Quick and Flavourful Chicken Stock

Last week was a little crazy. My mom had just left, I wasn’t feeling well, my baby girl got a fever, my son got a cold. It was a long week.

I knew in the middle of it all that I needed to find a good chicken stock recipe. I’ve tried many, but none of them ever seemed flavourful enough. I wanted something simple, that I could make easily even when the house felt like it was collapsing in on itself, and something that didn’t involve an entire chicken carcass (ick!). I had a bunch of chicken drumsticks that I was never able to barbecue like I had hoped, so I went on a search and finally found the homemade chicken stock I’ve been waiting for. It’s quick (it took me 1.5 hours to make from start to finish, chopping and all), it’s flavourful (with minimal ingredients that I almost always have on hand) and it contains bones (important when making a stock with the most health benefits), with none of the messiness of dealing with an entire slimy bird. Yay!

This is the type of recipe I love making on a Sunday afternoon. Like jam, it quietly simmers in the background, perfuming your house – minimal work but satisfying and comforting results. This will definitely become a regular in our kitchen. And, if you’re looking for a feel good soup to pair it with, this Chicken Barley Soup does the trick.

I’ll be taking a break from blogging over the next couple weeks as some unexpected things have come up. I promise to be back as soon as I can. I appreciate the time you take out of your day to visit this little blog of mine and I’ll try my best to keep you updated on Facebook so you don’t feel like you’ve been left hanging.

See you soon!

Quick and Flavourful Chicken Stock

Makes: 2 quarts
The stock should stay good for 1 week in the fridge or several months in the freezer.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 pounds chicken backs, wings or legs, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 quarts hot (or boiling) water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 bay leaves

Instructions

1. Saute onion in a large stockpot, over medium heat, with a small amount of olive oil until onions are softened. Transfer to a bowl. Add half the chicken and cook, flipping halfway through, until no longer pink. Remove to the same bowl as the onions and repeat with the remaining chicken. Once all chicken is cooked, place the chicken and onions back into the stockpot, cover and cook over low for 20 minutes, until the chicken releases its juices. Raise heat to high, pour in hot water, salt and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer (using boiling water brings it to a simmer faster), scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Lower heat, cover and let cook at a gentle simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Remove bones from pot with a slotted spoon (you can remove the meat from the bones and reserve it for chicken soup if desired). Drain stock through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or paper towel. Let cool before refrigerating. Once refrigerated you can remove the layer of fat on top.

Adapted from Simply Recipes. Originally from In Pursuit of Flavor.