Homemade chicken stock is one of those staple items that should always be on hand. Either stored in the fridge or frozen. I cannot stress enough how making your own homemade chicken stock will enhance your dish. It is ten times better than what you buy on the shelves in the grocery store. You are able to tweak the ingredients to how you want and also there are no hidden ingredients or added stabilizers.
This recipe is adapted from Naomi Pomeroy�s book, Taste & Technique. I used roasted chicken and beef bones to add more depth of flavor. Added the traditional stock players: celery, onions, carrots, thyme, bay leaves and black peppercorns. What I found from roasting the bones to a deep mahogany brown and that a lot of impurities were left once placed into the stockpot with water and brought to a boil. This homemade chicken stock can either simmer for a few hours or overnight. I opted to let it go overnight and in the morning strained the amazing liquid into a few containers and stuck it in the fridge.
One thing I was excited to do was make a demi-glace. Demi-glace is the backbone to many of your favorite rich sauces. It is viscous and has a smooth mouthfeel and made with extreme care. I started out with four quarts of my chicken stock and literally ended up with only one cup! It took around 5 hours to reduce down to one cup but the flavor was rich and luscious! I highly recommend�you making some!
Homemade Chicken Stock Recipe
Yield: Approximately 1 cup of demi-glace
Ingredients:
- 8 pounds of chicken bones
- 5 pounds of beef bones
- 2 yellow onions, halved
- 3 celery stalks, cut into 3-inch pieces
- 3 carrots cut into 4-inch pieces
- 4 fresh or 8 dried bay leaves
- 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
- 1 1/2 tablespoons black peppercorns
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 4 quarts of homemade chicken stock
Instructions:
Roasting the Bones:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees and gather two roasting pans.�
- Arrange the chicken bones on one roasting pan and the beef bones on another. Roast until the bones are a deep brown/golden. Make sure not to burn the bones or stock will taste bitter.�
- Make sure to check on bones every 20-25 minutes and turn them to make sure even roasting is achieved. Pour off liquid from pans to make sure the bones roast and don’t steam.�
- Once all bones are roasted, transfer them into a tall stock pot. Take 2 cups of water and deglaze the roasting pans to get the roasted bits up (make sure they are not burnt, if so, skip this step) and add to stock pot. �Add onions, celery, carrots, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns and thyme.�
- Pour in enough water to come within 1 1/2 inches of the rim. Bring to a boil over medium heat and skim any impurities that may float to the top. Cook for at least 12 hours or even better, overnight.�
Skimming and Clearing the Stock: