Chicken Stock

[heidih]

Well there must be some kind of synchronicity in eG because I have been meaning forever to ask you to tell us about your chicken and other stock method. Not so much in terms of how - we all have our methods. But what strikes me is that so many of your meals feature a stock/broth. I could eat that way all the time  Do you have a routine for your abundant supply?

[huiray]

Well there must be some kind of synchronicity in eG because I have been meaning forever to ask you to tell us about your chicken and other stock method. Not so much in terms of how - we all have our methods. But what strikes me is that so many of your meals feature a stock/broth. I could eat that way all the time  Do you have a routine for your abundant supply?

 

:-)

 

No, not really.  I just make it as needed and/or as I feel like it, sometimes more often, sometimes less so. I also use both home-made stuff and stock cubes (I like Maggi) as desired. In any case I don't really think I use it *that* much, and I don't particularly "feature" it - it is just a component/base of the dish when I do list it. Perhaps it might seem like I use it a lot because other folks rarely mention it? Perhaps also because I do broth-style soups and soupy stuff with some regularity whereas soups are *very rare* from other posters? But even with many/most of my soups I start with (i.e. use) water, not stock. 

 

Edited for spelling.

Edited August 31, 2015 by huiray (log)

[huiray]

Latest batch of chicken stock/broth. This one was done using meaty leg quarter frames from presumably "commercial" chickens (and not pastured or whatever) bought at a Vietnamese supermarket; and with the pieces chopped up, bones cracked, and blanched before simmering in fresh water. Threw in some saved chicken wing tips as well. The color is lighter than with the previous batch using pastured chicken frames, and the color of the fat, not surprisingly, is lighter than with pastured chickens.

 

[jmacnaughtan]

I have to confess that I hate standing around skimming stock.  I've learned to just bring the bones/flesh/skin to the boil, dump out the water and rinse the pieces well enough to just leave the pot on a simmer.  The result doesn't seem to suffer...

[paulraphael]

Ice/gelatin filtration works pretty well, but it takes a while and the yield isn't awesome. If you try that technique, be sure to make the stock with bones and cuts that have lots of connective tissue so you can extract enough gelatin for the technique to work.  

 

I'm a fan of the ChefSteps consomme strategy which employs a Methocel/protein raft to clarify.

 

 

That's a promising looking technique. My only hesitation is that it's pretty wasteful to use a lean chicken breast as a sludge filter.  I know some will say this is best possible use for a chicken breast, but still ...

 

Has anyone heard of variations with cheaper protein, or with scraps or byproducts? I gather that being fat-free is important. I've looked around a bit at things like powdered gelatin, whey protein, and soy protein. Whether or not these work, the catch is that they're all more expensive by weight than a stupid chicken breast. The agricultural byproduct industry must have some healthy profits ...

 

Any other thoughts?

[btbyrd]

In addition to being a sludge filter (nice phrase), the chicken breast will also lend its flavor to the finished consomme. If you wait for chicken breasts to go on sale, you can buy a bunch, seal them up individually, and freeze them for when it's stock-making time. But if that's still a bit too wasteful for you, you can always go with the classic technique and use an egg white raft. It's more finicky (and I'm not sure if Methocel would help that out) but it's certainly cheaper.

[btbyrd]

Apparently Daniel Boulud uses dark meat from chickens to make the raft for his consomme. So... there you go!

 

You can also use gelatin, freeze the stock, and let it thaw in a strainer lined with a couple layers of cheese cloth. Ice filtration has a lower yield and it takes longer to do, but it's an easy, hands-off technique. 

Edited September 17, 2015 by btbyrd (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I can't help but be thinking of a centrifuge.

[huiray]

Apparently Daniel Boulud uses dark meat from chickens to make the raft for his consomme. So... there you go!

 

 

What a waste of dark meat!!!  I value dark meat far more than breast meat...

[btbyrd]

Likewise. But it's cheaper!

[ojisan]

My first attempts at using a pressure cooker for chicken stock were not impressive - high pressure for 45 min. using natural release. However, when I increased the time to two hours, the result was a double-strength flavorful stock. I'm guessing that it was due to extracting flavor from the bones. FWIW I'm using a modern PC (Fissler Vitaquick), not a jiggle-top. Also, I let the natural release go for 30 min.

[paulraphael]

I like the idea of using the dark meat.

 

If I were butchering whole chickens, then yeah, I'd give up the breast (or maybe try to find some lean meat elsewhere, like the back). But if I'm buying parts? Why not just buy an extra boneless thigh? I stock up on these to cook s.v. anyway. 

 

It's cheaper, and would probably contribute a bit more flavor.

Edited September 18, 2015 by paulraphael (log)

[btbyrd]

I like the idea of using the dark meat.

 

If I were butchering whole chickens, then yeah, I'd give up the breast (or maybe try to find some lean meat elsewhere, like the back). But if I'm buying parts? Why not just buy an extra boneless thigh? I stock up on these to cook s.v. anyway. 

 

It's cheaper, and would probably contribute a bit more flavor.

 

I'm not sure it'd be more flavorful. According to Serious Eats, stock made with only chicken breast "produced the cleanest tasting stock with the most intense chicken flavor" (compared with stock made from thighs, wings, bones, or whole chickens). This is counterintuitive, but it's apparently true. What it has in flavor, though, it lacks in body and gelatin. 

