Pre-4 - Chicken Broth

We're almost there, people. Are we tired of chicken yet? Maybe but let's make some soup and disguise the rest with cheese. Everything is better with bacon, butter, or cheese. Isn't that what they say?

So in preparation for #4 and #5, we must prepare our broth. It's simple really. Remove all the meat you can find that remains and set aside for later. On mine, there is still one breast and a bunch of meat on the back. If you peel off the skin you will find more, believe me. Keep the skin for the broth. It makes the broth tastier, even if you skim off the fat.

So let's go. Put the bones and skin in a 6-8 qt. pot (bigger is better...to prevent boiling over--although it's all supposed to just simmer but accidents happen, right? Anyway...) Add any of the flavor bits from the chicken container. Chop up a large onion and one carrot. You can add a stalk of celery if you like. Other optional veggies to add: parsnip, daikon, turnip, parsley. Just don't add anything starchy (like potato, yam), that would discolor (beets) the broth, or make it bitter (mustard greens).

Add enough water to cover the whole lot and simmer for 60-90 mins. If we were making this from raw chicken bones, we would be simmering for half a day, at least, but these bones have already been through the ringer so they don't need much time. Although, the easy way to do this is to use a slow cooker (aka, CrockPot). Set it on low before heading off to bed or to work. It's done when you get wake up/get home. Oh the magic of a CrockPot...

When done (same procedure whether by stovetop or CrockPot), place a strainer over another pot (3 to 4 qts). Pour broth though. Discard bones, etc. Cool broth uncovered for an hour then place in refrigerator. A fat cap will appear on top. You can scrape that off and discard to lower fat content.

Preparing your own broth makes the whole house smell good, too...unless you're a vegetarian or vegan.