Chicken Stock

If you guessed that we made chicken stock you are correct. Each winter I buy so much stock, chicken and beef but more chicken. I love to make soup and most of them require stock of some sort. I decided I am tired of paying for stock when it is so easy to make. I roughly followed this recipe and then froze the stock in various portion sizes. When making soup I need quart size containers but sometimes I need a 1/4 or 1/2 cup to make a sauce or cook some couscous so I did freeze some smaller portions. So far it is working great and I used the chicken that cooked in the stock for chicken pot pie so really nothing went to waste. Have you ever made stock?


Ingredients
2 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chickens, well rinsed, quartered with the excess fat removed (I used chicken pieces- legs and thighs because that was what I had on hand)
1 1/2 gallons cold water, or enough to cover the chickens
2 cups coarsely chopped onions
1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
1 cup coarsely chopped celery
1/4 cup peeled garlic
Sachet consisting of: 2 bay leaves, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns, 4 parsley stems, wrapped in cheesecloth and tied with string
Directions
Place all the ingredients into a large (3 to 4 gallon) stockpot and set over a medium-high heat. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Skim the impurities and fat that rise to the top. Cook the stock over the next 6 hours, skimming as needed. Do not allow the stock to boil, or the fat and scum will mix with the stock and cause it to become cloudy.

When the stock is complete, strain through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth and refrigerate or freeze what is not used. Once cool enough to handle, pick the meat off of the chicken bones and use it for a chicken salad, or a soup, gumbo or ragout.