Make Your Own Chicken Stock - It Pays Huge Dividends

I confess. I've used boxes of Swanson's Chicken Broth more often than I'd care to admit. Being friends with a relative from the Swanson family dynasty isn't my excuse either. Sometimes I run out of my homemade stock and am too lazy to make a batch. And there's that white and blue box sitting in the pantry - convenience at my fingertips.

Swanson's makes "stock" too, it's a little richer in flavor, but my local stores don't carry it. I've tested other brands often over the years. But in the end, you ought to make your own. There's no comparison. Why? All you need to do is make a soup recipe, one time using store-bought, another using your own stock. You might never buy a box or can again. Of course, the same quality boost occurs in any dish that calls for even a little stock. In the end, using your own stock will make you a better cook - guaranteed.

I've decided to treat chicken prepared stock like I treat ice cream - "If you don't buy it, you can't eat it". 

I learned a LONG time ago that making stock is a) easy b) rewarding and c) allows you to reach considerably higher levels of quality in your cooking. After reading an excellent essay on stock making in Michael Ruhlman's book "The Elements of Cooking" my stock making routine is even easier with better results.

Ruhlman derived his stock cooking logic from his experience at the Culinary Institute of America and his partnerships with uber-celebrity chefs like Thomas Keller and Anthony Bourdain, That, and he's a world-class home cook. Great life - writer, home cook. Hey - that's my life too. But I digress.

Using some of Ruhlman's advice, combined with my own particulars, this is the method I suggest. Detailed explanation follows in the next post.

Stock Summary
1. Whole chicken rinsed, in cool water.
2. Heat to 180 degrees, cook for about 3 hours.
3. Skim off anything that comes to the surface.
4. Add vegetables, possibly herbs, cook for 1 hour.
5. Let cool, then strain and store in small containers in freezer.

1. Foil pressed to top of frozen stock, no air, no flavor exchange.
2. Shrimp stock stored in "fish" cup
3. Hard to see mark on cup indicating "1.5 Cup" level, some are 2 Cups
4. Drip from frozen coffee ice cream cake that melted a little 

Homemade Chicken Stock

Chicken Stock Summary

1. Whole chicken rinsed, submerged in cool water in stock pot.

2. Heat to 180 degrees, cook for about 3 hours.

3. Skim off anything that comes to the surface, especially at first.

4. Remove chicken, add vegetables, possibly herbs, cook for 1 hour.

5. Strain, cool and store in small containers in freezer.

1. Foil pressed to top of frozen stock, no air, no flavor exchange.

2. Shrimp stock stored in "fish" cup

3. Hard to see mark on cup indicating "1.5 Cup" level, some are 2 Cups

4. Drip from frozen coffee ice cream cake that melted a little 

Chicken Stock Details

• Get a whole chicken, remove the neck and giblets which are placed inside the cavity. Give the chicken a rinse to knock off any of the little "junk" that might have come along for the ride, including rinsing the inside. 

          This step takes a total of 2-3 minutes, max. 

• Put the whole chicken into a large pot and fill with COOL water, to cover the chicken. 

          I use an 8 quart stock pot for one chicken. 

          The 12 quart pot shown below is a great bargain at amazon for only $69. 

          I'm sure I paid twice that much for my small pot years and year ago. 

• Put the heat on medium high, but DON'T let the water boil. It should come to 180 degrees, at which you'll see just a slight shimmer on the surface of the liquid from the heat.

          You can do this by just watching it or use a kitchen thermometer. 

          I stick in a long-stemmed thermometer that clips to the pan. 

• Use a spoon, slotted spoon, small strainer to SKIM anything that rises to the surface. It's more important to do this a few times early in the process than later, to keep the scummy stuff from influencing the flavor of the stock.

          Experiment with your utensils until you find one that removes the scummy stuff most easily.  

• Cook the stock at this temperature for 2 to 4 hours. 

          During this time, you do nothing more than skim the stuff from the surface a few times.

          On the other hand, the more you skim, the cleaner, clearer taste you'll get from the stock. 

          As Ruhlman says, "generally speaking, you can't skim too much". 

• Remove the chicken using kitchen tongs and place pieces in a bowl to cool. The chicken will likely fall apart as you remove it. 

          OK, chicken cooked for hours in hot water will be a little, well, overcooked. 

          But, if the water never boiled (remember 180 degrees) it will be better than you'd expect. 

          I pull the meat off the bones and make a batch of chicken salad.

          My recipe: shallot, celery, tarragon, mayo and sour cream. 

• To the stock pot, add 3 ribs of celery, 3 carrots, 1 large onion, about a dozen whole black peppercorns. 

          If you'd like more flavor, add a bay leaf, some parsley stems or a few fresh thyme sprigs. 

• Cook the vegetables for ONE HOUR or less. 

          If you cook them longer, they'll disintegrate and cloud up the stock. 

• Drain the stock through a large strainer, or ideally a chinois (see below). You potentially could be done at this point, if you skimmed well earlier. But the standard method is to strain the stock one more time, running it through cheesecloth or paper towels placed in the large strainer. 

          I can hardly emphasis enough that a true chinios makes this step SO much easier. 

          Read my article from last year: Why you want a Chinois, even if you don't know what it is. 

Calphalon Stock Pot

This one is 12 qt, on sale at amazon for $69. A GREAT bargain. 

