Monday, February 1, 2016

Chicken Stock

chicken soup

This is more or less Smitten Kitchen's perfect, uncluttered chicken stock except that I make it on the stovetop because my slow cooker isn't big enough and I went back to the three cloves of garlic that Cook's Illustrated called for. Because I like garlic, and because it's easy to remember three, three, one, three, one.

3 pounds chicken wings
3 quarts water
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt

Put the wings and water in a stock pot over high heat. Pro tip: I measure the water with a quart-size mason jar—so, three jars.

Peel and chop the onion and add it to the pot. Smash and peel the garlic and add it to the pot. Add the salt.

When the water comes to a strong simmer, turn the heat to low and let it simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 hours. I add up to another quart (jar) of water as it cooks down.

I use a colander set over a large saucepan to strain out the chicken and aromatics, which is where this recipe really shines in my opinion: the wings strain very easily and cleanly, as opposed to a more bits-and-pieces chicken stock recipe. This stock is good enough to ladle into a mug and drink straight at this point. Which I often do, after I fill two or three one-quart containers for the freezer.