Another crockpot use- chicken stock

**checkerkitty** · 09-01-2009, 09:36 AM

Hi everyone!

I prefer homemade chicken stock/broth to canned. It's cheaper, tastier and has less salt. I also don't like making broth on the stove. It's messy (boils over EVERY time), you have to mind the pot, and it heats up the kitchen. So why not make it in the crockpot? It works and works well! For the broth/stock I use either a chicken carcass from a roasted chicken or other parts such as wing tips or bones from a chicken breast. Put your chicken in the crock pot and just add water if you're making broth. If you are making stock, add a quartered small onion, a stalk of celery cut into 3 pieces, whole peppercorns to taste (10-20), a bay leaf or two and 1/2 to 1 tsp of thyme leaves (or fresh thyme sprigs if you have them). Either way you cover the contents with water. I fill mine to just below the ledge where the lid sits. Turn the pot on high and let it go all night. In the morning you'll have a big pot of first class chicken stock/broth. It freezes really well in canning jars. I use my stock for risotto and soup. My MIL uses what I give her to make quick chicken and rice soup.

Just thought I'd pass that along. Hope it helps someone!

Christy

**mauimagic** · 09-01-2009, 01:34 PM

Christy this is a brilliant - and I do mean brilliant idea!! For every reason that you listed!! Mahalo plenty for posting this!! Safeway is having chickens on sale starting tomorrow, so I shall be putting your brilliancy to work very soon. I just dehydrated all my veggie leftovers, so I am going to throw those in too.

Oh - and I never knew that you could freeze glass jars - mahalo!!

**checkerkitty** · 09-01-2009, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by mauimagic

Christy this is a brilliant - and I do mean brilliant idea!! For every reason that you listed!! Mahalo plenty for posting this!! Safeway is having chickens on sale starting tomorrow, so I shall be putting your brilliancy to work very soon. I just dehydrated all my veggie leftovers, so I am going to throw those in too.

Oh - and I never knew that you could freeze glass jars - mahalo!!

Thank you and you're very welcome! I'm glad this is useful for you. I'm also glad I'm not the only one who had problems making broth on the stove top. I got so tired of scraping boiled over junk off of my cooktop that I avoided making broth all together.

I just wanted to give you a word of warning on freezing the jars. Remember to give the liquid plenty head space at the top of the jar. I've lost a number of jars to cracking by not giving enough expansion room. I always give a little more than the mark on the jar and always cool hot items in the fridge first. I seem to crack more jars when I fill them with hot liquid and then put them right in the freezer.

Hey, and the dried veggies sound yummy! Have fun experimenting on what you think tastes best. I'll have to try some at some point, too.

Christy.

**Jamauk** · 09-01-2009, 02:25 PM

I started making my broth/stock in teh crockpot a little over a year ago. It ssssooo much easier!

**ttistin** · 09-01-2009, 02:59 PM

Oh I love this. I haven't made broth before because of the mess it makes on the stove. I have some chicken in the freezer I am going to make up, I will use the bones for some homemade yummy broth!!

Thanks for sharing!!

**frugalfranny** · 09-01-2009, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by mauimagic

Oh - and I never knew that you could freeze glass jars - mahalo!!

Originally Posted by checkerkitty

I just wanted to give you a word of warning on freezing the jars. Remember to give the liquid plenty head space at the top of the jar. I've lost a number of jars to cracking by not giving enough expansion room. I always give a little more than the mark on the jar and always cool hot items in the fridge first. I seem to crack more jars when I fill them with hot liquid and then put them right in the freezer.

AND...MM......be very careful when moving glass around in your freezer. I have broken a couple by 'banging' them too hard.......which I didn't think was THAT HARD at all. For this reason I don't like to use glass in my freezer.......I use plastic. And if it means that I let something cool a bit before putting into the plastic....then so be it......safer for me in the end.

**frugalfranny** · 09-01-2009, 03:13 PM

Great idea CK.......will have to try it....have always used the stove, turned down to low once it heats up.

Those cooked chickens from Costco make some GREAT TASTING broth....and I will leave the skin and all in it. Can take the skin out at a later time when using.....but it has some great flavor.

**hotprincesscm** · 09-01-2009, 03:23 PM

What a wonderful idea! thanks for sharing!

**lisaflex** · 09-01-2009, 07:57 PM

it certainly does taste yummy. i just done like the fat. i had to defat it twice.

**Ali Lee** · 09-07-2009, 11:51 PM

I've been making chicken broth in my crockpot for years. I just made some this past Friday. Our home store had chicken breast for 99c. I bring it home, lay a newspaper over my counter, turn on my crockpot, and I clean my chicken. Cut off the fat, cut out the bones & use a sharp knife! After slow cooking, I turn it off, cool, and pick meat off bones, strain the broth, and into pitchers it goes & frig. Then, I spoon off the fat, package in gallon freezer bags, sit them on a cookie sheet and down to the freezer they go. Delish! I froze 5 almost filled bags. I made 2 crockpots full. I also do the same with roasts. Enjoy!

**lisaflex** · 09-09-2009, 06:49 AM

so exactly how do you all get it so its not so fatty and greasy?

**Judi Dial** · 09-09-2009, 08:09 AM

I've made broth in my crock for a long time. Also if you cook it a LONG time you can get demiglace, or condensed broth. (See Williams-Sonoma if you'd rather buy it for $30(?) a jar!) So, I do both.

Commercial broth seems to me to be the r"first" batch. I pour that off with the fat into quart jars that go into the frig. Then I add water again and let it cook about another day or so. Remove the solids and then cook it down until it is a few tablespoons of brown goo, or demiglace. This can take quite a while and unless you have severe space limitations like I do is probably not worth it. Better than bullion is fairly cheap and takes much less work, time, and effort! (The demiglace is stored in a sealed jar in the frig. too.)

Judi

**checkerkitty** · 09-09-2009, 09:12 AM

Originally Posted by 0911laob

so exactly how do you all get it so its not so fatty and greasy?

There are a couple of methods for removing grease/fat. You can skim it with a ladle. You can also use one of those fat separating measuring cups. The easiest way is to pour the broth into a large container and refrigerate overnight. The fat solidifies on top and you can scrape the goo right off and throw it in the trash. HTH!

Christy