Favorite chicken stock recipes/techniques

It really depends on the purpose of the stock as far as what I put in the water. I don't use bay, thyme or garlic in plain old chicken soup, so I wouldn't add those flavors. Sometimes, I roast the bones etc... and sometimes, I don't.

Much of the time, I will put it all in a big roaster and let it slow simmer overnight. Makes it easy.

One of the best tasting stocks I've made is a ham stock with meaty ham bones. I've made it plain and I've made it with red wine and herbs for soups. I could drink that stuff.

I've never measured so I don't have a recipe.

For various reasons, I like to purchase whole chickens, which after portioning, I'm left with a beautiful carcass, heart, gizzard, etc. I also use scraps of veggies that would normally hit the garbage in other kitchens.

Roasting bones before using in a stock also adds a ton of flavor.

I place my chicken carcasses, backbones, necks etc. into room temp water. Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, a bit of whole peppercorns to taste. One or two bay leaves depending on the size of what you're stocking...too many can make things bitter, thyme if you have it, and I love to use fresh ginger.

Skim off the top as it comes to a simmer and let it go for as long as you can. I've recently purchased a 12 quart stock pot for my home use which I can let the whole shebang reduce for a longer period of time, and it's amazing how much more flavor I can get from reducing a larger volume of liquid.

Add shrimp or other shells near the end for an added layer of sweetness.

If you use chicken thighs like a previous poster, after you refrigerate the stock you will have a solid layer of fat on top which you can take off. I'd recommend carcass bones and/or chicken wings, not fatty dark meat portions. I lop off the tips of chicken wings which is excellent for stock. My apologies Gris Gris, because I know you like to keep these on the wings for a crispy treat. Mine go into my stock.

Everything Degas said.

to take it a step further.

roast your bones in a 350-375 oven in a 2" deep roasting pan. about 1 hour turning them at the 30 min mark.

when done throw them in the stock pot.

throw all of your mis-cut veggie scraps in same(not cleaned!!!)roasting pan and drizzle w/ a little olive oil. roast all of your veggies at the same temp for another hour stirring around at the 30m min mark.

when done throw those in the stock pot.

take the roasting pan and set it on two burners on your stovetop on med/high heat. then deglaze w/ 1/2 or 3/4 bottle of dry white wine. scraping up all the fond from the bottom of your roasting pan.

then pour all of that in your stock pot. fill with COLD water and bring to a low simmer for 4 hours.

When I make stock, I usually make a lot at once, so quite often, I use those long deep foil roasting pans I buy at Sam's that caterers use. After the chicken or whatever has roasted well, I add whatever liquid I want to use to deglaze the foil roaster since I can't put them on the stove. I put them back in the oven and let them come to a simmer. That allows me to get all the fond off the bottom and the top easily. It cooks right off into the stock.

...also, get THIS book and thank me later.

I usually see packs of necks and backs together in packs at the stores. A butcher could probably get you a good bit of those.

The main thing to get a good stock it to roast your bones to give them some color before you simmer them

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The main thing to get a good stock it to roast your bones to give them some color before you simmer them

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should the bones be cracked open or split first?

I save the backs and wing tips off of chickens that I spatchcock and freeze them. When the gallon ziplock is full, I'll roast them with mirepoix and then dump all that in a pot, cover with water, add parsley, a bay leaf and some peppercorns. Simmer for several hours, strain, chill and scrape off the fat the next day when it's cooled off. Usually makes around 3 quarts or so.