(You don't have to be Jewish or wait for Passover to make incredible homemade chicken stock. Plan on at least two hours for the flavor of the chicken to leach into the stock. Continue boiling another hour after straining to reduce to a richer stock. Save the skimmed chicken fat (schmaltz) for making matzo balls.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
- 1 whole (3-4 pounds) Empire chicken (the best - but any fresh chicken will do)
- 1 medium turnip quartered
- 2 leeks white part only cleaned thoroughly and quartered
- 1 small rutabaga quartered
- 3 ribs of celery with leaves halved
- 12 parsley stems
- 2 large carrots quartered
- 2 large onions quartered
- 8 peppercorns crushed
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- Kosher or coarse salt
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Clean the chicken and discard giblets or any other presents you've been given in the cavity. Salt the entire chicken inside and out liberally with kosher or coarse salt. Let chicken stand for 35 minutes.
Wash salt from chicken and place in a medium to large stockpot. Cover chicken with turnip, leeks, rutabaga, celery, parsley, carrots, onions, peppercorns, and thyme. Cover with 4 or 5 quarts of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, occasionally skimming the foam from the top.
Remove the chicken to a large platter when it is still firm and not falling apart. Remove the meat from the chicken and save for sandwiches (no bread during Passover!) and salads. Then take the bones and return them to the pot and simmer for one more hour.
Strain the soup into a large bowl and discard everything in the strainer. Refrigerate long enough to allow hardened fat to form on surface, then simply remove the fat. Bring back up to heat with salt and pepper to taste.
Hint: You can add more vegetables at this point or start the process again for a really rich broth. That's the way Chinese chicken stock is prepared sometimes using as many as six or eight chickens.
• Matzo Balls Without - Ashkenazic
• Matzo Balls With - Sephardic
• Matzo Ball Savvy Article
Wash salt from chicken and place in a medium to large stockpot. Cover chicken with turnip, leeks, rutabaga, celery, parsley, carrots, onions, peppercorns, and thyme. Cover with 4 or 5 quarts of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, occasionally skimming the foam from the top.
Remove the chicken to a large platter when it is still firm and not falling apart. Remove the meat from the chicken and save for sandwiches (no bread during Passover!) and salads. Then take the bones and return them to the pot and simmer for one more hour.
Strain the soup into a large bowl and discard everything in the strainer. Refrigerate long enough to allow hardened fat to form on surface, then simply remove the fat. Bring back up to heat with salt and pepper to taste.
Hint: You can add more vegetables at this point or start the process again for a really rich broth. That's the way Chinese chicken stock is prepared sometimes using as many as six or eight chickens.
• Matzo Balls Without - Ashkenazic
• Matzo Balls With - Sephardic
• Matzo Ball Savvy Article
