We roast chickens around here every couple of weeks, especially after I discovered this recipe, that made it seem so beautiful and easy.
Easy? Relatively.
Beautiful? Definitely not... mostly because, at some point during the process, you're going to have to use the word "carcass."
Carcass.
Gross.
It did eat at me (not literally... not like the poor chicken...) that there seemed like so much waste when we were done with our chicken. We got a good couple of meals out of it, and enjoyed the meat immensely, but then... there was this...
Carcass.
Then I heard tell of this thing you could do with a... carcass.
Chicken stock!
So that's been my most recent undertaking... chicken stock.
And my world has been rocked.
Rocked by stock.
The process has all of my favorite things... it's easy, cost effective, and crunchy granola at it's best!
Not only is broth great for your immune system (which is the thought process behind chicken noodle soup when you're sick... though the stuff in a can really isn't doing you much good...), but it's also high in calcium and magnesium, and can aid digestion.
I concocted my own recipe, which favors good clean chicken-y flavors. You can add it as much salt and herbs as you like, but I think the recipe is actually better without all the muss and fuss. (Better without more salt??? Yes, yes, it's true.)
To begin, you're going to need a... carcass. Some recipes I saw talked about using three or four, just keeping the extras in the freezer until you needed them.
One: ew, creepy. Carcasses in the freezer.
Two: remember that whole apartment thing we've talked about? My freezer is full of food, and there's no room for a stand-alone one. Goals for the future, I suppose.
So my day involved only one... carcass.
Put the entire thing into a pot, whatever bits and bobs, odds and chicken-y ends you have left after going all carnivore on that thing.
Add in coarsely chopped celery, carrots, and carrots, enough water to cover everything (I started with 4 cups, but added 4 more throughout the whole process), and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
Whaaaaat?
Yup, apple cider vinegar! Ask me why. Go on, ask me.
...glycine.
Things are about to get crunchy, guys.
Okay, so the ACV helps the glycine (it's an amino acid) leech out of the bones of your... carcass. Glycine is pretty awesome for your health.
It can help keep your liver functioning, improve your memory, regulate blood sugar, and help your blood vessels reduce cholesterol buildup. Now some recommend taking gelatin supplements if you're not getting it in your diet, but why do that when there are chickens to roast and stock to make?
For a more in-depth conversation about bone broth and all it's crunchy goodness, check out Paleo Mom here.
So now you're going to bring everything up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about four hours. (Some people advise 24 hours, but ain't nobody got time for that. Some people advise one hour, but you want the glycine/gelatin goodness to have a chance to leech out... yes, seriously.)
As everything simmers, you want to scoop off any foam that forms on the top. Ew. Luckily, this shouldn't happen much if you're using high-quality, clean meat (re: crunchy, grass or veggie fed, natural, well-adjusted, watered with unicorn tears meat). You can also add more water if things start to boil down too low.
After that's all done, you need to drain out the solids. I used a fine mesh strainer, and drained right into a measuring cup.
Mmm...
You can discard your solids, though I'm taking suggestions for how to use them. (Darn the lack of compost pile, yet again...)
Once everything cools down, store that stuff! Keep it in the fridge for up to five days, or in the freezer for a couple months. I kept half in the fridge for immediate use, and froze the rest in two-cup portions. Pinterest inspired trick: liquids in quart bags, frozen flat, then stacked neatly like books.
Seriously, though, this stuff is amazing. The flavor puts even the organic store-bought stuff to shame, and it elevates even my most plebeian of dishes. I used it instead of water to make some Israeli couscous, and again in some soup... Shut. The. Front. Door. I don't want to toot my own horn, so I'll toot the chicken's instead. He was quite tasty!
Give it a shot... easy project, great results, even if it does involve a... carcass.
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