Homestyle Chicken Stock

A good stock provides a solid foundation for almost any soup or sauce.  When you take the extra time to make a fresh stock, you'll find that whatever dish you're preparing will have a greater depth of flavor.  Most commercial stocks or broths are manufactured with a significant amount of salt, so if you feel the need to use these products, make sure you adjust the seasoning of the dish you're preparing.

Cooking tip:  Prepare stocks ahead of time and then freeze them in ice cube trays.  Whenever you need some stock, just pop out a couple of cubes! 

Ingredients:

• 4 quarts cold Water
• 4 lb Chicken Bones, trimmed of fat
• 1/2 cup fresh Parsley, chopped coarse
• 1 large Spanish Onion, skin on & quartered
• 1 large Carrot, unpeeled & quartered
• 2 stalks Celery, chopped coarse
• 1 large Bay Leaf
• 1 TBS butcher cracked Black Pepper

Cooking Procedure: 

• In a large pot, add all of the ingredients
• Bring this to a boil over high heat
• Reduce the heat to a simmer
• Skim any foam that has accumulated on the surface of the stock
• Let the stock simmer for 3 hours
• Strain stock through a fine mesh colander into a container
• Cover stock & place it in the fridge
• The stock will keep fresh for 2 days if not frozen

Yield: 2 quarts