Homemade Chicken Broth
Overview
I’d be lying if I didn’t say it pains me to write this post before the start of fall.
But the cool chill in the autumn air is fast approaching; you can feel it in the early mornings and evenings here. When the weather gets cooler, I love having soup on the stove; it makes for an easy meal. Whether it’s tomato or chicken, minestrone or chili, there’s one thing they all have in common. They all use broth.
While boxed is convenient, making homemade broth isn’t as rigorous as you may think.
For my broth, I brown some chicken quarters (the left over meat is pretty solid in either, yes you guessed it, soup or chicken salad!) in either olive oil or chicken fat, and this really adds to the flavor of the broth. Then I add onions, carrots, celery, leeks (optional but does add to it), some parsley, bay leaf, fresh dill (also optional), black peppercorns, and a whole bunch of kosher salt. You let this cook for hours, strain it, and then can keep it in the freezer for when you need some penicillin for the soul in an instant. Here’s what you need.
Hi, I’m Jackie, Founder of Jackie Cooks and Drinks, and a BIG believer that cooking, creating and entertaining should be FUN.
Shopping List
- 3-4 chicken leg quarters
- olive oil or chicken fat (1-2 tbsp)
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 onions, peeled and chopped
- 1 leek, dark ends and white ends removed, sliced, rinsed, and chopped
- 10-15 black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, optional
- 1 tbsp kosher salt, add more to taste
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Method
In a large dutch oven or large stock pot on medium low heat, heat some oil or chicken fat.
Brown the chicken quarters on each side, til nice and golden, about 5 minutes on each side.
Remove from the pot, and set aside.
Add all of your chopped vegetables and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the chicken back into the pot, as well as the herbs, pepper, and salt (fresh and dried).
Add water to the pot; the amount will depend on your pot size but 8-10 cups of water is a good amount.
Bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer for 6-8 hours.
Strain the liquid through a large sieve into a large container. If you want, reserve the now cooked chicken pieces and set aside to use in chicken salad, chicken soup, enchiladas, etc!
If you have a fat skimmer, use it when the fat comes to the top of the pot when the broth is cooking. However, I prefer to refrigerate the soup, and the next morning the fat solidifies at the top and this makes it SO much easier to remove. I store mine in mason jars in the freezer so I always have broth in a pinch!
Homemade Chicken Broth
Equipment
- Dutch oven or a multi cooker such that has a slow cooker setting
Ingredients
- 3-4 chicken leg quarters
- 2 tbsp chicken fat can sub extra virgin olive oil
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 onions, peeled and chopped
- 1 leek, cleaned, chopped, and whites + dark leaves removed
- 10-15 black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
- 1 tbsp kosher salt, more to taste
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or large stock pot on medium low heat, heat some oil or chicken fat.
- Brown the chicken quarters on each side, til nice and golden, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove from the pot, and set aside.
- Add all of your chopped vegetables and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the chicken back into the pot, as well as the herbs, pepper, and salt (fresh and dried).
- Add water to the pot; the amount will depend on your pot size but 8-10 cups of water is a good amount.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer for a minimum of 8 hours. I usually cook this for 10-12 hours.
- Strain the liquid through a large sieve into a large gallon size container. Be sure to reserve the cooked chicken pieces and set aside to use in chicken salad, chicken soup, enchiladas, etc!
- If you have a fat skimmer, use it when the fat comes to the top of the pot while the broth is cooking. However, I prefer to refrigerate the soup as the fat solidifies at the top. This makes it SO much easier to remove the fat.
- Store in mason jars, in the freezer, for up to a few months, so you always have broth in a pinch!