Basic Recipes > Chicken Stock

How to make a basic chicken stock:
This is the traditional British method of making a delicious natural tasting stock from basic ingredients. Chicken stock is useful for all chicken dishes as a basis for soups, gravies and sauces.





Ingredients

2 chickens, cooked and picked clean of meat
1 large onion
2 carrots
2 leeks
2 stick of celery
2 bay leaf
generous bunch of parsley
few sprigs of lovage
3 cloves (if liked)
salt (try sea salt) and freshly ground black pepper
(see measure conversions for more information)

Method

- Place the chickens in a large saucepan with enough cold water to cover them.
- Cut the unpeeled onion in half and stick the cloves into it; put this in with the chickens.
- Clean the other vegetables. Cut them roughly in half and add them all to the pot.
- Add the herbs and salt and pepper.
- Bring all the ingredients to the boil.
- Cover and turn heat down.
- Simmer for around 3 hours.
- Allow the stock to cool and then strain into a large bowl or container.
- Put the stock in the fridge for at least 6 hours and then remove any fat which has collected on the top.
- Use as soon as possible in soups, stews, gravies etc.

See also:


Fish Stock
Meat Stock
Vegetable Stock