Chicken Broth

There’s nothing more gratifying than a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup. It is such a delight to have on a day like today when it feels like -10.

It really isn’t difficult to make your own broth, it’s just one of those things that you need to make on Sundays while the rest of your stove is being occupied by tomato sauce (italian problems).

Growing up, it was normal to have my mother boil a whole chicken with veggies in a pot full of water. We would then use the cooked chicken in salads, soups, sandwiches or even better, in a delicious stew with veggies and sauce.

It’s not always easy to have homemade chicken broth at hand, so I don’t use it for any recipe that calls for broth. I normally freeze the soup and reserve it for chicken noodle soup. It’s best served in its pure form. When it comes to other recipes that require broth I will either use an organic low sodium store bought version or whip up a quick veggie one.

You can actually go to your local butcher and purchase a chicken meant for making broth or just any free range chicken works too.

There really isn’t a precise recipe, but a ballpark of how to do it. Your recipe will vary with what you have in your pantry and refrigerator.

Chicken Broth

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken (you can even use half, or just the legs)
• 2 carrots peeled and halved
• 3 celery stocks, halved.
• 2 onions chopped in quarters
• 1 cup of diced tomatoes (we use what we have jarred from August, but you can use can tomatoes too)
• 2-3 whole garlic cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• a sprig of thyme, rosemary and oregano
• 5 whole peppercorns

Directions

1. In a large sized pot, add the chicken and vegetables and cover it with cold water.
2. It’s important not to fill the pot with water completely, you don’t want to water down the taste.
3. Add the aromatics (thyme, rosemary, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and oregano)
4. Let it come to a boil then lower the temperature to medium-low.
5. Let it gently simmer, partially covered for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
6. Important step: Skim any impurities that reside at the top (you know the foamy stuff?). That is the fat rendering from the meat and will keep your broth in purer form.
7. Once it is done, pass the broth through a fine sieve and store it into freezer containers for when you need them.

 

Enjoy!

Antonietta xo