Homesteader Chicken Stock

As we have preached over and over, we highly recommend buying your birds whole. The reason for this varies but a lot has to do with the savings you make and the extra flavor you have with bone-in options. Additionally, you are left with the chicken carcass which can be used to make the kind of chicken stock that you’d drink warmed up over your coffee on a cold morning.

Full of collagen that’s good for your hair, nails, bones and overall health, this chicken stock really made me question myself the first time I tried making it using the secret ingredient of chicken feet! The best way that I can describe the flavor of the end product is that of your favorite egg drop soup at your favorite Chinese restaurants. The feet are GOLD and if you are buying direct from a local producer, you can usually purchase a bag of feet from them to place in your freezer. If you are buying birds whole from a local market, find the closest Chinese grocery store or butcher shop in your area and they’ll either have feet or know where you can get them from.

Time: Three 8-12 hour phases
Servings: 8 quarts

Phase 1

Every month, I break down 3 whole chickens for my household of two adults. I play around, parting them different each time. Some options could be spatchcock, quarters, eighth, bone-in chicken breast, etc. Look at some meals you’d like to cook that month and go from there. Everything that is leftover from those three birds goes into a LARGE (and I mean “I specifically got a large pot for chicken stock and chili” large) pot with 12 cups water. I add two tablespoons whole peppercorns and one tablespoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil, lower to simmer, and leave with a lid on for 8-12 hours.

Phase 2

I then add one tablespoon each of whole peppercorns and kosher salt, two rough chopped onions, nine celery stalks chopped (including the leafy green ends), six carrots chopped, three cloves of garlic smashed and rough chopped, three bay leaves, three tablespoons dried parsley, three tablespoons thyme, three tablespoons dried rosemary and three teaspoons garlic powder. Stir and then bring back to a boil. Sometimes you have to add water if you have bones sticking out of the top - feel free to do so. Leave on stove for another 8-12 hours on simmer.

Phase 3

Blanch Chicken Feet

Chicken feet are the secret weapon and I always have some ready in the freezer. First thing you are going to want to do those is clean those trotters up. Bring a medium sized sauce pan (that will at least fit a couple feet completely submerged) to a rolling boil, drop a couple frozen feet into the pot and leave for about 6 minutes. I then use a pair of tongs to remove them from the water and place into a strainer over a bowl to take to the sink. I add in and set the time for the next batch of chicken feet.

I take the boiled chicken feet over to the sink and using the strainer or colander, rinse cold water over them. I then move them to a cutting board and, while still warm, peel off any remaining skin that may be on the feet, use a paring knife to trim off the callous in the center pad of the feet (not too deep, just any dirt that may be on them), and then I remove the toenails by chopping with a knife at the last joint on the toes.

Finishing Your Chicken Stock

Place 12 chicken feet into the pot and add water as needed. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Leave for 4-8 hours.

Preserving Your Chicken Stock

I let the chicken stock cool before getting it ready for preservation. This is a very important step as you don’t want to place it directly into a freezer or refrigerator. I cool my stock by taking it off the burner and stirring constantly to allow the heat to escape. I will also place it in a sink with the lid on the pot, running cool water around the outside or even filling the sink with ice in order to bring that temperature down. Once it is at a lukewarm temperature, I strain the contents. Oftentimes I will run once through a pasta strainer and then a second through a smaller mesh sieve or even cheesecloth.

From there, I allow it to cool some more either in individual jars or tupperware containers in the sink and then in the refrigerator. We will then can our chicken stock to place in the pantry.

Having chicken stock on hand and of such high quality has resulted in much more use in my cooking of chicken stock. From use in cooking rice or quinoa, sauces and gravies for cooking chicken, and even just for drinking.