Hi, everybody! I haven't posted here before...I hear you all are cool...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

I have a question about making my own chicken broth.

When I bake a whole chicken, as I did the other day, I always save the drippings for use in the next chicken dish I make.

The resulting broth is soooooo flavorful and it makes a great sauce.

So, is it true that I can get the same kind of broth from cooking the bones? Seems to me that it is, but I really don't know how...

I know, I know...

I'd greatly appreciate any tips you can give me!

Thanks!

:hi:

[Lucinda]

1. Allo! We are mostly harmless...goood to see you in here!

You can get great stock several ways.

You can even add the carcass from your roasted chicken to a stock pot and add celery and onions and cook it down for a great chicken broth.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Thanks for the nice welcome, my dear Lucinda!

So....I take the bones and cover it with water? Or how much?

And about how long do you cook it?

And how do you get the bones out? :scared: I don't want to chomp down on a tiny, sharp bone...

Thanks for your suggestions.

:hi:

[Chellee]

5. Ok. Bare minimum.

Get a big stock pot. Put in the carcass with an onion, a couple of carrots, and a rib or two of celery. Add a bay leaf, some parsley, some black peppercorns, and water to cover everything. Let it simmer uncovered for an hour or so, skimming off anything frothy that comes up to the top. Strain, cool, defat, (save that, it can be used elsewhere).

You can make it better with the addition of some parsnips along with the other veggies.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. Thank you!

That looks like something I could do.

And I do have a big stock pot.

I'm going to do this!

[Arkansas Granny]

13. My daughter has used the carcass of a store bought rotisserie chicken to make good stock.

She covered the bones and skin with water, added some onion, celery, carrot and whatever herbs she wanted and simmered it for an hour or so and it makes a really good stock. If you simmer it uncovered, it will concentrate the flavor.

If you've done a good job of picking the usable pieces of meat off the bones before you start the stock, you could just strain the whole thing and discard what's left. If there is just a little bit of meat left on the bones, it has usually given all it's flavor to the broth anyway. Otherwise, I just pick over it and either return any pieces of meat to the broth or a separate container to use elsewhere.

[Lucinda]

14. Well...

I use:
Celery - makes a HUGE difference to the finished stock flavor
Onions - not peeled
Carrot

Coarse chop the veggies - add the roasted carcass, salt, pepper, garlic powder and water to cover and then bring to a boil and simmer for a couple of hours. The pour it all through a colander to strain. Just look for a deep rick golden color.


I think the best chicken stock comes from stewing a whole chicken though...or cut up parts, as long as they have skin and bones. Same basic process. I just pull the chicken out when its done - debone, and then return skin and bones to the pot and keep simmering a couple more hours.

You can also add bay, or poultry seasoning to the stock as it simmers. I like the simplicity of the garlic powder, salt and pepper though - because I use the stock in LOTS of things...so I am going for a good strong chicken flavor, supported by the veggies.

[pengillian101]

22. Break chicken bones to get the marrow and flavor.

And please, please, please do not call any of us at C&B "my dear" OK?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

23. No worries.

I won't do that to you. But there are several folks here who I do call that, and they like it...

I will continue with them.

I hope that is OK with you.

[pengillian101]

31. Oh, I was just funnin' ya.

My sense of humor doesn't always go over so well. I have a sense of humor like Bob Newhart. :silly:

Of course everybody knows you by your trademark. Sorry my joke fell flat!

Good to have you at C&B. You can call me any name in the book after this fiasco. :hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

32. Cool!

Let's see.......how's this?

My dear pengillian101!

It felt good to type it.....I hope it feels good to read it!

:hi:

[pengillian101]

33. Ok, hon!

Glad you got my drift. :hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

34. I'm glad too!

All's well that ends well.

:hi:

[hippywife]

26. But tthat's a part of who Peggy is.

It wouldn't be normal if she didn't do that, and I for one don't mind it. I guess there is always the ignore function if it really bothers you. :shrug:

[japple]

28. I don't mind a bit either. In fact, I like it and have been known to

do it myself on occasion!

[hippywife]

29. Me, too! LOL

But I try not to word it exactly as she does. Don't want to be accused of being a copycat! :rofl:

Hiya, doll! :D

[japple]

37. If I ever start calling anyone "honeychile" you'll know I'm channeling

my father. He called us that when we were children.