[huiray]

A batch made this past weekend. Pastured free-range chicken backs & necks. Some ginger, some sea salt. Skimmed at beginning. About 7-8 hrs low simmer.

 

[huiray]

Yesterday's batch. Pastured chicken backs & necks chopped up, skimmed repeatedly. Sliced ginger, halved garlic cloves, sea salt – kind-of a "Hakka-ish" character to this batch.

 

 

As before, the chicken pieces are mostly floating at the top when still barely simmering. After the heat is shut off the pot is left undisturbed and unshaken till the chicken pieces slowly sink and drift down largely as a "connected raft" of pieces with the stray piece doing its own thing.

 

Drank several bowls of the stuff simply (and gently) scooped off from the top, with the fat being scooped off after ladling into my soup bowl. Nicely lip-coating, very satisfying to just drink it as-is. The full decant was done somewhat later.

[hummingbirdkiss]

that to me looks like a perfectly prepared stock! 

[Paul Bacino]

This is the result of two Costco carci,  oven simmered 8 hrs  @ 250F  ( usually cook at about 375-400 till just perks then turn to convection bake covered and 250F )

with carrot onion celery, Bay, pepper

 

I cool defat , the next day,  this was a result of a reduction by half

 

 

Edited November 11, 2015 by Paul Bacino (log)

[huiray]

The latest batch.

 

 

Just ginger & sea salt as flavorings this time.

I threw in a bunch of chicken feet as well this time, and also dumped the water the first time round after it had come to a bare simmer. These bones/frames were bloodier than normal, and there was a LOT of pink plus detritus & coagulated blood etc in the water. Rinsed the chicken pieces under the tap and started the simmer in a cleaned pot w/ fresh cold water. I haven't done this sorta-"fei sui" treatment for chicken pieces for stock for a while. I still did some skimming as it came to a sustained low simmer.

[patrickamory]

An old, pasture raised bird. Pressure cooked with an onion, a couple carrots, not quite enough water to cover and some celery for 2 hours plus natural release.

 

Only partially defatted. This was incredible with our Thanksgiving stuffing...

 

[huiray]

Time for a bump up here!

Today's batch. This time I used a mixture of two pastured chicken frames & 2 necks, plus a couple of stewing hens (non-pastured). All chopped up into pieces. I also gave the whole lot 3-4 whole-pot rinses w/ cold water before refilling and then bringing to a simmer. Got rid of a fair bit of the blood that way. (I like to chop lengthwise through the backbones) (I also generally don't do the "fei sui" (briefly boiling then washing) treatment with chicken). Salt, ginger.

Skimmed at beginning. Simmered for about 8 hours.

[Lisa Shock]

Here's an interesting photo. I was given some boneless, skinless thighs and asked to make chicken salad. The catch was, there weren't many (5) and I needed to serve 7 people. I usually add vegetables to the chicken salad, but this group was the picky senior citizens I cater for sometimes, and they nixed celery and all nuts. (they make me sad sometimes) Anyway, normally, I'd roast the thighs to concentrate flavor, but, I chose to poach to retain the volume and to make sure the meat remained tender -just filtered water and salt. I had a busy day, so, I pulled the thighs out when done and placed them in their own container to cool. I stuck my pot in the fridge to cool down. A few hour later, when I went to put the stock into a smaller container to freeze, I found a remarkable art deco suprprise:

 

[huiray]

6 hours ago, Lisa Shock said:

Here's an interesting photo. I was given some boneless, skinless thighs and asked to make chicken salad. The catch was, there weren't many (5) and I needed to serve 7 people. I usually add vegetables to the chicken salad, but this group was the picky senior citizens I cater for sometimes, and they nixed celery and all nuts. (they make me sad sometimes) Anyway, normally, I'd roast the thighs to concentrate flavor, but, I chose to poach to retain the volume and to make sure the meat remained tender -just filtered water and salt. I had a busy day, so, I pulled the thighs out when done and placed them in their own container to cool. I stuck my pot in the fridge to cool down. A few hour later, when I went to put the stock into a smaller container to freeze, I found a remarkable art deco suprprise:

 

https://forums.egullet.org/uploads/monthly_2016_05/stock051616b.jpg.673822484495d08f342adefe34adc5f2.jpg 

 

Neat!

 

How long did you poach the chicken for? When you poach chicken do you normally do it at constant heat (simmer) or do you bring it up to simmer then shut the heat off and let the chicken sit in the water? For how long? Interested in what others do when they "poach" chicken.

[Anna N]

The Jacques Pépin/Danny Kaye method. Tall narrow pan, 3 1/2 lb chicken, put in pan breast side first, add aromatics, water to cover by one inch, cover, bring to a boil, boil gently x 10 minutes, remove from heat let sit x 45 minutes. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I poach chicken sous vide, to pasteurization.

 

[Lisa Shock]

I threw salt into the water, then the chicken. I let it get to 165 and then just kept it there for about ten minutes, turned it off, pulled out the chicken about 10 minutes later and chilled the meat in a container and the broth in the pan. I wasn't really trying to be precise, I was just trying to get it done quickly. I probably could have done better if I had paid more attention to it. I was doing a couple of other things at the same time.