Ever wonder why the clear chicken soup in your favourite restaurant is so intensely ‘chickeny’ while retaining its delicate appearance? The magic of umami lies in the chicken broth and how it’s made. Chicken broth is different from chicken stock.
Broth is made by boiling and simmering chicken (with or without vegetables). Broth is a little cloudy and relatively thin.
Stock is made by boiling chicken bones (with or without vegetables). It’s thicker because it has collagen from the bones.
Broth is more than just water in which chicken has been boiled. It is the bedrock of any chicken soup worth its salt. The flavour of the broth sets a great soup apart from a good one. The process of making a flavour bomb of a broth is simple but demands a little patience.
If, like me, you use chicken broth in soups and to bump up the flavour in your sauces and stews, It’s best to make a big batch on a day when you have some time. It can easily be frozen for weeks in convenient portions. Follow the simple steps listed below and make your own delicious chicken broth.
- Use a full, uncut chicken if possible, skin on. Otherwise use large quarters. The skin not only adds tons of flavour, it stops the meat from drying out, retaining its juiciness.
- Pull out your largest pot. This helps avoid splashes and spills when you immerse the full bird in enough water to cover it and then some.
- To begin, soak the chicken in water for 30 mins to an hour, pour out the water; do this 2-3 times to get rid of any residual blood etc.
- Then fill your pot with water at room temperature and dunk your bird in so that it is fully submerged and place your pot on the stove on medium heat. Bring to a boil.
- As it comes up to temperature, impurities (a grey scum-like froth) will come to the surface. Using a large spoon, skim the surface to remove these. Do this continuously till no more impurities arise. Not doing this will make your broth muddy and give it a bitter aftertaste.
- Once the pot starts boiling, let it boil for a minute or two, then reduce the heat so that it’s gently simmering with small bubbles. You can now add any aromatics and/or vegetables like celery, carrots, onions ets. They must be cut into large 2”-3” chunks so that they don’t become mushy and disintegrate.
- Put the lid on and simmer the broth for a couple of hours (up to 4-5 if you have the time). Take the chicken out and remove the meat from the bones. If the chicken hasn’t dried out, use it in your cooking. Put the bones back in the pot and reduce the liquid further to concentrate the flavours. Then strain the broth through a fine sieve, cool and refrigerate for up to a week or freeze in portions.