Sparks from the Kitchen

So after making this outstanding roast chicken I had put the carcass and gizzards in the freezer to make stock another time.  It worked so well-I just let them defrost on a baking sheet for about an hour.

This stock is delicious. It’s got that deep chicken flavor that amazing chicken soups have-so many layers of tasty.  Roasting the carcass and gizzards makes a huge difference in the end product. It really brings out the great flavors in what’s left on the bones. Don’t skip that step. This photo really shows the deep color well.

Roasted Chicken Stock

Ingredients:

• Carcass, gizzards, and neck from one 5-6lb roast chicken
• Olive oil
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pat of butter
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped large
• 2 celery stalks cut into 1/2 inch lengths
• 1 large carrot cut into 1/2 inch rounds
• 2 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth
• 9-11 cups water
• 2 cloves garlic cut into a few pieces
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 glurg of apple cider vinegar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Place carcass and chicken pieces on a roasting pan lined with foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Roast for 30 minutes.
4. While chicken is roasting sautee the onion, celery and carrot slowly to brown them in a large dutch oven. When they’re brown but still very firm add the broth and scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon.
5. Add the garlic and all of the chicken pieces to the vegetables. Pour water over all until it covers the chicken completely plus a bit more. Add the bay leaf and cider vinegar. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
6. Cook for 3 hours, skimming any foam that appears and adding water as needed to cover the chicken.
7. Discard the carcass and pour through a strainer into a large bowl to remove any pieces. Press the vegetables to remove all of the liquid. Discard carcass and left over vegetable pieces.
8. Allow to cool then place the bowl in the fridge overnight. In the morning skim off the fat that has collected on the top. It’s very easy to use a fine screen spider for this.
9. Pour, through the same spider, into jars or bags for freezing.

This recipe makes 1 28oz jar and 1 quart sized zip lock bag.

This is the roasted carcass and bits. Those extra roasted pieces make a big difference in flavor!