Rapid Chicken Stock
This simple yet flavorful chicken stock is great for everything and the pressure cooker is the magic tool here. You need a decent-sized pressure cooker for this recipe. The result is the same thing you'd get with 8+ hours of conventional simmering. This is a great way to use a leftover chicken carcass from dinner the night before, even if it's one of those rotisserie chickens from the store. I like to season the stock at the end, so that you can accurately control the amount of salt.
This simple yet flavorful chicken stock is great for everything and the pressure cooker is the magic tool here. You need a decent-sized pressure cooker for this recipe. The result is the same thing you'd get with 8+ hours of conventional simmering. This is a great way to use a leftover chicken carcass from dinner the night before, even if it's one of those rotisserie chickens from the store. I like to season the stock at the end, so that you can accurately control the amount of salt.
- Carbohydrate 9.42312 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.36704 g
- Fiber 3.12760000181198 g
- Protein 1.50156 g
- Saturated Fat 0.107394 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (39g)
- Sodium 187.913 mg
- Sugar 6.29551999818802 g
- Trans Fat 0.0280339999999999 g
- Calories 39 calories
Step-by-step
- Place the onion, carrot, celery, chicken carcass, garlic cloves, and peppercorns into a large pressure cooker.
- Add water until it reaches 2/3 of the way up the pot (or until you reach the maximum fill line, according to your pressure cooker's instructions) and seal the lid.
- Bring the pressure cooker up to full pressure over high heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, maintaining full pressure, for 30 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and allow the pressure to drop naturally.
- Do not use quick-release methods.
- When the pressure has dropped, remove the lid.
- Strain the stock into a bowl and discard the chicken bones and vegetables.
- Let the stock cool to room temperature, and then transfer to the refrigerator (see Note).
- When the stock is cold, any fat will have risen to the surface and solidified.
- Skim the fat off completely, and season to taste with sea salt.
Amber liquid pours from the fine-mesh strainer, smelling intensely of rendered poultry fat, toasted aromatics, and pungent black pepper. High heat inside a sealed pressure vessel forces water molecules to extract collagen and soluble proteins from bone tissue rapidly. This intense thermal environment hydrolyzes tough connective tissue into gelatin within thirty minutes, replicating the mouthfeel of an eight-hour simmer without prolonged evaporation.
Cooling the strained liquid uncovered in the refrigerator for four hours forces suspended animal fats to harden into an opaque, solid disc at the surface. Lifting away this solid barrier leaves behind a clear, low-fat foundation ready for storage. Portion the resulting liquid into airtight containers, leaving two inches of headspace to allow for expansion during freezing.
Solidified stock blocks stored at zero degrees Fahrenheit remain chemically stable for up to six months. Thaw frozen portions overnight in the refrigerator before applying direct heat. Direct high heat can scorch delicate remaining proteins, so warm the liquid gently over medium-low heat until it reaches a simmer.
Transforming roasted remnants from yesterday's dinner into a reusable base utilizes every edible fraction of poultry efficiently. Whole garlic cloves and quartered onions contribute savory depth without adding excessive carbohydrates or sodium. Seasoning the liquid strictly after chilling and fat removal prevents accidental over-salting as water volume shifts during cooling.
