Why buy chicken stock in a box? It’s expensive, and the taste can range from bland yet somehow still salty to metallic and chemically. It takes a few hours, but only about 20 minutes of hands on time. When you’re done, you can freeze it in little quart size containers and have homemade stock ready whenever you need it. I always make a huge batch (at least 4 quarts), so I can sometimes go for 1-2 months. My basic recipe is just a guideline (water + chicken parts + salt + herbs + root vegetables + peppercorns), so use more/less of whatever you have on hand if you feel like mixing it up.
To make a 4 quart (16 cup) batch, you’ll need: 6-8 pounds chicken parts (necks and backs are $1/lb or less, plus a few pounds of bone-in skin-on thighs - don’t waste a $6/pound chicken breast!), 3 onions, 8 garlic cloves, 5 bay leaves, half a bunch of parsley, some thyme stems, 5-6 carrots, 5-6 celery stalks.
Peel the carrots and slice into 2-3 inch pieces. Chop the celery into thirds. Peel the garlic cloves and add whole to the pot. Put all the vegetables and the chicken parts in a large stock pot and cover with water. Don’t forget to add a couple of bay leaves, whatever herbs you’re using, a handful of kosher salt, and a handful of whole black peppercorns.
Bring the stock to a slow boil over medium high heat, then turn down the heat to a simmer. Add more water over the course of cooking as the stock cooks down. Simmer for at least 3 hours, then remove from heat.
Allow to cool, then remove the big pieces of vegetables and chicken with tongs or a large slotted spoon. The easiest way to strain the stock that I’ve found is to put a large bowl in the basin of the sink, and on top of it rest a colander. Line the colander with cheesecloth, and pour the contents of the stock pot into the colander. The little bits of pepper and vegetables will catch in the cheesecloth, and nothing but clear stock goes through to the bowl.
Ladle out the stock into one quart containers, but don’t put the lids on at first. Just allow them to rest for about an hour, and the fat will float to the top of the container and start to form a film as it rests and cools. Skim that off with a slotted spoon, then put the lids on the containers. Stock will keep in the freezer for at least 2-3 months. Definitely freeze whatever you aren’t going to cook with in the next 4-5 days.
