Homemade chicken stock

Directions

1. Cut the chicken and vegetables. Chop two to three pounds chicken parts into two to three-inch pieces and place in a large pot.
2. Dice one medium carrot, one medium celery stalk, and 1/2 medium yellow onion, and add to the pot.
3. Add two fresh parsley sprigs to the pot, then pour in two quarts water.
4. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, making sure it does not come to a boil. You want a gentle, constant bubbling, mostly around the edges.
5. Keep at a gentle simmer, reducing the heat if needed, and cook for two hours. You can skim off the scum that floats to the surface occasionally if you’d like, but it isn’t absolutely necessary. Check by tasting after two hours — if the stock isn’t as flavorful as you’d like, keep simmering and taste again every 15 minutes.
6. When the stock is ready, fit a fine-mesh strainer (or colander lined with a coffee filter or double layer of cheesecloth) over a large heatproof bowl. Pour the stock through the strainer, then discard the contents of the strainer.
7.  If you’d like to remove the fat from the stock, let it cool until the fat settles at the top, then skim it off with a spoon. You can also more easily remove the fat by chilling the stock and spooning the congealed fat from the surface later.
8. The stock is now ready to be used. To store, pour into storage containers (it’ll cool faster that way), and let cool uncovered at room temperature 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate up to five days or freeze up to three months.

Notes:

1. Storage: Cooled stock can be refrigerated up to five days or frozen up to three months. Make sure you leave 1/2-inch of space at the top of the container if freezing, as liquid expands when frozen.
2. Concentrating stock: You can also concentrate the stock by boiling the finished stock down and reducing by half. Cool, pour into ice cube trays or small containers, and freeze. To reconstitute the stock, add an equal amount of water back to the concentrated stock.