Homemade Chicken Stock

Last Year's Post: Spring Vegetable Ramen
Two Years Ago:   Chicken with Shallots

There are a few things that I tend to think that only crazy people and professional chefs make and have not tried personally:  homemade pasta, homemade croissants, and homemade chicken stock to name a few.  But I've read over and over how much good homemade chicken stock can really elevate your cooking so I decided to make it a project.  Ina Garten is known for her excellent chicken stock recipe so that's what I used.  She describes it as an easy recipe and I must agree, it's very easy IF you have the right tools.  All you do is throw some chickens, vegetables and herbs in a big pot and let them simmer for 4 hours.  Done.  You don't even have to monitor the pot except for once in a while to make sure it's still simmering, so you can make stock on a day when you'll be home for 4 hours but have other things to do like laundry or yard work.

You probably won't save money by making your own stock - you're doing it for quality rather than cost savings.  Having said that, you still want to minimize cost where possible.  I found the best deal on chicken at Costco - 4 small fresh chickens for a total weight of almost 15 pounds cost $14.50  The recipe calls for 3 (5-pound) chickens but 4 smaller chickens work equally well.  Some people may be dismayed because you use whole chickens only to throw them away afterwards, but all the flavor from the chicken goes into the stock and the meat becomes tasteless.   I tasted the meat at the end of the cooking time and can confirm this is true.

About the tools:  this is a bulky project so your normal pots and pans aren't going to work.  You need a 20-quart stockpot, which I bought at my local restaurant supply store for around $25.  You want a light pot to make it easier to move around, and one that's tall rather than wide so it will fit on your home burner.  They're actually not as big as you think.

You also need an 8-to-10 quart pot or bowl to hold the stock after it's done if you want to refrigerate it overnight and then skim off the surface fat.  If you want to skip that step, you don't need the smaller pot.  You need a colander to strain the solids, but you probably already have one. And finally, you need a spider/skimmer to remove the solids from the pot.  If you don't know what that is, this is what one looks like.  You can find them at Target, Bed, Bath and Beyond, etc.  If you don't want to buy one, tongs would probably work also.

Here's a tip:  move the pot to the stove before adding the water.  (It reminds me of the time when our vet had to anesthetize our dog to take an x-ray of his hip.  The only problem was that after they put him under they realized the x-ray machine was across the room and our dog was an Irish Wolfhound who weighed 160 pounds.  Heh.  That must have been an interesting transfer to watch.)

People who make chicken broth regularly have suggested buying the type of plastic quart containers you get from the deli, which I did online but you could also buy them at a restaurant supply store.  You can use any type of container to freeze your stock but these are convenient, re-usable, and are cheap enough to give away with leftovers from your next big dinner.

As I said this is Ina Garten's recipe, with a few tweaks: I described how to move the big pot around to make it easier to handle and easier to get the solids out.  She says to strain the entire contents of the big pot through a colander, but I can't imagine trying to tip over that entire thing without making a huge mess and who has a colander that big anyway? I also made the salt optional:  I've found Ina's recipes are often too salty and I always use unsalted chicken stock anyway.  She originally called for 2 tablespoons of kosher salt; I lowered it to 1 tablespoon and made it optional.

This was actually a pretty fun afternoon project.  The Lawyer provided the muscle for moving the large pot and tipping it over; you may want to have someone else around to help you just in case (unless you've been doing your crossfit regiment faithfully).  The resulting stock is miles ahead of anything you can buy at the store in terms of flavor and well worth the effort.  One last note - the recipe says it makes 6 quarts but I actually ended up with 6 1/2.  How can you only lose 2 cups of liquid volume after simmering uncovered for 4 hours?  It's a mystery.

Have fun.

