Homemade Chicken Stock

Place your chicken carcass in a big pot (I use an 8-quart pot) and throw everything else in all around it (if you have the neck and other parts from the gravy bag throw them in too). Fill it with enough water to just about cover the chicken (5-6 quarts, depending on the weight of your chicken parts).

Bring to just a boil, then lower heat and simmer 2-3 hours or until you get the flavor you are looking for.

Turn off the heat and allow it to cool down. Then strain the broth into a large bowl through a colander, pressing down on the solids to extract all the broth you can. Discard the solids.

Refrigerate the broth overnight. Then scrape off the solidified fat from the top and freeze in multiple mason jars until ready to use. Use within 3 days if keeping refrigerated or 3 months if frozen.

Tips:
– If you are using the neck, brown it first on all sides in a pan with a bit of butter. Gives the broth more flavor.
– Sometimes I throw a tablespoon of chicken bouillon in the broth while it’s cooking, to give it extra flavor.

Recipe inspired by Ina Garten