Of course you can use store bought chicken stock - but once you taste the difference you might prefer the home made one! It does not take a lot of effort, just a bit of motivation.
1 large roasting chicken (about 4 5 lbs)
4 stalks of celery
3 large carrots - cut
1 large yellow onion - cut into quarters
1 whole head of garlic - cut crosswise
1 TBS whole pepper corns
4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme
4-5 springs of fresh rosemary
In a large stock pot add all the ingredients listed above and add 6-7 litres of cold water.
Bring to a rolling boil. Simmer uncovered for about 4 hours. Strain the liquid after 4 hours and discard all the solids. (Seriously, there is no flavour left in the chicken after being boiled for 4 hours).
Chill the stock in the refrigerator overnight. Skim off the fat that will be on the top. Store the stock in the freezer.
If you notice I have not added salt to the stock. You certainly can if you want to, but I prefer not to. Just because I sometimes forget about the salt already in the stock and add salt to the dish I am cooking without taking into that salt into account.
If you can remember- no problem, go ahead and add 2 TBS salt to the initial ingredient list.
As far as herbs go, if you cannot get fresh herbs, don't panic. You can throw in whatever herbs you have on hand, parsley, dill, rosemary....Dried herbs work too, just add less.
1 large roasting chicken (about 4 5 lbs)
4 stalks of celery
3 large carrots - cut
1 large yellow onion - cut into quarters
1 whole head of garlic - cut crosswise
1 TBS whole pepper corns
4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme
4-5 springs of fresh rosemary
In a large stock pot add all the ingredients listed above and add 6-7 litres of cold water.
Bring to a rolling boil. Simmer uncovered for about 4 hours. Strain the liquid after 4 hours and discard all the solids. (Seriously, there is no flavour left in the chicken after being boiled for 4 hours).
Chill the stock in the refrigerator overnight. Skim off the fat that will be on the top. Store the stock in the freezer.
If you notice I have not added salt to the stock. You certainly can if you want to, but I prefer not to. Just because I sometimes forget about the salt already in the stock and add salt to the dish I am cooking without taking into that salt into account.
If you can remember- no problem, go ahead and add 2 TBS salt to the initial ingredient list.
As far as herbs go, if you cannot get fresh herbs, don't panic. You can throw in whatever herbs you have on hand, parsley, dill, rosemary....Dried herbs work too, just add less.
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