Try this Homemade Chicken Broth recipe, or contribute your own.
- sea salt
- 1 lemon
- smoked paprika
- 1 red onion
- one whole organic chicken - which i found on sale!
- 3 or 4 celery stalks
- 5 garlic cloves - i usually always cook with fresh g but decided to use the chopped garlic in a jar. i scooped a couple of spoonfuls in.
- 1 bag of baby carrots - of course you can get the big ca
- peppercorns
- fresh rosemary - a few sprigs
- fresh thyme - a few sprigs
- fresh bay leaves - 3 or 4 leaves
- Carbohydrate 39.9083375 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 1.184045 g
- Fiber 10.0431747791767 g
- Protein 4.7363825 g
- Saturated Fat 0.145755 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (446g)
- Sodium 607.3973 mg
- Sugar 29.8651627208233 g
- Trans Fat 0.495485 g
- Calories 144 calories
Step-by-step
- Place it all in your pot or Dutch Oven, fill the pot with water, stopping about 2 inches from the top.
- Bring to a boil, then turn to a simmering boil for 2 hours or so. Add more water if needed.
- Once it's done, let it cool for a few minutes before pulling the chicken out to be used for other recipes or soup.
- Scoop the bulk out or use a colander to strain into another pot.
- If there is more grease than you'd like, use a broth separator to remove the grease.
- Use right away for soup, or freeze for later.
Boiling a whole bird and raw vegetables together in unseasoned cold water guarantees a cloudy, watery liquid lacking depth. Proper extraction requires starting with cold water to slowly draw proteins out of the meat and bones before the heat forces them to coagulate too quickly. Aromatics like rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves release fat-soluble essential oils during a gentle simmer, while peppercorns provide piperine for a subtle background warmth.
- Simmer the pot uncovered just below a rolling boil at roughly 195 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent the emulsion of fats into the liquid.
- Strain the finished broth through a fine-mesh colander lined with cheesecloth to catch tiny bone fragments and coagulated protein foam.
- Cool the strained liquid rapidly within two hours in an ice bath before storing it in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- Freeze portions in rigid containers with a half-inch of headspace, or store them safely for three months.
- Substitute jarred garlic with whole cloves smashed flat to release allicin compounds without introducing preservatives that muddy the flavor profile.
Properly strained broth forms a gelatinous set when chilled, signaling that collagen has successfully converted into gelatin. Skimming excess fat off the surface once chilled yields a clean, transparent stock ready for seasoning.
