Reader Z in Chicago passed along her version in the comments. I wanted to make sure you saw what ideas other have. Maybe you might want to contribute your own.
“Here’s my recipe. It’s faster and tastes great.”
- One family-sized package of chicken thighs.
- One package of chicken wings.
- Any chicken necks, wing tips, kidneys, hearts, etc. left over and frozen (for this purpose) from previous meals–like a roast chicken dinner. Do NOT use chicken liver.
- 1 or 2 carrots cut into quarters.
- 1 stalk of leafy celery cut in half
- 1 or 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 medium-sized onion cut in half or quarters
- 1 bay leaf
- a dozen or so peppercorns
- a dozen or so sprigs of parsley tied together to make it easier to remove.
- Put the chicken in a nice big stock pot. Put in the rest of the ingredients. Pour in enough water to cover the ingredients and then an extra inch or so more–about 2-1/2 to 3 quarts. Bring to a boil and instantly turn heat down really low so that it just goes “blub-1-2-3-4-blub” (keep checking until it’s just right). Simmer for 45 minutes.
- Remove chicken thighs and wings and put them in a bowl. They can be used for other meals.
- Discard all the vegetables and seasonings. Strain broth through a fine sieve then return to the pot. Boil for 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Let cool and refrigerate.
- Next day, after skimming off the hardened fat, you can put it into containers to freeze for soup or sauces, or heat it up, add some cooked chicken and noodles and have some yummy soup.
