Homemade Chicken Stock for the Lazy Folks

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Homemade month is moving along and next on the list is chicken stock.  I think this may be one of the easiest things you can do in your kitchen because it requires nothing but a crockpot and a chicken.  The picture is from a frozen chicken in the crockpot with veggie scraps from trimming them at other meals.  I believe I have onion tops, shallot tops, carrot ends, celery ends, etc.  I start a bag that goes in the freezer and accumulate scraps for the moment when I want to make a stock.  This is exactly what I did:  I put a frozen chicken in the crockpot with a little salt and cracked peppercorns and obviously veggie trimmings.  Cover for 10 hours (if thawed, 8 hours), and set crockpot on low.  Around 6 hours or so all the juices will begin to accumulate at the bottom of the crockpot.  After your 10 hours are up, remove the meat off the bone and put the carcass back into the crockpot.  Fill the crockpot with filtered water and let simmer for another 4 hours.  Strain your stock into containers!  That’s it.  I didn’t measure exactly but I want to say that it produced 10-12 cups of stock for me.  Typically, the ones you buy in the store come in 4 cup cartons.  So, that means I made the equivalent of 3 cartons of chicken stock with leftover bones from cooking a chicken.  I was already cooking the chicken and using the meat for tacos.  Therefore, it’s hard to estimate a cost savings when you are simply using leftover parts!  The cartons I buy of organic chicken stock at the store at $3-$4 bucks.  The entire chicken cost me $12 through Honored Praire.  For $12 bucks, I got about 3 lbs of meat and 3 cartons of chicken stock.  Not too shabby.  I put the stock that I will use that week in the fridge and the rest in the freezer.  I use the stock for everything from soups to simmering veggies.  It is packed full of minerals and healthy collagen for the joints.

Here’s my opinion on the whole homemade chicken stock ordeal: (1-5 with 5 being the best)

Ease: 5 (you put a chicken in pot and leave it for heaven’s sake!)

Price: 5 (I would have spent the same amount of money for 3-4 cartons of chicken stock at the store without the meat!)

Worth the touble: 5 (I am set now for weeks)

Taste: 5 (Way better tasting and way more nutritious than its processed counterparts!)

Minestrone Soup

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I’ve been getting red peppers like crazy from the CSA!  This soup was born out of the need to use them up in addition to loving the roasted red pepper taste they provide.  This is also an awesome recipe to consider for using any homemade chicken stock you may have in the freezer.  Homemade stock has so many healing properties to it, that it should be a staple in every family home.  That is where the whole idea of having chicken soup when you’re sick comes from!  Unfortunately, those boxed stocks from the store don’t have all the components that you get in homemade.  It’s definitely worth the effort!  Also, my soup has chickpeas in it because when I took all that time to soak them for hummus, I put a couple containers in the freezer.  You could easily leave out the beans….or take the time to soak them as a healthy addition.
I adapted this recipe from one of the greats: Racheal Ray.  I did mine a little bit different, but I definitely used hers as a template.
Minestrone
Ingredients:
4 slices of pastured bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 poblano pepper, seeded and minced
1 bay leaf
1-2 cups of soaked chickpeas
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and chopped
2 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves removed and chopped
1/2 cup homemade tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry white wine
6-8 cups of homemade chicken stock
4 roasted red peppers (or a jar), pureed
salt and pepper
Directions:

In a large stockpot, brown the bacon until all the fat is rendered and the bacon is browned.  Add in the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and herbs.  Add a pinch of salt and Salt and pepper.  Cook for 7-8 minutes until the veggies softened.  Deglaze the bottom of the pan by adding the wine and scraping the browned bits off of the bottom.  Add in the beans, chicken stock, tomato sauce, and pureed roasted red peppers. Let simmer until everything is warmed through and incorporated.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Top each bowl with a drizzle of olive oil!