Boiling chicken/Chicken stock?

[riaketty]

I've got a pot of chicken on the stove, hearts and necks included. This is my first time (i'm still getting over the necks part...). How long should it boil? I want to pick it off the bone and can it.

Also, what do I do next? Throw the bones back in, let it simmer? How long? Do I add salt or veggies or anything like that? I just want chicken broth/bone broth I can freeze.

ThankS!

[mbravebird]

For broth, you don't need any meat. The health benefits of broth are gotten from a long, long simmer of the bones and joints. So you can get just as good broth from roasting your chicken, eating/canning the meat, and then making stock with the pickings.

Skin is good to include in your long simmer of the broth, too, because skin has some gelatin in it.

My experience is that it takes about 16-18 hours at a bare simmer to get a really rich, tasty, gelatin-rich bone broth. I also throw in some carrots and onion. Soaking the bones in the cookwater with a couple of tablespoons of vinegar for a half-hour to hour before starting to simmer will optimize the mineral release from the bones. When you see the broth turn a rich, deep golden color, you've got a tasty, nutritious broth on your hands.

HTH!

[pnutS4us]

also, don't boil your stock, let it simmer. Boiling it brings up all the yuckies from the bottom of the pan, and makes the broth cloudy.

[painefaria]

I did my first Bone broth earlier this week! : It turned out just as you said. Clear and golden yellow. It made the house smell great. I used the crockpot and I woke up in the middle of the night dreaming of a chinese buffet . DP and DS did not like the splash of vinegar that I added. Do I have to?

[schendledecker]

Originally Posted by painefaria

I did my first Bone broth earlier this week! : It turned out just as you said. Clear and golden yellow. It made the house smell great. I used the crockpot and I woke up in the middle of the night dreaming of a chinese buffet . DP and DS did not like the splash of vinegar that I added. Do I have to?

My mom says when you cook it that long the vinegar isn't necessary. I haven't been using it and my broth has been fine (bones still get very soft with long cook time).

I start mine off by roasting in the crock pot, pick off as much meat as I feel like after it's cooked through, then add water to top and simmer on low for 8-18hrs. Sometime in the last few hours I add carrot, celery, onion, salt, pepper. Then strain and sometimes pick out a little more meat if it seems like it has any flavor left in it.

This works best for me with a smaller chicken, so I have room in the crock pot for lots of water.

[TzippityDoulah]

if you have a crock pot you can simmer for up to 48 hrs (which makes it incredibly rich! and wont let it go to a boil!)

I add an onion cut in half and celery if i have it. I think it just adds to the flavor so well at the end I add sea salt and pepper to taste. But if i don't have anything on hand I just use the bones that's the most important part!

[punkrockmomma]

I always add celery, carrots, and onions to mine, I think it makes tastier, more nutrious stock. But what I do is, when I make something that has celery, carrots, or onion in it I save the scraps and I have a bag in the freezer where I keep them. I will also put celery and carrots into this bag that are past their prime, but not spoiled or rotten. What I also do to make stock making easier, is I will buy a whole chicken, cut off the legs, thighs, and wings, and the breast (I cut the breast meat right off so that it's boneless). I then have a carcass that I will freeze to use later for stock. I do this because we won't eat a whole chicken in one day, and that way I can use the pieces as I need them. That way when I make stock I just throw veggies, chicken carcass, herbs and spices, and a little vinigar into my crock pot before I go to bed, and I have great stock the next day. I ideally like to let it cook 24 hours. Makes the BEST soups!!! :

[Sol_y_Paz]

I really messed up mine so am watching this thread with interest.
I eat mostly vegetarian but I do cook for my dogs. I put a whole chicken in the pressure cooker, added water, and it cooked quickly and before I picked off the meat and separate the meat from the liver, etc. I poured out the liquid contents in the bottom of the pressure cooker and made chicken tortilla soup out of it for my husband. I have made it before and he liked it. He tasted some with the homemade broth and made a face. LOL. I had a taste, that broth was thick, heavy, and tasted so greasy. It was disgusting! The dogs did like it however.

[PeggyinNC]

"What I also do to make stock making easier, is I will buy a whole chicken, cut off the legs, thighs, and wings, and the breast (I cut the breast meat right off so that it's boneless). I then have a carcass that I will freeze to use later for stock."

Thanks for this suggestion!

[honeysesame]

so, should i change something about this? pls help me troubleshoot?
i put in the bones (last couple times w/ a couple tbs of vinegar-- don't love the taste that way tho) of one chicken in a maybe 8 qt stock pot, (don't have a crock) almost full, bring to a boil, and then let it simmer for 24 hrs ish.
i'm not sure it's great. at first it was better, last couple times not so much.
should i not be boiling it? too much water? i think i did much less the first few times. i haven't been adding veg but usually there is still a bit of meat on the bones w/ the seasoning i cook it w/ (plus i cook it w/ veg), or last time i added in some leftover juice from its cooking. i mostly will put it in soups anyhow, so i'm not tooo concerned about flavor, but i want it to be nutrient rich and tasting good would be nice too. TIA!!!

[mbravebird]

Originally Posted by honeysesame

so, should i change something about this? pls help me troubleshoot?
i put in the bones (last couple times w/ a couple tbs of vinegar-- don't love the taste that way tho) of one chicken in a maybe 8 qt stock pot, (don't have a crock) almost full, bring to a boil, and then let it simmer for 24 hrs ish.
i'm not sure it's great. at first it was better, last couple times not so much.
should i not be boiling it? too much water? i think i did much less the first few times. i haven't been adding veg but usually there is still a bit of meat on the bones w/ the seasoning i cook it w/ (plus i cook it w/ veg), or last time i added in some leftover juice from its cooking. i mostly will put it in soups anyhow, so i'm not tooo concerned about flavor, but i want it to be nutrient rich and tasting good would be nice too. TIA!!!

8 quarts seems like a lot for one chicken. I use one chicken carcass, plus some feet and necks, in a six quart pot, filled to a couple of inches from the top. Mine comes out tasting so good, you could eat it like soup by itself. I often just add some salt and drink a mug of it. I simmer for 18-24 hours, usually.

I start with a short boil, too, because I find that that's the only way the foam comes to the top, and the foam will affect the taste if not skimmed.

I also add onions and carrots, which I think adds to the taste. GL!