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Homemade Chicken Stock

Makes 6 quarts

3 (5-pound) roasting chickens

3 large yellow onions, unpeeled and quartered

6 carrots, washed, unpeeled and halved crosswise

4 celery stalks with leaves, washed and cut into thirds crosswise

4 parsnips, washed, unpeeled and cut in half crosswise

20 sprigs fresh parsley

15 sprigs fresh thyme

20 sprigs fresh dill

1 head garlic, unpeeled and cut in half crosswise

2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

1 tablespoon kosher salt, optional

Special equipment: 20 quart stockpot, an 8-10 quart pot or bowl, a colander and a spider/skimmer

Place all ingredients in the 20 quart stockpot and place on the stove.  Add 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down and simmer, uncovered, for 4 hours, checking occasionally to make sure you maintain a simmer.

Remove the stockpot from the stove and place next to the sink (you may want help to move the pot).  Place a colander in the 8-10 quart pot or bowl, and place the smaller pot in the sink.  Use a spider (skimmer) or other large slotted spoon to remove the solids and place in the colander to drain (you may need to discard the solids and repeat).  After getting rid of all the solids, remove the colander from the smaller pot.  Allow the chicken stock to cool somewhat for easier handling before pouring it into the smaller pot.  Cool to room temperature (this could take several hours), then place in the refrigerator overnight.  The next day remove the surface fat.

Pour into containers and freeze for up to 3 months.

Slow Cooker Marinara

Last Year's Post: Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Two Years Ago:   Chicken Pho

Marinara is a very versatile tomato-based sauce typically used with spaghetti, lasagna, eggplant parmesan, baked pasta, and any one of a number of other dishes.  I've been making my favorite marinara recipe on the stovetop for years, but it takes several hours of attention and stirring so it doesn't burn.  It only recently occurred to me that marinara is perfectly suited to the low-and-slow approach of a slow cooker, so I immediately made a big batch and was happy that I didn't have to hang around and keep stirring.

There are a couple of advantages to making your own sauce:  you can customize it to your liking, you control the sodium and fat levels, and it can potentially be much less expensive than buying jarred sauce.  I say potentially less expensive because it all depends on the ingredients you add to your sauce, and the type/brand of sauce you would otherwise buy.  If you normally buy the least expensive private label pasta sauce in the store, you may not save much.  But if you buy a more expensive brand, you might.  And again, I chose to add organic fire-roasted tomatoes to my sauce for texture and flavor, which increased the price.  If you use store private label tomatoes, you'll save money.

Besides chopping and sauteing some onions and garlic, this is basically a dump-everything-in approach.  You could even forego the saute step for the onions, but then I would probably cut down on the amount of onions in the sauce.

Start checking the consistency of the sauce around 6 hours and cook until you're happy with its thickness and color.  I like to add some chopped parsley at the very end for little flecks of freshness and color.

Cool the marinara completely and place in glass jars or heavy zip-top bags, then freeze for up to several months.

This is a great weekend project for cold winter months.

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Slow Cooker Marinara

Makes 9 cups

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

6 cups chopped onion (about 3 medium)

1 tablespoon sugar

½ cup dry red wine

2 teaspoons dried oregano

½ teaspoon salt*

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried marjoram

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

6 medium garlic cloves, grated

2 (28-oz) cans crushed tomatoes, undrained

2 (14.5-oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained (use fire-roasted, if desired)

2 (6-oz) cans no-salt-added tomato paste

2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add onion and sugar and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Place in slow cooker and add remaining ingredients (including the remaining tablespoon of olive oil) except the parsley; stir well paying particular attention to breaking up any lumps of tomato paste.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, depending on how cooked down you prefer your sauce.  Check after 6 hours and continue cooking until desired consistency is reached.  Taste and adjust salt to your preference.  Stir in the parsley before serving.

To store:  cool completely and place in glass storage jars or resealable plastic bags.  Freeze for up to several months.

* Salt levels vary widely according to the brand of tomatoes and especially tomato paste that you use.  I recommend using no-salt-added tomato paste because regular tomato paste is very high in sodium.  If you use low-salt brands, you will likely need to add salt at the end or on the table, but it’s better to start low and add more later.

