If somebody had told me four years ago that at this point in my life I’d be in Mexico making my own chicken stock from scratch, I’d have thought they were a lunatic.
And yet, here I am. Travelling the world with my American boyfriend, living in a gorgeous house in Mexico, taking care of a slightly emotionally-wounded dog, and making my own chicken stock from scratch.
None of the things I was doing four years ago.
Life was good and I had developed a further love for cooking that was almost overtaking my love of baking, but I had not yet met my boyfriend or made my lifestyle change to full-time travel.
The chicken stock, unlike my life direction, did come about by chance.
I wanted to make a tortilla soup which called for chicken stock. Knowing that I had the carcass of an eaten roast chicken in the fridge (sorry dog, it looks like the scraps won’t be going to you) I thought it the perfect time to make my own chicken stock rather than use a store-bought version.
It really is a lot simpler than I had imagined, but does allow a little time to make, so if you would prefer the taste of homemade stock, I would suggest making it ahead or at the weekend, when you have time to let it cook and cool, and then freezing it until needed.
Chicken Stock
15
minutes1
hourIngredients
the bones (and any leftover meat) of one whole chicken
10 cups water
1 carrot, sliced
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp salt
small handful of black peppercorns
small sprig of parsley
1 small onion, cut into chunks
Directions
- Place the chicken bones and meat into a large, high-sided cooking pot. Add all of the other ingredients.
- Bring the pot to the boil, remove any excess grease from the top of the stock and then cover and cook on a medium heat for around an hour.
- Take the stock off the heat and allow to cool. Pour the contents of the pan through a colander or sieve to strain the golden liquid into an appropriate container. Use immediately or freeze.
Notes
- Adapted from Mexico: The Beautiful Cookbook
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