[pengillian101]

35. It's all ok, she got my joking.

It was all in fun. She's famous for her greetings, and my initial greeting was meant as a lark. Her and I are fine, and she understands it was just a Bob Newhart style greeting. :crazy:

[NMDemDist2]

3. Peggy!!!!

we've had several threads on broth ovee time (I was clueless for sure)

here's a few I goggled up for ya (most deal with turkey but the idea's the same) :hi:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x977769
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x1446

but this may be the best one..

http://demopedia.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x50764

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. My dear NMDemDist2!

Wow, what a treasure trove of recipes!

I've already seen a couple that look possible for me...

I've been cooking for a long time, but I haven't been very adventurous, lol...

Thanks so much for your help!

:hi:

[MrMickeysMom]

8. MDCP!

Good recipes are to be found, but also great advice. Plus, there is always something warm and wonderful about cooking and baking after veering over to other parts of DU!

:hug: :hi:
MMM

[Inchworm]

7. Ms Peggy!

These guys ARE definitely cool :)

My methods are rather, umm, rustic.

After I bake a chicken I usually bone it then and serve the meat. I'm not real particular about getting every piece of meat at this time so there is some goodies left on the bones. Often, (since it is just me and the dogs here) I'll also save a thigh full of meat and one side of the breast then take ALL the bones and put them in the freezer for stock.

When I want a comforting bowl of soup I take the carcass/bones and cover with water + 2 - 3 inches and slowly bring to boil and reduce to med-low. Add 2 stalks of celery, carrots, and an onion. Cook as long as I can stand to wait :)

My main issue with doing this is getting ALL the little bones out once it is cooked. I'm sure if you just tossed out the neck from start it would be better, but I'm a tightwad so I tediously go through all the remnants in the pot and pluck out bones and other stuff that looks like I don't wanna eat. Hehe, it is much smarter to allow this stuff to completely cool before rifling through it for yummy bits of meat to add back to broth (silly me..always forget that part).

Bring the broth back up to temp and toss in half a bag of egg noodles. Voila! Soup!

I'm sure you'll get better tips from the pros. Good to see ya. :loveya:

PS: I don't know if I'm supposed to or not, but I saw on TV where they skim yuck off the top of broth as it cooks. I do that. Dogs get all the skin/gristle I remove before I do the noodle part. Win win :)

:*

[elleng]

9. Hey CalPeg, 'bout time you got here!

:hi:

[Tesha]

10. oh, you're going to like it here...

everyone is so helpful and friendly...:hi:

Anytime you have roasted bones, turn them into soup, just drop them into water and cook a bit...
if you want to save the meat from them, don't cook too long
strain the broth if you're worried about the little bones
to brighten the taste add celery leaves
to sweeten it add carrots

and have fun - and remember - recipes are just suggestions!:9

[japple]

11. Welcome CP! Glad to see you over here. When I roast a chicken

or turkey and have cut all the meat off the bones. I take the carcass and put it in a large stockpot with the pan drippings and whatever vegetables I had stuffed in the cavity. Simmer for about one hour. Strain, cool, and divide the broth into freezer containers.

Then I pick the bones clean, including any chewy bits clinging to the ends of the bones and pack those up into little containers and freeze them. I make sure to go over every morsel to make sure there are no bones hiding in it. When I fix my dog's dinner, I add a couple of tablespoons of this to the dry kibble. She especially loves those rubbery bits of cartilege.

[Tesha]

16. dogs love stuff like

A long time ago, when I had a dog. I'd take the bones and skin and stuff left over from soup making and
pressure cook them for --something like - 15 minutes - maybe 10? with some water...

when it was cool enough to handle I'd ladle it into my blender and blend away...
It kept well in the fridge or freezer and that mixed with dry was a wonderful treat!

- I hate waste... my kids called it the Doggie Milkshake.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

12. Wow, thanks everybody!

I am very happy to be here, and I will be back...

You all are too kind!

:grouphug:

[cbayer]

15. Hi CalPeg and welcome. Here is my chicken broth *recipe*

I use everything I can from a roasted chicken, whether I made it at home or bought it roasted.

If we eat it over several days, I save the bones, gristle, skin and everything else from each meal.

I put everything in a big stew pot and cover with water. If there are leftover veggies from meals, I put those in too. Two mistakes I have made - one was adding the lemons that I had roasted the chicken with (way too much), the other adding leftover stuffing (just turned to big mush mess).