Deep Fry Thermometer

Mine came with a turkey frying set, but this long stem 

thermometer is perfect for monitoring a stock pot. $12 at amazon. 

Chinois

A sturdy, perforated metal strainer (not mesh). 

Long handle and lip (on left side of picture) allow you to rest

the chinois over a big bowl, pot, or even across a sink. 

Got it's name in French from a now politically 

incorrect and outdated reference to a "Chinese hat". 

A little pricey at >$40 at amazon, but a lifetime investment in convenience. 

Resolve to Be a Better Cook

I’m not a New Year’s resolution kind of person. I cringe when I see the annual articles asking celebs and politicos what they are resolving to do each year. How about you?

Without realizing it at first, it turns out that every year I do quietly resolve something to myself:  to be a better cook.

Even though I already love cooking and make many meals from scratch, I always want to find more dishes that my kids will like, or be able to cook faster and more reliably so our family can spend more or our precious, limited time together. We know that restaurants, take out and convenience foods help buy us time, but we trade them for high costs and usually unhealthy foods. Like any good resolution, don’t take on too much at once.

Here are a few ideas I have for you and your kitchen.

• Try a new recipe at least once a month.
• Make a favorite new recipe 5 times – you’ll be surprised how much you’ll learn each time.
• Commit to “mastering” something you don’t like to do (or can’t yet do) in the kitchen, such as chopping garlic, boning a chicken, or making soup.
• Upgrade key kitchen tools, such as a chef’s knife, peeler or cookware. The right tool for the job makes cooking easier and more enjoyable. Watch my recommendations – just replacing a tool may not be an upgrade.
• Test a new ingredient, especially a vegetable or fruit. Tip: Get the whole family “in on it” in advance and make it fun. For example, create a feedback card to hand out to your eaters. If the dish fails, at least you didn’t push it on them solo; if it succeeds, you all win.

If you want to get started, next post includes a very simple recipe that is great for kids, but unique enough to please adults. White Turkey Chili with Garbanzo Beans and Barley.

It includes several uncommon ingredients and flavors – barley, garbanzo beans, marjoram and savory (you may need to visit the spice aisle for those last two, though). It’s not spicy, the tastes and textures are all comfortable and pleasing, so it’s a good way to play up “something new for the New Year”.

White Turkey Chili with Garbanzo Beans and Barley

I've been making this white chili for over 15 years. It differs from most white chili because it doesn’t try to taste like a red chili. With just a few simple aromatic and herb flavorings, it produces lots of taste, and has many different textures.

The original recipe came from a Gourmet Magazine "You Asked for It" column in the early 90’s. I transferred it onto a little scrap of paper so I could line up five or six recipes at to cook for a party. Over the years it got crumpled, stained and waterlogged. Even with Epicurious, I can't find this recipe online, so I'm grateful that the little scrap still survives. Like any good chili, it is both very filling and improves with age. The dish is slightly improved on day two, and we often make a batch and a half, or double batch to ensure plenty of leftovers. It also freezes relatively well, but needs an extra shot of pepper and herbs if frozen.

White Chili with Barley and Garbanzo Beans
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup or more)
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped coarsely
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds boneless turkey breast, chopped into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 pound ground turkey
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, finely chopped (or more to taste)
1 cup barley
2 cans garbanzo beans, 16 ounces each, drained and rinsed
6 cups chicken or turkey stock
1 tablespoon dried marjoram, or 3 tablespoons fresh
1 teaspoon dried savory
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water

Serve with green onions, shredded Monterrey Jack cheese and fresh rustic bread

1. In a large dutch oven or stock pot, soften onion and garlic over medium heat, approximately 5 minutes.
2. Sprinkle cumin over vegetables and add turkey pieces. Saute turkey over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes until it loses pink color.
3. Add the ground turkey and saute about 4-5 minutes, until all meats are cooked through. If necessary, drain excess fat, leaving 2-3 tablespoons in pot.
4. Add jalapeno, barley, beans, stock and herbs. Bring to a boil and simmer 45 minutes.
5. Combine starch and water in a small bowl. Add to pot and simmer 5 minutes to thicken. Adjust S&P.

Serve piping hot in bowls, topped with scallions and cheese and a chunk of fresh bread.

What Makes This Recipe Work?

• It's not really chili. Maybe it's in the chili family, but is a standalone, unique entry into the category.
• It's not spicy or sharp tasting. Though there is jalapeno (quantity to your taste, of course), and a little bit of cumin, again, it departs from traditional chili flavorings.
• The tiny amount of herbs and the important contribution from a good, preferably homemade, stock is what imparts a unique flavor.
• The interesting combination of barley and garbanzo beans. There are not a lot of barley based dishes out there, especially ones that are not an ethnic staple of some sort.

A Little Information for My New Subscribers

With lots of new Kindle, email and online subscribers, I thought that for the next few weeks I'll rerun some of my more popular columns from last year. These posts will be in addition to what I've already got planned for the week - just a little bonus for the new readers.

This week I'll start with last year's article "Resolve to Be A Better Cook" and the accompanying recipe "White Turkey Chili with Barley and Garbanzos".

The recipe is a LOT easier than the title might make it sound. Barley and garbanzos can be found in every supermarket (though you might have to ask where the barley is) - and they're easy to cook.