Healthy home-made chicken stock

Written by Catherine Saxelby on Wednesday, 01 April 2009.

Ready In: 2 hours 15 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours
Serves: about 2 litres

Try this standard recipe and you'll never go back to commercial stock cubes or powder. It has loads of gutsy flavour but no added salt so can be used by anyone on a salt-free diet. If you must add some salt, just use half a teaspoon at a time and taste as you go.

Ingredients

2 kg chicken carcass or wings
2 carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery
1 large onion, chopped
4-6 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
few sprigs of parsley
2 bay leaves
about 2 litres water

Nutrition per serve

One cup of stock contains 335 kilojoules (80 Calories), 4 g fat (including 2 g saturated fat), 2 g carbohydrate (including 1 g sugars), 1 g fibre and 170 mg sodium. Read our nutrition rating system.

Directions

1. Place the chicken carcass in a large stock pot with the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, peppercorns and parsley. Cover with water and bring to the boil.

2. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 2 hours. Periodically, skim off the foam as it rises to the surface.

3. Strain the stock through a sieve and chill for a few hours. Any fat will rise to the surface and solidify, after which it can be easily skimmed off. Your stock is now ready for use or for the freezer. Freeze in one- or two-cup portions ready to add to a recipe.