How (and why!) I make my own chicken stock
Bone broth/stock is all the rage these days. It is packed full of nutrients, and boosts your immune system. You can find article after article praising its benefits online. You can also pay an arm and a leg for it, which is why I decided a few years ago to start making my own.
The main broth I make is chicken, though I have done shrimp a few times as well. The first step is to buy the chicken. The only qualifier is that it has bones. A lot of times I'll pick up a big pack of drumsticks because they are super cheap, but sometimes I'll do a whole chicken. The cost on this is maybe $5-10. I will pick it up when it's on sale and then throw it in the freezer until I know I'm going to have a day at home to cook it. Sometimes I also keep scraps when I'm cooking chicken for other things, and throw any extra pieces I have into a freezer bag to use for my stock.
When I'm ready to start, I pull the chicken out of the fridge or freezer, remove the packaging (be careful to remember if it's frozen that sometimes there's a little piece of paper at the bottom that will get stuck to it). I throw all of the chicken into my stockpot, and fill it with enough water to cover all of the chicken with an extra few inches at the top. Some of this will end up evaporating, so I like to make sure I have plenty.
Put the stockpot on the stove, cover it, and heat up the water to a low boil. You'll need to boil the chicken for about 30 minutes to an hour, based on what part of the chicken you are cooking. You can find cook times online, but drumsticks take about 30 minutes, while a whole chicken (especially if it's frozen) take around an hour. Once the chicken is cooked, I remove it and put it in a colander (so the water can drip off). Let it cool long enough that you can handle it and pick off the meat, shredding it as you go with forks. If you don't want to shred it completely, you can remove the bones and skin, and then put the larger chunks in your kitchen aid mixer with the paddle attachment, and let it shred the chicken for you. I usually hurry this step along by peeling off the skin first so it cools faster. Throw the bones and the skin back in the pot as you go. Be forewarned that if you have pets, they will all be at your feet during this step looking up adoringly at you and drooling. When you're finished picking it all clean, cover the meat and put it in the fridge; it's ready for any recipe you can think of.
Next, go to your vegetable crisper and clean that thing out. I draw the line at any veggies that are slimy, but dry celery, carrots, wilted lettuce, and onions all work great. I loosely chop them up, then throw them in the pot. I don't worry about separating out the end parts of the carrots or celery; we aren't going to eat these veggies, we just want to suck whatever nutrients are left out of them. Use it all up! You can absolutely buy fresh veggies for this as well; I'm just being honest and telling you how it usually goes down at my house. I also add in some fresh herbs from my garden, and whole peppercorns. I do not add salt at any point in this process, because later on when I use it for cooking, I want to be able to control the sodium.
Next, I let it simmer for as long as humanly possible. This is why it's important to do this on a day when you stay home. Don't let it go overnight, or when you're going to be leaving the house because it requires leaving the stove on. Do this on a lazy Saturday or a cleaning day or on meal prep Sundays. Your house will SMELL AMAZING. I have heard of people doing this in the crockpot, and that's certainly an option. I usually make really large batches, so the stockpot method works better for me. This one can be ordered on Amazon, is really affordable, and holds up really well.
Once you have to take it off the stove, turn off the heat and let it cool a little. If I'm out of time because it's 10pm and I want to go bed, I'll let it cool just enough to throw in my extra fridge until I have time for the next step. Just make sure you don't let it sit for more than a day or so, and don't throw a hot pot into the fridge or it will defrost everything you have in there.
The last step can be a little messy, but I'll give you my best tips. I grab as fine of a colander as I own, and I double strain the broth. (Yes, I'm quoting Gilmore Girls in my head here, bonus points if you get the reference.) Throw all the veggies and chicken pieces in the trash. You want it to be all liquid. After that, I pull out gallon size Ziploc bags, and pour 2-4 cups in each bag, labeling how much is in there, and the date. I use a soup ladle and a glass measuring cup during this process. When the bag has the amount you want in it, then I carefully work the air out of it, and lay it flat on a cookie sheet. I use large bags because it spreads the liquid out thinner. It makes it easier to freeze and to defrost later. As I stack the bags, I'll put parchment paper between them so they won't stick together. Pop them in the freezer when you're done and they will freeze flat. This makes it infinitely easier to sort and store them later!
What do you use all this stuff for? I'm glad you asked! There are about a bajillion recipes on the internet so feel free to search, but here are some of my favorites.
With the stock: I use it for anything that calls for chicken stock, of course. I will use it when I'm making rice or couscous. It's more nutritious and tastes way better than using water. I drink it hot like tea when I'm feeling under the weather. When I drink it straight, I add salt to it and it tastes amazing. You can use it to cook vegetables in, and as a base for soups and stews.
With the chicken: Nearly every time, the smell of the stock puts me in the mood for The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Pot Pie. Which means I have to buy more celery and carrots, and the cycle starts all over again. :) Her chicken soup is also amazing. I like to add taco seasoning and make chicken tacos with it. It makes a wonderful chicken salad, it also works great with chicken fried rice. You can use the chicken for about anything.