Homemade Chicken Broth
The golden elixir – restorative homemade chicken broth is the base to the best soups and recipes. All you need is a chicken, a few vegetables and a couple of hours.
What is the difference between bone broth, chicken broth and chicken stock?
- Bone broth is made by roasting chicken or beef bone until very dark then slowly simmering for up to 24 hours to release all the collagen and protein from the bones.
- Stock is made by simmering the entire chicken or pieces of beef, pork veal etc. with vegetables and straining out the solids. The entire chicken or beef roast can be roasted prior to simmering to release all of the fat from the bird or beef.
- Broth is made by simmering the chicken pieces with vegetable and seasonings to flavor the liquid.
- Stock and broth can be used interchangeably in cooking.
Ingredients in this recipe:
- whole chicken roster or fryer
- olive oil
- carrots
- onions
- garlic
- celery
- herbs- rosemary, parsley, sage, thyme
- peppercorns, salt
Equipment needed for recipe:
- large stock pot
- roasting pan- I love the handles on this pan.
- fine sieve
- kitchen twine
- large bowl or another stock pot
- clear glass jars for storage or zip top bags- I use these wide mouth jars by Ball
I’ve perfected this homemade chicken broth over 25 years- here is why this recipe is so good.
Making anything like stock, broth, bread, or sauces from scratch can be daunting. I have made this broth and used it as a base so many times in my home recipe catalog. Now it is perfected so you can make it with little fuss.
First the chicken- just buy a whole 3-4 pound roaster. Organic is best. Remove any items from the chicken’s cavity.
Put the chicken in a roasting pan, and spread olive oil, salt, and pepper all over the bird. Roast at 375 until it is golden brown- it will not be cooked all the way through. We just want that deep flavor that is developed in the roasting process and we want all that gorgeous fat that will help flavor the stock.
Pop the bird into a deep soup pot- you want something really big. Cover with water, add onion, carrots, celery, peppercorns, salt, and herbs- I like parsley and rosemary. Sage and thyme work great as well. If you have it, just tie it up with twine and toss it in.
Scrape in that fat from the roasting pan.
Bring the entire pot to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for a few hours. Remove the chicken- which will be falling off the bone. Strain the remaining contents into another pot.
At this point you can pour the broth into jars, cool it, freeze or keep going, and make soup, risotto, rice- whatever recipe calls for broth or stock.
How simple is that?
Ways to use chicken broth:
- A base for soup
- Drink for a nourishing high protein cure all
- Add to any rice dish instead of water to enhance the flavor
- Cook collard greens in chicken broth for even more richness and savory goodness
- Stir into your shrimp and grits for an incredible taste
Recipes using Homemade Chicken Broth:
- Italian Wedding Soup
- White Chicken Chili
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Southern Cornbread Dressing
- How to Make Perfect Rice
- Vegetable Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 3-4 pound chicken roaster
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 1 unit Yellow onion peeled and quartered
- 2 cups carrots cut in half
- 2 unit garlic cloves peeled
- 6 unit whole peppercorns
- 4 unit stalks celery ribs with leaves cut in half
- 8-10 unit sprigs fresh thyme parsley, sage or rosemary
- 1 gallon spring water or filtered water
Instructions
- Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a shallow roasting pan, place the chicken- be sure to remove the neck if it is in the cavity of the chicken. Rub the olive oil into the skin of the chicken and sprinkle well with salt and pepper. Roast at 375 degrees until the skin is well browned and the chicken has released most of its fat- about 45 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and place in a large stock pot.
- Add of the fat drippings to the stock pot.
- Tie the herbs in a bundle with kitchen string.
- To the stock pot, add vegetables, herbs, salt, and peppercorns. Cover with water so that there is at least 2-3 inches of water above the ingredients
- Bring to a boil, turn the heat down, and simmer on low, uncovered.
- Every 10-15 minutes skim the foam or solids that appear on the top of the stock with a spoon. Keep the stock at a simmer for 3-4 hours, uncovered adding water to keep veggies and chicken submerged.Check often for flavor and add salt as needed.
- After 4 hours, remove the pot from the stove.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool. Strain all the solids (vegetables, herbs, spices) from the broth mixture with a fine sieve into a large bowl or another pot new pot to chill quickly. Discard/ compost solids.
- Remove all the chicken meat from the bones and use for soup, chicken salad or whatever you like.
- Once the broth has cooled (about 30 minutes) pour it into jars to keep in the fridge. After 24 hours, remove any fat solids from the top of the broth. You can then keep stock in the fridge for 2-4 days. To freeze- pour the cooled broth into freezer bags, lay bags flat on a rimmed baking sheet, and freeze until solid. You can store stock in freezer bags for up to 3 months.
