Homemade chicken broth is superior to store-bought versions and can be easily made by simmering chicken bones and vegetables for several hours. The broth can be flavored with various spices and herbs to suit different cuisines. Homemade broth has no artificial additives and can be customized to individual tastes.
Chicken stock is a classic staple ingredient for soups, stews and sauces. It has so many uses that it is sold pre-packaged and packaged in supermarkets. However, nothing tastes like homemade chicken broth.
A basic chicken broth starts with a large pot. A saucepan is nice, but the Dutch oven that comes with the saucepans will also work. Add about 3 quarts (3 liters) of water to the pot and add about 2 kg of chicken bones and bony parts. Bring it almost to a boil. Cut into large pieces 2 peeled onions, 2 celery stalks, 2 peeled carrots, 2 bay leaves, 2 thyme sprigs and about 1 teaspoon whole black pepper. Lower the heat and simmer for two hours. Skim the foam and fat off the top while cooking. At this point, the cook can stop cooking or continue simmering for another 2 hours, to make a de-glace for the sauces.
When the stock is cooked, the cook then strains the entire pot through a colander or strainer, preferably through cheesecloth, into another pot. The stock is then ready for use. Once chilled, it can also be poured into ice trays and frozen in cubes until needed. When the cubes are frozen, they can be placed in date-labelled freezer bags to save space.
A Chinese-type flavor can be added to chicken broth with the addition of ginger and garlic pieces. Add a dash of Italy with a couple of teaspoons of marjoram and oregano. Adding sofrito will give the chicken broth a Latin flavor. Cumin or curry powder will flavor chicken broth nicely for Indian food, and lime leaves and lemongrass will give a Thai cooking flavor to the concoction. It all depends on the preferences of the cook and the uses of the chicken stock.
A big advantage of homemade chicken broth is that the cook knows exactly what’s in it. There are no artificial preservatives, flavors or other unwanted ingredients. The cook can also fine-tune the seasonings exactly so the chicken stock suits his individual preferences. Making chicken stock doesn’t require much effort, and any cook would be well served to learn the technique.
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