Homemade Chicken Stock

I talk to people all the time about cooking, and one of the things I hear over and over is "Well, the reason I don't cook from scratch is because it is too expensive."  For some items yes, that can be true, but there are some tricks you can use to save money and maximize the flavor of your dishes.  Homemade Chicken Stock is one such way.  I know that it sounds intimidating, but it is so easy.  And when you see the benefits and cost savings you will be blown away! 

Let me show you how it's done...

Homemade Chicken Stock

*Prep Time: 5 minutes  *Cook Time:  1.5 hours  *Difficulty:  Easy  *Servings:  4 quarts

Ingredients:

• 3 carrots
• 3 celery stalks
• 1 onion
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 2 tbsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. pepper
• 2 tbsp. thyme
• 1 whole chicken
• 16 cups of water

First you will need to roughly chop your vegetables.

You will notice that I did not peel any of these or take the

"paper" off. 

There is no need to.  You will see why later.

Next put them in your stock pot.

Now you will rinse your chicken, inside and out. 

Remove the giblet bag if you need to,

and place in the stock pot.

Add the salt...

Pepper...

And thyme.

Pour in your water.

Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer.

Cover the pot and allow to simmer for

1.5 hours or longer if you like, flipping the chicken half way through.

After your stock has simmered for at least 1.5 hours,

remove the chicken from pot, and set

aside to cool. 

One of the added benefits of making stock is that you can use the

leftover chicken to make a multitude of recipes throughout the week.

You will want to strain the vegetables from the liquid, into a large bowl or pitcher,

and there you have it...homemade stock.

However, I like to take mine one step further.

I like to either skim the fat from the top,

or use a fat separator to get rid of any excess fat.

If you are cooking with it that day, simply put it back in the pot

and keep it warm while you cook.

Now that, ladies and gents, is what I call liquid gold!

When you use homemade stock in your dishes, they are full of that little something-something that you only get when it is made-from-scratch! 

Not to mention your dishes are full of even more love than usual!!! 

I know what you may be thinking, "That's great and all, but is it really cheaper than buying it?" 

Well, let's take a look at that. 

The average box of chicken stock is $2.00. 

This will give you roughly 4 cups of stock loaded with sodium and preservatives.

  Not to mention, heaven only knows, what else. 

Here is the cost break down for my stock.

Chicken:  $5.00

Carrots:  .36

Celery:  .24

Garlic:  .33

Onions:  .33

S&P: .30

Thyme: .38

======================

This is a total cost of  $6.94

I know what you are saying "SEE, SEE I told you it wasn't cheaper!!"  Well, wait just a minute.

Remember, the average box of stock is 4 cups.  This stock recipe can make at least 24 cups before it STARTS to get a little diluted.  (I stopped at 16 because I didn't have anymore room in my pot.)  So the average price per 4 cups of stock is $1.20!!!  That is AT LEAST an .80 savings on the box and that is if you go with the cheap stuff! 

If you want to save even more, you don't have to add any vegetables or seasoning.  You can just boil chicken and water and you are looking at .84 cents per 4 cups of stock!!! 

Not only are you saving, but you know what you are putting into your body as well.  You control the salt, flavors, everything!  Plus, you have all this chicken you can use to make several other recipes with, which is even more savings!

Making your own stock is so simple, I just can't think of a reason not to!  I hope this has you excited to try something new, and I hope that you see how easy something as vital to your kitchen as stock, is to make.  Now go out there and make something fabulous with it!  And as always...

Happy Reading, Happy Eating, and Happy Living,

~The Kitchen Wife~

PS-I would love to hear from you on FB!!!!