It’s February: the dog days of winter. All the bills have come in now for Christmas. Your gas and electric bill is higher than normal due to less daylight and low temperatures. If you have children, registration is due for spring sports and summer camps. We know the price of everything has skyrocketed over the past year or so…and now eggs…EGGS are a Valentine’s meme due to how expensive they have become.
This month I’m going to share some cost-saving recipes and measures and it starts with the most fundamentals of cooking: stock. How many of you make your own stock? It doesn’t take much. You have vegetables that may be nearing the point where you have to throw them away - don’t! Even if you can’t make stock that minute, or in the next few days, freeze those suckers (along with the various chicken parts I always tell you to save) and make a stock when you have time. You need about 15 minutes of active time, and then can do chores or work for about 2 hours. Better yet, stay tuned throughout the month as I’ll share what you can do with the stock and the chicken. It’s all about stretching your dollar this month!
Chicken Stock
1 quart of stock runs you anywhere from $2.50 to $6. A whole chicken is about $8 (cheaper if you buy it from a bulk store, like Costco). So for about $8 (chicken + veggies) you can get 2 qts of stock and pulled chicken for 2 different meals, meaning your $8 investment gets you a return of about $10, and about 30% return on investment - you can’t get that at any bank - not to mention, this stock will be heads-and-shoulder above anything you can buy at a store.
1 whole chicken
1 onion
2 stalks celery, broken in half
2 carrots, broken in half
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (or other herbs you may have)
Season the chicken with kosher salt and black pepper. Place breast-side down into a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Sear for about 5 minutes.
Flip the chicken and add in the remaining items. Add in 12 cups of water, or a bit more, to cover the chicken.
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a slow simmer. Continue to cook for 2 hours, or until the liquid has reduced by one-third, flipping the chicken after an hour.
Remove the chicken from the pot and place on a cutting board to cool.
Meanwhile, pour the stock, through a fine mesh strainer, into a bowl. Press down on the solids in the strainer to release all of the liquid. Then pour the stock into a fat separator and let settle for a few minutes. Then pour into a mason jar or quart-sized container. Repeat with the remaining stock.
Remove the skin from the chicken. Pull the meat from the bones and shred, reserving the meat for future use. Discard the skin and bones.
Notes: If you don’t have a fat separator, the fat will rise to the top and can be easily removed after it has been chilled. Stock will last a few days in the fridge. If reserving for longer, freeze the stock in a plastic container (not a mason jar).
______________________________ Copyright 2023, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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