I like everything to be easy and this is the absolute easiest way to make the best chicken stock you have ever tasted. I start by roasting a large chicken and vegetables.
1 4 to 5 Pound Whole Roasting Chicken, Washed and Giblets Removed
1 Large White Onion, Skin Removed and Cut into Large Chunks
4 Carrots, Peeled and Cut into ½ Inch Pieces on the Diagonal
4 Celery Stalks, Cut into ½ Pieces on the Diagonal
½ Cup Garlic Cloves, Peeled
½ Cup XVOO
2 Teaspoons Coarse Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 Bay Leaves
1 Tablespoon Whole Peppercorns
Additional Onion, Carrots and Celery for the Stock Pot
Preheat oven to 425°F.
In a roasting pan or very large skillet toss the vegetables with half of the XVOO and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and drizzle remaining oil over the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken inside and out with the rest of the salt and pepper. Roast for 1 hour and 45 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 175ºF when a instant read thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. Cool to room temperature and remove the meat from the bones. You will have a lot of delicious chicken for dinner or chicken salad. I peel the veggies in this first step because I like to eat them with my de-boned chicken.
Place all of the bones, vegetables (whatever you have not eaten) and drippings into a very large pan such as a stockpot or Dutch oven, add another cut up onion with the skin, a few more whole carrots and whole celery stalks (no need to peel). Fill the pot with water as high as possible. Add 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns and the bay leaves. Bring the liquid to a rolling boil, reduce the heat to low and cover with a lid. Let this simmer for at least eight hours. It is most important to have the stock bubbling very slowly during the cooking time. Strain the liquid into a fine messed sieve over a large bowl. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate. All of the fat will come to the top. Remove the fat and you will have a beautiful, rich, flavorful stock. You can divide it into several air-tight containers and freezer for at least a month.
By roasting the chicken first you have accomplished two things: One, you’ve cooked a delicious chicken dinner. And two, you’ve eliminated the step of having to skim off the foamy scum of a raw chicken in the stockpot. (If you leave some of the dark meat on the bone this makes an even richer and more intensely flavored stock.)
