Homemade Chicken Broth

Due to the chillier weather, I have been in the mood to make soups these days.  The ultimate way to guarantee that your soup will be really good is to start off with a homemade chicken broth.  I read through several chicken stock recipes and you can pretty much add in whatever you want.... other than the ingredients in this recipe you can also add in garlic, dill, parsnips, etc.  Also, I found that making your own stock at home is very economical because you can use the chicken meat for soups, sandwiches, pastas, salads, etc.  I sound so domesticated!  But it is nice to save a little bit of money on food and still be able to eat something yummy.

Recipe

Makes 3 quarts

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, giblets removed

1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped

2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

3 thyme springs

5 parsley springs

1 bay leaf

1 tsp whole black peppercorns

1 tsp coarse salt

Directions

Scrub the chicken with a handful of coarse salt.  Rinse the chicken with water and place in a large stockpot.  Add the rest of the ingredients and roughly 3 quarts of water.  Bring the pot to a boil and simmer on low for 1 1/2 hours.  Keep the pot partially covered with the lid.  Strain the entire pot of contents with a colander.  Reserve the chicken meat.  Chill the stock overnight and skim the surface fat off of the stock.  Use the chicken stock right away or pack away in containers and freeze up to 6 months.

My little guy was pretty chubby.  I can tell he was a fatty.  His legs were huge and he had a lot of meat on his breasts.  I recommend using organic chicken if you can find it in your grocery store.  

I felt like I was giving him and my hands a good exfoliation with the salt scrub.

This is so incredibly easy.  Just put everything in a pot and simmer on low.  After the stock is done, the chicken meat is perfectly moist and delicious and you can use it later for something else.  While I was waiting for my stock to simmer, my husband made me watch a full episode of Jersey Shore for the first time.  I think I am the only one on planet that does not watch the show but OMG..... oh the drama!  Now I can see why people get hooked on the show.