Homemade Chicken Broth

I am working towards making more things homemade and the great thing is that it is so easy you can too! Have you ever read the label of chicken broth? It is loaded with sodium and contains unnecessary ingredients. Why is yeast in broth? What the heck is natural flavoring? (it is chemicals created in a lab to make you want to eat more of the product) Plus, homemade stock tastes better! So the next time you roast a chicken or bone in chicken breasts, pull up this recipe and use those bones!

HOMEMADE CHICKEN BROTH

Makes approximately 6-8 cups

Carcass of a whole roasted chicken or 3 large bone in breasts

3 carrots, cut into thirds

3 celery stalks with leaves, cut into thirds

1/2 large onion, quartered

1 lemon, see note below

3 garlic cloves, smashed, see note below

few sprigs thyme, see note below

few sprigs parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1 tsp salt, more to taste if desired

1 tsp black pepper

 I had a carcass from a roasted chicken that I had filled with lemon, garlic and thyme so I threw it all into the pot. If your chicken is plain roasted, add the garlic, lemon and thyme as listed above.

1. Using your hands break some of the large bones of the chicken to release the marrow and allow them to fit in the pot.

2. Place all ingredients in a large soup pot.

3. Cover with water.

4. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. 

5. Simmer at least 1 hour but you can simmer longer to have more flavor.

6. Pour broth through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and cool overnight. 

7. The next day, remove from fridge. The fat will have risen to the top and become hard. Spoon the fat off. Place stock in storage containers. 

8. Keep in the fridge up to a week or freeze and thaw as needed overnight in the refrigerator.