Chicken Stock

Chicken stock serves as the base in all kinds of soups, stews, risottos and sauces and is a great way to add extra nutrients and flavour to recipes.

My Grandma claimed homemade bone broths help cure colds, build strong bones and aid digestion. She was right. When you're under the weather there is nothing better than a bowl of chicken stock with garlic, minced vegetables of your choice (like nutrient-rich carrots, spinach or kale) and cooked noodles.

You can use leftover chicken bones to make stock but for deeper, richer and more flavourful stock use a whole chicken.

Another useful tip is to add apple cider vinegar to the water before cooking. It helps draw out calcium and other minerals from the bones.

Chicken stock freezes well – just remember to let it cool down and remove excess fat before freezing.

Makes about 12 cups / 3 litres

Ingredients:

1 3-4 lbs/ 1.3-2 kg chicken or chicken parts (wings and legs are ideal)
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
2 onions, quartered (peel on ok but will give stock darker colour)
3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
3-4 bay leaves
4-5 sprigs of fresh parsley (optional)
2 leeks, greens only (optional)
2 teaspoons of coarse salt
1 tablespoon of whole black peppercorns
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
14 cups / 3.5 liters of water


Combine all ingredients in a large pot.
Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer covered for 2-4 hours.
Let stock come to room temperature, strain into containers and refrigerate overnight.
Remove fat from top of the broth and store in fridge for 3-4 days or freezer for up to 3 months (it will last longer than 3 months but the flavour will deteriorate).