Chicken Stock
/It used to be easy to pick up a can of plain chicken stock at the grocery store. Not so much today as more brands cater to the consumer's taste buds by adding seasonings which is great for humans. Dogs, not so much since most contain onion powder, etc which are harmful for dogs. The only truly natural brand I have found is Swanson Flavor Boost which doesn't contain any added ingredients - no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, MSG, or most importantly onion. I use it in a pinch but I find that it's simple and cheaper to make it myself.
Whenever I cook a chicken (boiled, baked, grilled, it doesn’t matter) or buy a rotisserie chicken, I save the skin and bones for the stock, including leftover meat from the dinner plates. I also use the gizzard, heart and neck if available. I throw everything in a large freezer bag which I store in my freezer until I'm ready to cook up a batch.
Chicken Stock
Cook Time: 4-6 hours
Nutrition facts: 19 calories, 5 from fat
Ingredients
- 3 chicken carcasses
- 4 carrots, coarsely chopped
- 4 celery sticks, coarsely chopped
- sprigs of fresh parsley (optional)
- sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)
- 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- cold filtered water
Instructions:
- Place everything in a dutch oven or large pot and cover with water. The chicken feet will add more gelatin. Sometimes I make pure chicken stock so I can add what I want when making a certain dish.
- Bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered on low heat letting some of the water boil off for at least 4-5 hours. Leave the pot covered but slightly ajar until the last half hour or so.
- Strain the stock through a small mesh colander.
- Chill the stock overnight in the refrigerator. The fat will rise to the top and harden so you can just skim it off.
- Use the biggest crock pot you have. Don’t overfill with water since it won’t evaporate as quickly as with a stockpot. Make sure the lid is weighted down and that simmering can’t move the lid around or you will have water everywhere.
- Place all the ingredients in the crock pot and cover with cold water.
- Start on highest setting and bring to a boil.
- Slow cook for at least five hours on high or overnight on low.
- Skim the scum/foam that rises to the top as needed.
- Strain into your container of choice.
Crock Pot Instructions:
I like to freeze the stock in small silicone molds or ice cube trays. Once frozen I pop them out and place in zip lock freezer bags with the date written on the bag. Each cube contains 2 tablespoons or 1 ounce. 12 ice cubes equal roughly 1 cup.
It can be stored in the refrigerator up to 48 hours or frozen for up to three months.
Tips:
- Pulverize the softened bones in your food processor and add back to the stock to make a highly nutritious calcium rich stock.
- Label large zip lock bags and over time just throw leftover bones and vegetable scraps in the freezer. Do one bag for chicken stock bones and one bag for bone broth bones.
- Don't use a pressure cooker because it destroys essential vitamins that are heat sensitive.
- It is never a good idea to leave a stove on overnight so I turn mine off at bedtime and then turn it on high in the morning until it starts boiling vigorously and then turn it down to a simmer. Then I turn it off when I go to work. When I get home I make it boil again and then turn it down to a simmer until bedtime. A crock pot can stay on 24/7.
Whenever I need some chicken stock for a meal, human or canine, or some treats I just grab a few cubes from the freezer and I'm good to go!
