Chicken Stock

Making chicken stock is easy!!! Making it yourself is a great way to save money and also use something that would otherwise be garbage. It doesn't take a lot of time either. Just throw everything in a pot, cover with water, let it simmer, and strain it. After I make a whole chicken I take any chicken off that we didn't eat, shred it, and freeze it until I get enough to use it in something like creamy chicken wild rice or chicken pot pie. Then I freeze the remaining carcass until I have enough to make stock. I usually use 3 or 6 cups of stock/broth when I make my creamy chicken sauce so I froze it in 3 cup amounts in glass quart jars, but you can freeze it the amounts you normally use. I have heard too of freezing it in ice cube trays and throwing them in a bag. This recipe is from my Prime Time Emeril cookbook.

-4 pounds chicken parts (wings, backs, carcasses, and necks)
-2 cups coarsely chopped yellow onions
-1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
-1 cup coarsely chopped celery
-3 garlic cloves, smashed with side of a heavy knife
-4 bay leaves (I never have bay leaves so didn't use them)
-1 tsp whole black peppercorns (also never have these so just used some regular table pepper)
-2 tsp salt
-1 tsp dried thyme
-1/2 tsp dried rosemary (also didn't have)
-1/2 tsp dried oregano
1. Put all the ingredients in stock pot. Add enough cold water to cover the bones by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 2-3 hours, occasionally skimming off the foam that forms on the surface.
2. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Cool completely. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to three days, or freeze up to two months.