Having been a vegetarian for 10 years, I wasn’t very experienced with using up every bit of the chicken. I still cooked meat, but wouldn’t carve the chicken unless I had to and then the carcass would go straight in the bin – I now realise what a waste that was. There is so much flavour in the bones and not only will you save money on buying ready made stock, you also have a stock that is much lower in salt than the store bought on. Less waste and better for you – great combination. I was really impressed with how it tasted and it made my soup recipes even better. *If I do say so myself*.
Ingredients
– Chicken carcass
– Chunks of frozen vegetable ends (I have mentioned before that when I am chopping broccoli, carrots etc for dinner, I chuck the ends I don’t use into a bag in the freezer and save them all up for stock. If you don’t have these, just add some chopped carrot and an onion, halved)
– Enough water to cover completely
– A little salt and pepper
– A bay leaf
1) Put the vegetables in a very large soup pan.
2) Add the chicken carcass and bay leaf.
3) Cover with water.
4) Bring to the boil and simmer for 2-4 hours (depending on how much time you have)
5) Strain stock and discard chicken bones and vegetables.
Either use for soup right away, or allow to cool and freeze in portions. This made enough for 4 servings. To make it healthier, put it in the fridge overnight once it has cooled. The fat will rise to the top and you can scrape it off.
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