And don't feel like you don't have time to make this if you aren't going to be home all day. It can simmer without you there watching it as long as the heat is low enough.
I buy whole chickens and save all the bones in plastic baggies in the fridge. I separate the chicken into two baggies, cooked bones and raw bones. I also have a baggie for vegetables in the freezer. When I have a baggie or two filled up, it's time to make some broth. Cooking the bones and vegetables intensifies the flavor of the broth.
Ingredients:
Chicken Bones
Onions
Carrots
Celery
Parsley
Garlic
Preheat oven to 450. Roast raw chicken and vegetables for about a half hour. Place all ingredients in a stockpot or other large pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off any impurities that rise to the top. Let it simmer all day or overnight. Just make sure it has a lot of water in there and is at a low temperature to keep too much water from evaporating.
Strain out the solids. Cool. Divide into containers. (I use mason jars.) Chill in the refrigerator. A layer of fat will form on top. You can use it as cooking fat.
Store in the freezer for longer term storage. I can some of the jars with a pressure canner. You lose some nutrients that way, but you have the convenience of being able to pop open a can and it's still much healthier than what you can find in the store.
Posts
Have you ever done this in the crock pot? Do you think it would turn out the same?
ReplyDeletequestion. baby food. i'm sure it's easy to make. I haven't really researched it. any suggestions? i have this weird thing about feeding my babies only breast milk and "baby food" until they hit one year. i feel it's my responsibility to feed my babies "healthy" and as close to pure as i can during their first year atleast since they can't make that decision for themselves yet. I fill my body with so much crud but i'd feel AWFUl doing it to my kids...but i'm not sure jarred baby food is even good or not...
ReplyDeleteWould you be willing to share your specific techniques for pressure canning the broth? What pressure, how many minutes, etc. I just want to know how to do it safely.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
@edeenut, I haven't done this in the crockpot, but you definitely can. Follow the same method, but let it stay in the crockpot for 12-18 hours. The reason for the long cook time is to get all the good stuff from the bones. If you cook it for a long time, the broth will get a little jello-like when cold. That means you got gelatin from the bones which is super nutritous.
ReplyDelete@ Jessica, I am going to add that to my list of future posts and cover that soon for you!
@ Michelle, yes! My next post will be all about the specifics of canning, I need to get those canned today, so look out for a post with details today or tomorrow :)
So good!!! I do the same thing and it's so handy to have stock on hand. I let it cool, scoop the fat off to save for use later, pour the stock in ice cube trays, freeze and then pop them out and into freezer bags. Then I can add as many cubes as I need to each dish...more for soup, less for adding flavor to dishes.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you cook in chicken fat? I've never used it before, and I was just wondering.
ReplyDelete@ Melissa,
ReplyDeleteChicken fat is used in a lot of Jewish cooking. I prefer flavorful fats for most things, but you can use it to saute veggies or where you would use other fats.