Rachael’s Chicken Stock
Recipe by Rachael Sheridan
2 lbs chicken feet
2 lbs chicken wings
6 lbs chicken backs
2 large carrots, scrubbed, not peeled, and snapped in half
2 large celery ribs, rinsed, snapped in half
1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut in half
1 bunch thyme
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
2 tablespoons kosher salt
Instructions
Into a 10 quart stock pot, place the chicken feet, chicken wings, and chicken backs. Cover with very cold tap water and let sit for two hours. (This helps pull impurities out, makes the “scum” that rises to the top thicker, and produces a clear almost consommé like stock.)
After 2 hours, bring to a boil on medium-high. Once scum starts to form, skim it from the surface. Repeat this process until scum stops forming. (This usually takes an hour from the time you turn it on until the time you stop skimming.)
Next, add your vegetables: 2 large carrots (sometimes referred to as horse carrots) scrubbed, not peeled, and snapped in half. No need to chop. 2 large ribs of celery, rinsed and snapped in half. 1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut in half. 1 bunch of thyme, 1 T whole black peppercorns, 2 T kosher salt. Submerge the vegetables but do not stir. From this point, leave your ingredients undisturbed, fight the urge to stir or fiddle.
Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat so the stockpot barely bubbles. It’s the slowest boil ever. Blub….blub….blub. You’ll see a single small bubble burst to the surface every few seconds. On my stove this is usually on low or simmer. This slow slow boil draws out all the collagen and will give you that nice jiggly stock.
At this point I leave it to cook overnight, usually 8-10 hours. You can also move the pot to a preheated 225° oven and allow it to blub along all night. In the morning, take the pot off the heat and allow to cool. Strain your stock in a wire mesh strainer and skim off most of the fat. (We can use this skimmed fat to make schmaltz later). Store stock in ziplock freezer bags in the freezer.
Tip: Don’t throw away all your bones and feet just yet. Leave them in the pot, add fresh new vegetables just as before and water and start the process over again. You won’t get scum this time and the process will produce a cloudier/second stock or remouillage. This stock is great for sauces or soups with other ingredients that aren’t just broth based.