Saturday, December 5, 2009

Don't throw away those leftover whole chicken bone and I'll tell you why...

Don't know what to do with that leftover chicken bone? If you have a few hours at home, why not make some chicken stock? It is very simple to do, and makes a great base for a homemade chicken soup.

The following process is often referred to as "boiling down the bone." It can be done with not only chicken bones, but other meats like beef, turkey, and ham.

What you'll need is a large pot that is a bit larger than the bone you will be boiling, a slotted serving spoon, and a mesh colander/strainer.

First you must separate the bone from the meat. Put the meat into a bowl for later, and all parts that you do not plan on eating, such as bone, cartilage, fat, etc goes into the pot to be boiled. If desired, you may also add vegetables to the water as well, such as onions, carrots or celery for flavor. Fill pot with water, being sure that all chicken parts are covered with 2-3 inches of water.

Bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to medium and let simmer for approximately 2-3 hours. During the simmering process, make sure bone and other parts are completely covered with water. If the water level goes down so low that the chicken parts are above the water line, add more water and once again bring to a boil. Once boiling again, turn heat down to medium and continue simmering.
Once finished boiling, turn off heat. Let sit for about 20 minutes so it is cool enough to handle. Once cooled, using a large slotted spoon, remove large pieces from the liquid and dispose of. When the large pieces are removed, strain liquid in a fine mesh colander to strain out any small pieces of bone or other parts. Pour mixture into an appropriate sized pot, bowl, or saucepan and cover. Let chill in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. After stock has chilled, you will notice that there is a "skin" layer on the top. This is the fat from the stock, since fat is less dense than the stock, it floats to the top and when cooled, it creates this skin. If you'd like to remove this fat layer (which I always do), scrape with a spoon to remove and dispose of.

Now you're done! The stock is ready to use for your recipes, as a base for a homemade chicken soup, or freeze for use later.















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