I simmer the crap out of it, sometimes for hours and hours adding water from time to time. When it is done depends on taste.

I let it cool, pour it through a collander and discard the bones, etc. Once in the fridge, the fat will float to the top and solidify, making it really easy to removed.

You can then use it for anything, but my favorite is just boiling some egg noodles and having chicken noodle soup.

Enjoy!

:hi:

[kestrel91316]

17. Whenever I roast a whole chicken or other bird I throw the picked

carcass into a bag in the freezer for making stock LATER, at my convenience.

I also have ziploc bags in the freezer for chicken livers and trimmed fat fram the same birds. I will cook up a mess of livers with onions at some point. And render the fat for cooking with, maybe making chopped liver.

[GoCubsGo]

30. I was going to suggest the same.

If ones chicken frequently, one can stockpile the bones and make a bigger or more concentrated batch of broth. Gizzards, too.

I have a chicken liver bag, too. I used to cook the liver and give it to the cats, but they have lost their taste for it over time. Now, I chop it up and add it to risotto, like my grandma used to do. I add it when the rice is about 3/4 of the way done. That way, it's not overcooked.

[hippywife]

18. Welcome, sweet Peg!

Good to see you over here! There's already a lot of good info on this thread for you so I won't add to it, but I will give you my Italian Wedding Soup recipe which is in the neighborhood of what you are looking at.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=236&topic_id=40267&mesg_id=40272

Stick around with us. We'd love to have you! :loveya:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

19. I wondered when you might show up, my dear hippywife...

So good to see you, sweetie!

I've added this forum to my groups and I will certainly check in from time to time...

Thank you for your incredible Italian Wedding Soup recipe!


And thank you for the very sweet welcome...:loveya:

[hippywife]

20. Well, I'm not here as much as I used to be

but when I'm on DU, I do love this group of wonderful cooks we have gathered. I really consider this my DU home group.

That recipe makes a lot of soup so you might want to do it when the girls and their families are in for a visit. Or it freezes very well, too. Just keep some of your homemade chicken broth handy to add a little to it in case the pasta has absorbed most of the liquid.

It will be really great to have you around here and watch you become more adventurous. We will even get you making some pretty awesome bread, if you don't already.

:hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

21. Aw, thanks...

Actually, we rarely eat bread anymore...

The local bakery makes an incredibly great 7 grain bread that is to die for!

I just keep some of it in the freezer.

:hi:

[yellerpup]

24. Welcome to C&B!

Looks as if you are all set with the advice you needed so I though I'd just chime in with greetings! :hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

25. Thank you, my dear yellerpup!

That was really nice of you...

:hi:

[yellerpup]

27. You're going to like it here.

Food is so civilizing! :9

[Phentex]

36. Pull up a stool!...

Hello, Peggy!

This group always motivates me to try new things. And there are many good links to things I never would have known about.

WELCOME! :hi:

[TreasonousBastard]

38. One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the difference between stock and broth, and...

the skin and bones are where you get the collagen that makes gelatin.

Stock is from the bones and broth is from the meat, although there's often enough of some of each in homemade stocks. If you're really, really into the finest of fine cooking, there is a difference but I've never noticed it in the dishes I've made. I doubt too many others have, either.

I have a lot of people trained to save the carcasses for me when there's a cooked bird around, and I save those sour cream containers and small plastic Chinese takeout soup containers to fill the freezer with stock. (Made pretty much the way everyone else says to make it.) I used to have a bunch of ice cube trays filled with stock, but it became too much of a pain dealing with them evaporating in the frost free freezer. I'd end up using half a tray at once anyway.

I have colanders and strainers to get the big pieces of gunk out, and if really, absolutely necessary I use coffee filters (takes forever) or the spinning eggwhite technique (don't ask!) to clarify the stuff. Most of the time a fine strainer is enough, but I do skim the fat off. And sometimes there's a lot of fat.

Drippings are great, but often make the stock dark. This is OK, of course, but there's just that visual thing if anyone cares.

Stick the stock in the fridge and it will often set up like Chicken Jell-O. That's the collagen from the bones, and the stuff will liquify again when you cook it. I can't remember the name, but there's a technique to use that gelatinous state to encase a dish of bird meat. (I did it with a duck once a long time ago but nobody knew what to do with it.)

[woofless]

39. Oh, we be cool alright!

:hippie: