Chicken broth - my first try

[pdswife]

Good to hear! Congrats.!!

[AllenOK]

Cloudy stock is caused by two different things.

1) Using RAW chicken scraps.
2) Keeping the stock at a full rolling boil for a lengthy time.

I always caramelize my chicken, by either sauteing or roasting. This helps make a "clear" stock, as well as makes it taste better. Once my stock begins to bubble, I slap a lid on it, and turn the heat down to low. If it's still bubbling to hard, I'll leave the lid askew, but I'll have to add more water as needed.

I just got done making a batch of chicken stock and a batch of beef stock this past week. My house smelled great for days!

[TheCook]

Allen, I love the roasted chicken idea. Im definetly going to try that next time. Do you put any seasoning on the chicken at all?

[expatgirl]

personally I don't mind cloudy chicken or beef broth.........I do love to bake my bones first, however, and it really does make a difference in the taste.......me.........I don't season my chicken or beefbones, however, but I'm sure that you could........someone will definitely chime in on this one........do line your pans with foil to ease clean-up however and they I spray a bit of olive oil on the foil before adding the bones.......just me........good luck...........

[ella/TO]

The old fashioned way from my "Bubby"......before adding any veggies to the stock, when the chicken and water comes to a boil, skim from the top of the stock until "the stuff" is almost all gone...as I'm doing it, I keep dipping my skimming spoon into a bowl of cold water and that removes any of "the stuff"....hope I've made myself somewhat clear....LOL Of course, after doing all that, add your veggies, which must include carrots, celery, parsnips, parsely root, onion and towards the end, some dill. Then strain thru' a fine strainer, or cheesecloth, keeping or discarding the veggies as you like

[AllenOK]

No, I don't season my bones/scraps before I roast. I have been known to add some whole garlic cloves, and sprigs of fresh thyme, sage, and rosemary to the stock. However, I don't always do that, as I'm not sure if the resulting will work for all dishes with those flavorings.

[BreezyCooking]

I agree with Allen - unless I know exactly what I plan to use the resulting stock for, I steer clear of adding herbs outside of parsley. Thyme, sage, rosemary, etc., just don't "do it" if I might use the end product in, say, an Asian recipe.

[foodisfood]

Originally Posted by TheCook

Made chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch today. My hard to please wifey commented at how good it was so I guess I can call this a success.

congrats!

oh and your avatar makes me smile... super cute!

[FincaPerlitas]

I like my chicken stock to be fairly clear. I start with raw chicken, add cold water, bring to a boil then reduce heat slightly to maintain a slow boil. As the scum begins to rise to the surface, skim it with a spoon. Continue this until little or no new scum is forming. This usually takes me about 20 minutes. Then you can add vegetables, herbs, etc., and reduce the heat to simmer. I usually don't add salt to my stocks until I'm ready to use them in my recipe. After cooking, I allow my stock to cool slightly, then strain it with a fine mesh strainer or with a collander lined with cheesecloth.

If you want to actually clarify the stock (which I never bother with), separate an egg, then crush the eggshell with the egg white and 1/4 cup cold water (you don't use the yolk). Add it into the strained stock, bring to a boil, remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes, then strain it again.