How to make homemade chicken stock cubes
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Nothing beats the flavor of homemade chicken stock cubes when added to your meal. And this recipe of homemade chicken stock cubes is what you’ve been looking for!
Just like homemade vegetable stock cubes, making homemade chicken stock cubes is another definition of healthy food cooked right! Although the store-bought chicken stock may save you a long hassle especially when you running here and there, nothing beats the flavor of homemade chicken stock cubes when added to your meal.
Making homemade chicken stock cubes is not hardcore. Call it simply one of the quick easy recipes, that will promote your dishes to the best healthy ideas for dinner. Put together chicken, vegetables, and seasonings in a pot, and let the magic happens as the flavors blend. And if you decide to take out a few tablespoons of the ingredients and give them a thorough blend, you will end up with a rich thick savory water enhanced with flavors.
The best part of the story is that this recipe is tweakable. Meaning that you can always control the use of some ingredients in the recipe. As you avoid adding preservatives like all homemade recipes, you can also control the level of sodium in your stock. Add as well your preferred range of vegetables and enhance your stock with minerals and vitamins on the go.
What’s in this homemade chicken stock?
For tasty aromatic chicken stock cubes, add the following ingredients to your pot:
- Whole roast chicken or a chicken carcass
- Carrots cut into large pieces
- Celery ribs cut into large pieces
- Yellow onion cut into quarters
- Garlic bulb unpeeled and cut in half crosswise
- Fresh parsley
- Fresh thyme
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Coldwater – 15 cups
- Bay leaves
How to make these stock cubes?
Whether you have whole or boned chicken cuts at hand, or some leftover chicken bones sitting in your fridge, get your pot ready to make homemade chicken stock cubes to store for later.
To make homemade chicken stock, you need to:
- Roast your chicken: some recipes call to use raw chicken and boil it along with the vegetables. However, roast chicken yields the best results. Remove the meat and save the carcass.
- Combine the ingredients in a cooking pot: the vegetables and seasonings listed under the ingredients list are essential to come up with aromatic flavorful chicken stock.
- Bring to a boil: Cover the ingredients with water and bring to a boil. Then, lower the heat and let the stock simmer for 4 to 5 hours.
- Strain the stock: Turn off the heat and place a strainer over a bowl then strain the stock.
- To make the cubes, add the fat/marrow, chicken bits, and vegetables along with the stock to a blender, then blend and pout into an ice cubes tray for future use.
How to store homemade chicken stock?
- In the fridge: once the stock cools down, store it in air-tight containers in the fridge. It will last 4 to 5 days.
- In the freezer: freezing homemade chicken stock is another effective way to store it for future use. You can store the stock in plastic bags or simply in ice cubes molds. Each cube is equivalent to ¼ cup of stock. This way you can use as many cubes as you want when cooking your meals. Storing stock in the freezer makes it last for up to 6 months.
Chicken stock vs broth
Although used for the same purpose, stock and broth are different. Chicken stock contains vegetables, unlike chicken broth. It is as well thicker and more concentrated with flavor. The reason is that it is made with bones while the broth is usually made with meat. Making the chicken stock involves boiling and then simmering the bones for hours, which results in a darker color, richer flavor, and thicker consistency.
Some FAQs about homemade chicken stock:
Why is my stock cloudy?
Getting a cloudy stock is fine. Remember we are not calling to skim the stock in this recipe. Cloudy stock is the result of the emulsification of the carcass fat in the water, the other vegetables added to the recipe, and the straining process.
Why does my refrigerated stock look like jelly?
Because this is how it should look like. When the collagen from the bones is broken, it gives the jelly texture. This collagen is what we are looking for to have healthy flavorful stock after 4 to 5 hours of simmering.
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Nothing beats the flavor of homemade chicken stock cubes when added to your meal. And this recipe of homemade chicken stock cubes is what you’ve been looking for!
Ingredients
- 1 whole roast chicken (2.5 kg) (or a chicken carcass)
- 2 carrots cut into large pieces
- 2 celery ribs cut into large pieces
- 2 medium yellow onions cut into quarters
- 1 bulb of garlic unpeeled and cut in half crosswise
- 1 bunch of fresh parsley
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Coldwater – 15 cups
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Put a pot on your stovetop.
- Add the chicken bones or carcass, vegetables including carrots and celery, onions, and garlic halves.
- Add cold water to cover the ingredients
- Add the parsley, thyme bay leaves black pepper and salt.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low medium.
- Let it simmer partially covered for 4 to 5 hours or until it is well flavored.
- Turn off the heat and allow the stock to cool.
- Using a colander over a bowl, drain the stock.
- For a clear stock, use again a fine-mesh strainer to strain the stock.
- If you desire to use the stock within a few days, store it in a jar in the fridge.
- For a thicker stock, do not double stain.
- Take the cooled garlic bulb, squeeze and add to the stock.
- Add the veggies, chicken bits as well as marrow.
- Blend the ingredients thoroughly.
- Pour the mixture into your ice cube molds and freeze.
Notes
- Try to remove as much meat as you can from the carcass. The chicken meat can be used in soups or other chicken plates. What is essential to making these stock cubes is the carcass itself.
- Try to simmer the stock for 4 to 5 hours. This is the time that collagen requires to start breaking to give you the best results.
- Avoid boiling raw chicken. For intense flavor, you want to roast the chicken before using the carcass.
- For a more intense flavor, sauté or roast the vegetables before adding them to the pot.
- Do not use peeled garlic cloves. A bulb of garlic cut in have will yield the best flavor results.
- Make sure to cover the carcass and vegetables with at least an inch or two of water. Do not overcover them. Otherwise, you will end up with dilute stock.
Nutrition
Calories: 18 kcal per serving | Serving size: 1 cube | Number of servings: 18
Total Fat 1 g | Saturated Fat 0 g | Cholesterol 4 mg | Sodium 264 mg | Potassium 66 mg | Total Carbohydrate 2 g | Dietary Fiber 0 g | Sugars 1 g | Protein 2 g | Vitamin A: 62% | Vitamin C: 8% | Calcium: 2% | Iron: 2%
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet
