Best Chicken Stock Ever

By Jen -

 I just have to write this down... because... wow...

I went to roast a chicken in my dutch oven soup pot. I spatchcocked the chicken to save some time - and also because I could then make stock with the backbone and bits. With my handy-dandy new poultry shears, it was super easy, by the way.

Feeling a bit lazy but also wanting to keep the chicken up out of the juices (fat) that would accumulate in the bottom of the pot - I sliced a whole onion into big thick rings, laying them on the bottom. In went the chicken, olive oil, garlic salt/pepper and - zatar spice. 

Oven was at 350 with lid for about 30 minutes. I checked the temperature, removing the lid and left to roast another 15-20.

The chicken was good - but the stuff in the bottom of that pot was pure gold. Caramelized onions, juices and fats from the chicken and spices. I added back in the raw back bone, water, loosely chopped up some celery and a few heads of garlic - and set to simmer.

Those caramelized onions crafted such a rich broth. I think the zatar added another lovely note too. In the end, this broth made my eyes widen, it was so tasty.

Today that broth became the backbone of tortilla soup. Perfect. Added cumin, lime, left over chicken, onion, carrots and some hominy. Will serve with avocado's tossed with lime juice, cheese, and tortilla strips. Yummmmm....

Pictures will have to come later - sorry. Just... had ... to make a note somewhere about those onions!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sharing Food with Friends and Family: The Dinner Party

By Jen -
Eating together is one of the most foundational human acts of community. Gathering together around food never seems to grow old. JP and I have been chatting about how one goes about feeling confident about hosting other people at the proverbial dinner table. She's realized that there is a hell of a lot that goes on before hand to make that meal with friends savory and special. I can only chuckle because I remember when I had that realization too. For each generation that takes on the hosting of gatherings, we look to the past generation and wonder how it seemed so easy for them. I'm here to say that it isn't easy. However, what I saw in the kitchens of my mother, my aunts, uncles, and grandmother was a labor of love. Sure, it can be exhausting, but the act of giving was and continues to be worth it. So here's my take on the act of sharing food: What kind of evening do you want to have? A cozy dinner with candles? A patio BBQ with football? Do you want lingerin...
Read more

Question: What can I do with a bunch of chicken?

By Jen -
You are at the market and you see a 'bunch of chicken' on sale and you buy it. You're being smart economically but the question is now what to do with all this wonderful protein? Let's back up a bit. Before you go to the store, do a little planning. Markets usually have meats for sale in bulk. Chicken thighs, legs and breasts are often sold in bigger packages that lower the price per pound a bit. If the bones and skins are still on - the savings can be even a little more significant. Before you go to the store, plan on spending about 30 -45 minutes when you get home prepping whatever you are buying. Here's a note to self - don't go shopping an hour before you are going to be a starving maniac. Shop on a Sunday morning when you can relax, think and prep without it bumping up against work or hunger. So this is what I've done over the years - I like to buy thigh meat. When I've needed to save money, I've bought bone/skin intact thighs in big fa...
Read more

Bento Ham Roll-Ups

By -
Image
Due to demand - and also a personal need to keep track of successful recipes - here's an easy to make bento main dish that could probably double as an appetizer too. 😊 Recipe Ham slices, sandwich thin  ~1.5" section of carrot, julienned   ~1.5" long pieces of raw green beans, ends trimmed Shredded cheese of choice 1 Tbsp light  soy sauce * 1 Tbsp mirin * 1 Tbsp cooking sake  Lay out a slice of ham (or overlap two small slices) and place 2-3 green beans near one end of the slice.  Add an equal amount of carrots and cheese, then starting from the closest end to the mixings, carefully roll contents up. In a frying pan, heat up a little bit of cooking oil spread across the bottom. Once hot, place roll-ups carefully in the pan and add soy sauce, mirin, and sake (it's a 1:1:1 ratio, so feel free if you need to increase the amount here - there should be just enough liquids to fully coat the bottom). Cover and let simmer for 4-8 minutes. Once most ...
Read more