stock will help to seal out any air, incoming bacteria, etc. I cut “pie slices” when dipping into my stock. I also will often at times pour hot stock through a strainer set inside a wide-mouthed funnel on top of quart-sized Mason jars; letting them cool slightly before placing in fridge. You will see this beautiful layer of fat rise and harden, like a layer of beeswax. Kept this way, I find stock keeps much longer in my fridge. Just one of Nature’s preservers 🙂

2. Chicken feet are gelatin-rich and worth the effort of sourcing. You can purchase them from a local butcher, farmer, or by going to freerangechicken.com. Two chicken feet per gallon of water.

3. Substitute any other meat on-bone for the chicken (i.e., lamb, deer, beef). Beef bones are dense and can cook up to 72 hours.

*Using an acid helps leech more valuable minerals (calcium, phosphorous, sulphur) from the bones and puts them into your stock which eventually gets into your belly! 

**Cook 6-8 hrs. only if you are in the beginning stages of healing your digestion (i.e., stage 1 of B.E.D). You will find that as your digestion improves, you can cook the bones longer and longer without feeling irritated in gut. Keep in mind that stock cooked longer than 24 hrs. it can acquire an “off taste” (unless dense bones like cow).

Benefits of Bone Stock

Parsley Power: Green Vegetable Smoothie

Nutritional Consultations with Tara, NC.

References

Bauman, D. (2011). Homemade Stock Is Full Of Minerals. Retrieved at https://indianapublicmedia.org/eartheats/homemade-stock-minerals-every-dish/

Campbell-McBride, N. MD. (2011). Gut and Psychology Syndrome. Soham, Cambridge; Medinform Publishing.

Fallon, S. (2010).  Nourishing Traditions.  Bogart, GA: B.E.D. Publications.

Mercola, MD. (2013). Bone Broth – One of Your Most Healing Diet Staples. Retrieved at https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/12/16/bone-broth-benefits.aspx

Paleo Diet Lifestyle (2011).  Making Fresh Bone Stock.  Retrieved at https://paleodietlifestyle.com/making-fresh-bone-stock/

May all bellies be happy!