Friday, April 16, 2010

Friday's Frugal Food

Chicken Stock

I make homemade chicken stock and use it in quite a few of my meals.  It's a very frugal thing to do, and is MUCH more nutritious than the chicken stock that is available in the grocery store.  I use chicken stock as a base for most of my soups and for extra flavor in a lot of meat dishes.

You will need:

One whole chicken or 2-3 pounds of bony chicken parts.  (Sometimes I will roast a chicken and serve it as a meal, then use the leftover carcass in the stock.)

4 quarts water

Veggies:
Onion (one medium to large one - chopped)
Garlic (one or two cloves - chopped)
Carrots (2-3 sticks - peeled and chopped)
Celery (3-5 sticks - chopped)

You don't have to be exact with the veggies.  Just use what you like.  As I cook throughout the week, I will sometimes save celery leaves, uneaten veggies, etc and throw them in the stock.

Place everything into a large pot.  Let stand for about an hour.  Then bring it to a boil and remove any scum that rises to the top of the water.  Reduce heat and let it simmer all day.  (At least 4-6 hours, but the longer you let it simmer, the better the stock will be).

Remove all solids out of the stock.  Discard.  (Unless you used chicken with the meat still on - you'll want to save the meat for other meals.  I like to use the extra meat in chicken tacos/fajitas, casseroles, etc).  Strain the stock through cheesecloth or a mesh colander.  Place into your fridge until the fat rises to the top, then skim the fat off.  Put stock into containers and store in the fridge or freezer.

9 comments:

  1. I like to keep homemade stock in my freezer. Sometimes I use a chicken I cooked myself, and sometimes I use the leftovers from a rotisserie chicken (I only buy them if they are half price). It's nice to be able to walk past the aisle with broth in it and not have to a)pay a dollar a can and b)gag on all the sodium in that stuff. I like my salt, but with high blood pressure I want to be able to regulate just how much I use!

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  2. stopping from Follow Friday.

    I love doing stuff like this...and it saves a LOT of money over buying canned broth!

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  4. This is a great recipe to keep on hand. Thanks. Happy Friday Follow.

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  5. Stopping in from follow Friday. I am a total frugalista when it comes to decorating, entertaining and parties but haven't really moved that into my cooking. Now you have me rethinking some things!! My blog is about frugal tips and ideas for entertaining and parties.
    Hope you stop by as well.
    Michelle
    www.maddycakesmuse.blogspot.com

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  9. Hm, I got an error message when I tried to comment, so I'll just try again. Great blog! I love chicken stock, although I've never tried making it from already-cooked bones - only raw. I think I'll try that next time we have chicken.

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