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Chicken Stock

September is usually my favorite month, I usually love everything about it. I love the slow slide from summer into fall; the crisp cool mornings and warm afternoons; the pull to open bottles of red wine. I look forward to September all summer, but this year I was not at all sorry to rip the September page off of our calendar. I’ve hesitated to share more, but what I’ve experienced are universal experiences; experiences that many of you have been through or might go through someday. Beyond that, I don’t know how to write without being honest and transparent.

At the end of August I got two pieces of sad news: at my eight week ultrasound I learned that my pregnancy wasn’t viable, and someone very dear to me, a wonderful woman named Linda, would be passing away. The first two weeks of September passed in a strange blur of anxious anticipation, denial, and grief. I was able to get to Seattle to say goodbye to Linda, and I’m so grateful for that. I’m also incredibly grateful to have friends who don’t point out how sick and sad and tired you look, but instead literally offer you a shoulder to cry on. I had a miscarriage in the middle of the month, in my tenth week of the pregnancy. A week later Linda passed away.

We just got home from a trip to Seattle to celebrate Linda’s life, and we managed to have some much needed fun with our family and friends. I am ready for a really peaceful, cozy, quiet fall. I’m working on my own, with Kyle’s unwavering love and support, and with a counselor to let all of the stress and anxiety of the last month melt away, to experience and process the grief that comes with loss, and I’m slowly getting back on my feet physically and emotionally. I haven’t been cooking too much, mostly reverting to comfort food basics.

I recently went for an acupuncture appointment with a woman I’ve known and seen for years. She asked me, “Are you eating well? I know you know how to cook.” I know that what she meant was that I know about nutrition; I understand what’s good for me, and what’s not. But what I heard her ask was, “Are you nourishing yourself?” Feeding ourselves is about so much more than our ability to take food from our oven and put it on our table and into our bodies. Appetite is about more than our basic need for calories.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what I come here to write about, and when it comes down to it it’s less to do with the recipes than it is to do with the way our stories and lives intersect with food and nourishment. We all have our own ways of showing love, and mine, in a big way is through food; through nourishing the people I love. Food is an incredible way to transmit love. I know how to cook, to feed, to nourish others, but nourishing myself is something I am slowly learning to do more of… and something I certainly need a lot of right now.

I think it’s fitting that the first things I’ve cooked since getting back up on my feet are roasted chicken, ramen with tofu, chicken and dumplings, and chicken noodle soup. These all start with the same base: chicken stock. At first I was pulling stock from the freezer, but then I started making it again. Stock is the most basic thing, it takes very little effort and energy to make, but the end result is something that is fortifying, comforting, and nourishing. It is also the type of cooking that leads to more cooking because stock is only one ingredient in a meal. Once the stock is made you have to ask yourself, “What do I want to make with this?” Making stock is the first step in creating a nourishing meal.

I approach making stock in two different ways: sometimes I find whole chickens on sale and the price is worth making stock from the whole bird; most of the time I make stock from the bones and leftovers from a roasted chicken dinner. I also use a mix of whole vegetables and vegetable scraps. Throughout the week I keep a sealed container in the refrigerator for all of those vegetable scraps: carrot peels and ends, tops and bottoms and peels of onions, the base of the celery stalks, the woody ends of garlic cloves, the stems from a bunch of parsley, etc. When it comes time to make stock I add those to pot along with an addition chopped up carrot, celery stalk, or roughly chopped onion if needed. Sometimes I accumulate enough over the course of the week that I don’t need to add any additional vegetables. I also add in a handful of fresh herbs like parsley, rosemary, thyme, and sometimes sage or oregano, depending on what’s plentiful in the garden. A bay leaf and a palmful of peppercorns round out the stock.

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All of these vegetables are added to a pot with the whole chicken, or the chicken backbone, bones, and leftover meat. The lot is covered with cold water and simmered on the stove for hours. The result is something far beyond what you can ever buy in a can or box of store-bought stock; it’s like the difference between a Bud Light and a craft beer. Homemade broth is rich, gelatinous, and incredibly flavorful. I’m presenting you with both versions of my stock: the version made with whole, uncooked chicken, and the version made from leftovers.

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CHICKEN STOCK (TWO VERSIONS)

For both of the following recipes you can use whole vegetables, scraps of vegetables, or a combination of the two. For ease I’ve just listed the amount of whole vegetables I use, along with the fresh herbs and seasonings. In the winter I’ll use dried herbs, usually about a 1 teaspoon each of parsley, thyme, and rosemary. The broth can be used right away, refrigerated for up to a week, or frozen in a large Ziplock bag for up to three month… if you wanted to be really organized you could measure the stock out into quarts and freeze it. Most recipes call for broth measured by quarts. On a side note: I know some folks who make their stock in a slow cooker, leaving it to do it’s work while they are at work themselves. I don’t own a slow cooker and have actually never used on, so I can’t attest to this. But if staying home while your stock simmers isn’t an option, you might give it a try.

Chicken Stock (from a whole, uncooked chicken)

Ingredients.
5-6 qts cold water
1 whole 4-5lb. chicken
3 carrots, very roughly chopped
3 celery stalks, very roughly chopped
1 large onion, very roughly chopped
3 whole garlic cloves, left whole or gently smashed
1 bay leaf
large handful any combination of fresh herbs: thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley, sage
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
kosher salt

Directions.
Wash the chicken by scrubbing it well with kosher salt inside and out. Rinse it well and place it in the bottom of a stock pot (or a large pot with a lid). Add in all the vegetables/ vegetable scraps, herbs, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Season well with salt.

