I can’t decide which part of home-made chicken broth I like better: That it’s so freakin’ good, or that it’s basically free when you make chicken for another meal.
This one is made from the leftovers of a rotisserie chicken from Costco. Some people actually buy chicken wings just to make broth, and I’m sure it comes out fine, but like I said … free.
Directions
After you’ve picked all the chicken you want off the carcass, throw everything that’s left in a big pot, Dutch oven or slow cooker. Everything. Including trimmings, drippings, bones, skin. Every. Thing.
Add enough water to cover the carcass, and set the heat just high enough to bubble gently.
Cover, and walk away for 8-10 hours. Overnight is fine if you aren’t worried about your stove randomly exploding. The longer you go, the more goodness you’ll extract from the bones. (Have you heard everyone online talking about bone broth for the last year or so? If you haven’t started making you own yet, click that link to check out what you’ve been missing.)
Do check after it’s been covered for a while that it’s still gently bubbling. Once you put the lid on, it could get hotter and start boiling. You don’t want that.
Now to filter it. Put a colander in a large bowl, and put a paper towel or a piece of cheesecloth in the bottom.
Scoop all the solids into the colander with a slotted spoon, then pour the broth in.
Lift the colander out slowly, and you’ll have a bowl full of broth.
Toss the bits and pieces that were left behind. No matter how much your dog begs, don’t give it to him. Chicken bones shatter and present a choking hazard.
Let the broth cool a little and transfer to a container that seals tightly. Refrigerate until using … which better be soon.
And that’s it.
PS: This makes a killer egg drop soup. Click that link for the recipe.
PPS: A note about “free”. The chicken I made this from cost $4.99 at Costco, already cooked. It made 8 cups of broth. Walmart sells organic chicken broth for $2.88 for 4 cups. (As of today on their website.) In other words I could buy the chicken, throw out most of the meat and use the carcass to make broth, and it would still cost less than buying this much broth at Walmart.
