Preparing Chicken Stock

Most of the recent dishes I made utilized stock. And I intend to use more of it with the dishes I'm about to create. So I thought I'd share with you the step-by-step procedures in preparing a stock. Unless you want your dish to be dull, you cannot just boil meat and use the liquid to flavor your dish. There is a way of creating an aromatic stock that will definitely bring out the flavors of a dish.

Okay. I know you're wondering what's the difference between stocks and broths. Stocks are referred to as the foundations of cooking. They are prepared using bones from poultry or meat or seafood and / or vegetables, and are used to prepare soups and sauces. Broths, on the other hand, are prepared from meats or seafood and /or vegetables simmered in stock. While broths can be served as is, stocks are used in the production of other dishes.If that still sounds complicated, just remember that broths are products of stocks.

Here are the ingredients I used:

• 500 grams of chicken neck (or bones, but chicken neck makes the stock richer) or more
• 4 liters of cold water
• 1.5 cup chopped white onions
• 1.5 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup celery stalk
• onion spring
• salt
• olive oil
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp whole pepper and bay leaf

Simmer the chicken in cold water over very low fire. Do this for two hours. Skim the foams once in a while. It's not supposed to boil, just let tiny bubbles appear.

When you're about to hit two hours, start working on your veggies. Heat a minimal amount of olive oil in a pan, just enough to coat the veggies. Sauté the onions for about two minutes then add the carrots. Cook these until the onion turns translucent.

Add the celery stalks and onion spring. Cook some more until the veggies are a little soft. Then put all the veggies into the simmering chicken. Let it simmer for 30 minutes.

Cooking all the veggies

Add thyme, pepper, bay leaf and salt. Simmer for another 30 minutes.

Thyme

Pepper and bay leaves

After a total of 3 hours, turn off the heat and let cool before straining the ingredients from the stock. Transfer in clean containers.

After three hours

Tip: You can remove the oil from the stock by placing it inside the fridge. After some time, the oil will solidify. It's easier to remove now than during its liquid form.

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