Fill the pot with cold water. Bring it to a boil and simmer vigorously for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it settle. Using a large soon scrape the foam from the top of the pot and discard it. Bring the stock back to a simmer, cover, reduce the heat and simmer very low for at least four hours, adding water as needed. If I’m home I’ll let it simmer for up to eight hours.

Turn of the heat, remove the lid and allow the stock to cool. Season to taste with additional salt. Once it’s cool, pour it through a fine mesh strainer into another pot, discard the chicken and vegetables. Chill the stock completely in the refrigerator, then skim the layer of fat from the top of the stock and discard it. Put the stock in a sealed container and refrigerate, or freeze it.

Chicken Stock (from leftovers)

This first version is made from chicken leftovers. This is a great way to get quite a few meals out of one bird, and the way I make chicken stock most of the time. Most often when I roast chicken I cut out the backbone to speed up cooking time, I simply add this

to my container of vegetable scraps and use it the next day along with the neck (usually tucked into the bird cavity when it’s butchered), the chicken carcass and bones, and any leftover chicken meat that we didn’t eat. I find that this stock is just as delicious as stock made from a whole bird. Sometimes it even has more flavor since the chicken has been seasoned and roasted along with herbs and lemons. Yet another approach is to roast four bone in, skin on chicken breasts. I simply season the breasts with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them at 375oF on a baking sheet for about 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the breast. They should register 165o-170oF. Then I let them cool, remove the skin and pull the meat from the bones. Use the meat for meals and the skin and bones for broth.

Ingredients.
5-6 qts cold water
1 whole chicken carcass, neck, backbone, etc., or the bones and skin from 4 roasted chicken breasts (see recipe notes above)
3 carrots, very roughly chopped
3 celery stalks, very roughly chopped
1 large onion, very roughly chopped
3 whole garlic cloves, left whole or gently smashed
1 bay leaf
large handful any combination of fresh herbs: thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley, sage
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
kosher salt

Directions.
Place all your chicken scraps in the bottom of a stock pot (or a large pot with a lid). Add in all the vegetables/vegetable scraps, herbs, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Season well with salt.

Fill the pot with cold water. Bring it to a boil and simmer vigorously for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it settle. Using a large soon scrape the foam from the top of the pot and discard it. If you’re making your stock from leftovers you won’t have much foam accumulate. Bring the stock back to a simmer, cover, reduce the heat and simmer very low for at least four hours, adding water as needed. If I’m home I’ll let it simmer for up to eight hours.

Turn of the heat, remove the lid and allow the stock to cool. Season to taste with additional salt. Once it’s cool, pour it through a fine mesh strainer into another pot, discard the chicken and vegetables. Chill the stock completely in the refrigerator, then skim the layer of fat from the top of the stock and discard it. Put the stock in a sealed container and refrigerate, or freeze it.

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  • Angela - My heart hurts to read this. Linda was a lucky woman to have a friend in you. Miscarriage grief is complex, filling as it empties. It is the grief of who was to come and who is no more, but without a face to grieve, the physical pain, the guilt. It all sucks so much. I am so sorry. I hope you give yourself time and space to grieve and hurt. I am so sorry you and your family have suffered this loss. Sending you lots of love and well wishes. (also, chocolate chip cookies by the handful)ReplyCancel

    • kacieblogs@gmail.com - Angela, Thank you so much for the incredibly kind and open note. Sending love back to you… and chocolate chip cookies, for sure! xReplyCancel

  • lindsay @ rosemarried - I’m so sorry to hear about your losses. Thank you for writing beautifully and honestly, and for posting such a simple and nourishing recipe. I hope you’re finding peace, wellness, and nourishment for the soul. Sending love your way.ReplyCancel

  • Meg - I’m so sorry, Kacie. I just experienced a loss myself. Wishing you healing and happiness in the months to come. <3ReplyCancel

  • Sheena - Sending my love and prayers to you Kacie. I am sorry to hear of your losses.ReplyCancel

  • Stephanie - I love you and Im so sorry for all that you have been dealt this month. Beautiful thoughts and words to reflect upon and honor this time. XoxoReplyCancel

  • Renah - Kacie, I love your laugh and ability to nourish. I’ve been thinking of you often and will be praying comfort and if you ever need a shoulder, mines here—ReplyCancel

  • lisaquadrat - I am so very sorry for your losses, but I am very happy that you are surrounded by people that help you to get through the dark times. Sending you healing vibes and much love, LisetteReplyCancel

  • anja_cieri - Feel so sad for you… I lost my first baby 1year ago in 20 weeks. And end of September my second in 8 weeks… I know how you feel. Lots of love Kacie.ReplyCancel

  • Linnea - I am so so sorry for your losses, Kacie. I hope you’re feeling buoyed with hope and the possibility for new beginnings with each day that passes. Thinking of you lots. Keep hanging in there and keep cooking.xoReplyCancel

  • Rebeka - Kacie, I’m so sorry for your losses. I know I’m really late on this comment. I hope things are getting easier by the day.ReplyCancel

  • gaby - Oh Kacie, I’m so sorry to hear this. I’ll be thinking of you xoReplyCancel