The soul of any soup is its broth. If you have a weak stock or broth, you will have a weak soup, no matter how good the other ingredients are. With so much stock and decent broths available in stores, why should you make your own? For me, it boils down to three simple reasons. First, I can control the amount of fat and salt and end up with a healthier broth. Second, I can use ingredients from other foods. Third, and most importantly, it simply tastes better. When was the last time you heard someone say “this has too much flavor”?
A good chicken stock starts with simple ingredients. Obviously, you will need chicken bones and cartilage. This can come from a rotisserie chicken or buy it as is. You can add meat if you like, but it’s the bones and connective tissue that will add the most flavor.
Apart from the chicken you will need some aromatic vegetables, the classic options being carrots, onions and celery. Leeks, fennel root, and parsnips are other vegetables I like to use. And I almost always add a clove or two of garlic. Whichever ones you choose, they should be cut into large pieces, not too small.
The last ingredients to choose from are herbs and spices. It’s best to use fresh, whole herbs whenever you can. Thyme, sage, parsley, oregano, and bay leaves are my usual choices. To make life easier, use food-safe twine like butcher’s twine to tie the herbs into a bundle and tie the other end of the twine to one of the pot handles or a wooden spoon. This will allow you to easily remove it. The last spice to add is peppercorns, which you can simply add. One thing I don’t add is salt, because I can always add it to recipes where I use the broth.
There is some discussion about whether you should roast chicken bones before using them to make stock. Honestly, there’s only a small difference in flavor, so I don’t think it’s worth the effort to grill bones. However, if the chicken was already roasted, you won’t have to go to that effort. It’s true that the bones in a full roast will have lost some of their flavor, but the flavor quality of the roast will make up for it.
When you have all the ingredients in a soup pot, add enough cold water to submerge the ingredients. It is very important that the water is cold, as different organic molecules will be extracted at different temperatures. A slow rise in temperature will give time for this extraction to occur.
Bring the water to a simmer, not a full boil, and keep it there for at least two hours. From time to time add a little hot water to replace what is lost to evaporation. Also, be sure to keep the ingredients submerged. An upside-down folding basket steamer is a great way to do this. As the broth simmers, you’ll get a layer of foam on top, which needs to be skimmed off from time to time.
When it’s done simmering, use tongs to remove the bones and larger vegetables, and then use a ladle to transfer most of the liquid to another pot. When safe to do so, pour remaining liquid through a strainer to remove small solids and return all liquid to soup pot. Reheat and reduce the liquid by gently boiling. Reducing the broth will intensify the flavor, and if you reduce it by half, you’ll notice that the broth has a slightly jelly-like consistency when it cools. This is a good indication that you’ve gotten a lot of good stuff out of the bones, because it’s the collagen in the bones and joint tissue that gets the broth moving, and it’s full of flavor and nutrients.
You can use the broth right away, or store it in the refrigerator for about three days, or in the freezer indefinitely.
The whole process is simpler than it seems, but it requires time and attention. But if you give it a try, I think you’ll agree that it’s worth the effort.