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

Last Year's Post: Hot and Sour Soup
Two years Ago:  Korean Seafood Pancakes

I had a love/hate relationship with my slow cooker for years.  I originally bought it thinking it would be great for cooking a meal during the work week, but then I realized that if you have an 8-5 job very few recipes call for cooking the 10-11 hours that you'll be gone.  So, it turned into more of a weekend or day-off type of meal prep when the recipe particularly benefits from low and slow cooking.

Boneless skinless chicken thighs are one of those things.  They're perfect for the slow cooker because they stay moist while they become fall-apart tender.  It's actually the only way I cook chicken thighs because they can turn tough and chewy when cooked faster at higher heat. No one likes chewy chicken.

This is a simple yet very flavorful recipe for teriyaki chicken.  You could even just buy a bottle of teriyaki sauce if you're really pressed for time, but the homemade sauce allows you to control sodium and vary the other ingredients according to your family's taste.  More garlic, anyone?  Tip of the day:  Trader Joes has excellent soy sauce that has one of the lowest sodium levels I've found.

Don't be tempted to substitute cooking sherry for the dry sherry because it tastes bad and it has sodium.  Salted wine?  No thanks.  Buy a bottle of dry sherry at the liquor store and keep it on hand - it tastes much better, it's not expensive and it keeps forever.

Kids love teriyaki, so this is a great family meal when paired with white or brown rice and some sauteed sugar snap peas.  Leftovers make an excellent lunch the next day - warm, cold, or in a sandwich with some sliced cucumbers.

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Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

Serves 4-6

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry sherry
3 cloves minced or grated garlic

Slice green onions, for garnish

Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish


In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, brown sugar, sherry and garlic together.

Place chicken in the slow cooker, cover with sauce.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5.  Serve with green onions and toasted sesame seeds on top.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Last Year's Post: Mexican Baked Egg Casserole
Two Years Ago:  Roast Pork, Fennel and Green Bean Salad

This is a relatively light soup, making it perfect for the transition to fall.  What makes it unique is the bright pop of lemon.  Panera has a very similar version in their soup rotation so I guess this qualifies as a Panera copycat even though I found the recipe elsewhere.

The soup is simple to make, but I have two suggestions.  The first is to do all your prep in advance so you're not frantically trying to chop something while something else is boiling over on the stove.  That way you can just stand and admire how beautiful your soup is as you casually add ingredients at exactly the right time while sipping an adult beverage.

The second is to use really good quality chicken stock.  I've tested several brands over the years and recommend Kitchen Basics (no paid endorsement!) because it's darker and richer than many other brands.  Even the regular version has less sodium than some other varieties but I always buy the low sodium version so I can control the salt.  Prepared soups that you buy in the store or in a restaurant are notoriously high in sodium (Panera's Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup has over 1,00mg of sodium per serving) so using a low-sodium stock allows you to start low and add more salt gradually.  Better yet, leave the sodium level low and put the salt on the table.  People never add as much salt after the fact.

The reason why the recipe calls for pre-cooked chicken (I used rotisserie chicken from the deli) rather than cooking the chicken in the soup is because I've found that cooking it in boiling or simmering liquid can cause the chicken to become chewy and fairly flavorless if it's overcooked. (Case in point - Ina Garten's recipe for homemade chicken stock tells you to throw away the cooked chickens after making the stock.)  Adding cooked shredded chicken at the last minute is an easy way to ensure the chicken is stays tender.

Last point:  you'll notice the recipe calls for stemming the baby spinach.  You can skip this step if you want but spinach stems are one of my (many) pet peeves, whether in soups or salads.  They're hard to eat, unappetizing in salads, and stringy in soups.  Most restaurants (and people, for that matter) don't take the time to stem them, but call me obsessive.

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Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large stalk or celery, diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 shallot, diced

1/8 cup dry sherry

2 quarts good quality low-sodium chicken stock

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper

½ cup uncooked orzo

1 cooked boneless skinless chicken breast, shredded

Zest of 1 lemon

½ cup fresh lemon juice

3 ounces baby spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the celery, carrots, garlic and shallots and sauté until just tender, 5-8 minutes.  Deglaze with the sherry, then add the stock, bay leaf and thyme.  Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes.    Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

Remove the thyme and bay leaves, then add the orzo and simmer for an additional 8 minutes. Add the shredded chicken, lemon zest and juice, and spinach and cook, stirring, for 2-3 more minutes to wilt the spinach and make sure everything is hot.  Taste and adjust seasonings again if needed.  Serve hot.

Lemon Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowl

Last Year's Post: Sausage Rolls with Mustard Cheese Dipping Sauce
Two Years Ago:  Hibachi Shrimp, Chicken or Beef

Chinese takeout has the benefits of being fast, easy and good-tasting.  It also has the downsides of fat, calories, high sodium and potential additives such as MSG.  Making your own takeout has the benefit of being healthy at the same time as delicious, and you can control exactly what does or doesn't go into it.

This recipe tastes much like a popular dish from a chain restaurant, but it uses lower-sodium soy sauce, high-fiber brown rice, a light hand with the sauce and lots of veggies to amp up the healthy quotient.  Starting from scratch it takes a little under an hour to prepare, mostly because brown rice needs to cook for 45 minutes.  If you're going to be pressed for time, cook the rice in advance and just reheat it - then it will take 15-20 minutes to prepare the remaining ingredients.

As always, feel free to substitute any vegetable or combination of vegetables that you like for the broccolini - green beans, asparagus, carrots, edamame, pea pods or kale would all work well and add good nutrition.  Just throw them in boiling water briefly until crisp-tender (well, edamame never get crisp-tender but you get the idea).

  

Another secret is to use chicken cutlets instead of chicken breasts in this or any other recipe that calls for them.  Like everything else, chickens have grown in size to the point that it's very difficult to find anything other than very large chicken breasts which are too big for a reasonable individual serving.  Cutting them in half horizontally to make two thinner chicken cutlets does several good things - it cuts the calories in half, it shortens cooking time, and it stretches your shopping dollar.  Best of all, no one will know and they'll still be completely satisfied.  I used one chicken breast and cut it in half to serve two people; you can't tell from the pictures or the serving size, can you?  P.S. Chicken cutlets can be purchased at the store, but they're more expensive per pound than chicken breasts.  Buy the chicken breasts and cut them yourself.

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Lemon Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowl

Serves 4

1 cup brown rice, uncooked

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

½ teaspoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

4 teaspoons mirin (sweet rice wine)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon canola oil

12 ounces broccolini, cut into 2” pieces

4 lemon wedges, for garnish

Toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Extra soy sauce

Preheat the oven to 400d.

Cook the brown rice according to package directions.  While the rice is cooking, prepare the sauce and cook the chicken and broccolini.  To prepare the sauce, combine the soy sauce and cornstarch in a small saucepan, stirring with a whisk.  Add the dark brown sugar, mirin and lemon juice; bring to a boil.  Cook 1 minute or until thickened.  Set aside.

Cut each chicken breast into two thin cutlets to make four total.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Heat a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat, then add the canola oil to the pan and swirl to coat.  Add the chicken to the pan and cook 4 minutes, until golden on the bottom.  Flip the chicken and drizzle 1 tablespoon of the sauce mixture on top.  Place the pan in the oven and bake for 4-5 minutes until done.  Place the chicken on a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes.  Cut chicken into slices.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil; add the broccolini and cook for 3 minutes.  Drain.

To assemble, divide the rice between four bowls, top with the broccolini and chicken pieces.  Drizzle with the remaining sauce.  Garnish with lemon wedges and toasted sesame seeds.

Serve, passing soy sauce on the side for those who might want extra.