STOCK
There are countless ways to make stock from scratch. For the quickest method while still trying to render the most nutritional value possible, I have found that roasting the chicken first also provides the easiest method in the steps toward making stock. I cannot stress enough of how much a difference in flavor, depth and nutrition of the stock is when you add the feet in comparison to only using the bones for stock. Even when you add all the wonderful herbs, spices and vegetables to the chicken bone stock while it is cooking, it still does not compare to the rich flavor of chicken stock that had the chicken feet added as well. I appreciate and strive for a gelatinous stock. If I go to the trouble of making stock, I want all the nutritional power I can get. I feel this is well accomplished when you add the feet and fresh parsley in addition to the rest of the chicken bones.
Don't feel discouraged if you didn't accomplish a stock that does not gel. It does not affect the flavor & is still superior in nutrition in comparison to store bought stock. There are several factors that affect the outcome of the stock. All crock pots in my opinion are not reliable or consistent with cooking temperatures. Some come with a steam hole in the lid, others do not. The ability to render a desired gelatinous stock also greatly depends on the quality of the chicken's keeping & raising, the age of when the chicken was harvested & the breed of the chicken. That is another reason why I add chicken feet to the crock pot (or stock pot) - because almost every time including all the factors above, I will receive a gelatinous stock. Yes, I believe simmering with a watchful eye in a stock pot over the stove can render better gelatinous results then cooking with a crock pot only because you have more control on the temperature, yet it is more time invested to do so.
A Word on Chicken Feet Preparation:
I used to blanch my chicken feet prior to adding to my roasted chicken bones. The blanching made it easier for me to clip the nails off & helps rid a big portion of the scum that needs to be skimmed off during cooking. I no longer do this because the amount of hands-on time that is involved and the amount of dishes I have to clean afterwards. I found it is just as effective & more efficient to roast the chicken feet (uncovered 350F for 45min. no oil added) alongside the chicken or whenever you get to making stock.
Depending on the butcher's technique of processing the chicken feet, it will determine your hands-on efforts. Some butchers will clip the nails & blanch the feet while they are in the process of cleaning the rest of the chicken & you will have a clean package of chicken feet. This means that all you have to do is rinse in cold water before roasting & throw it in with the rest of the chicken bones when preparing the stock.
My butcher does NOT take this extra time on his process of butchering. So, I will roast the chicken feet (uncovered 350F for 45min. no oil added) & then rinse under cold water. The roasting helps pull the flavor out & makes it easier to trim the nails off & pull the thin, outer of skin off the feet.
I clip right behind the nail at an angle for an easy cut.
PREPARING FOR STOCK
To roast a whole chicken, I will rinse it thoroughly in cold water, pat it dry & massage oil on its entirety using avocado oil or macadamia oil (note: I thawed a frozen chicken in refrigerator over a 2 day period prior to roasting). I add 4-6 chicken feet in the same glass baking dish with the whole chicken, covered for 2 hours at 350F. Depending on the size of the chicken will determine which cookware I use to roast. Most of the time I use my glass baking ware because its easier for me to clean afterwards in my limited-space kitchen sink. Sometimes I will use a stainless steel roaster & other times I may use my cast iron enamel coated cookware (takes less time to cook).
Roast 350F for 2 hours or until internal desired temperature is reached - usually 165F. About 20-30 min before it is completely roasted I will take the cover off and brown the skin.
I also recommend using a thermometer that stays in the chicken while cooking to check the internal temperature of the chicken instead of opening the oven numerous times and possibly re-inserting the thermometer to get a read. This will change the cooking time and the chicken will lose it'svaluable juices.
When roasting is complete & chicken is cool enough to handle, de-bone the chicken. Clip the nails off of the chicken feet & slide as much of the outer layer of skin off if necessary. If you do not get all the skin off the feet, do not worry. It will cook fine and will not affect the taste. I also break the knuckle behind the toes of the feet to open up that space to allow more collagen to flow into the stock while simmering.
**Reserve the chicken meat, its juices & cooked fat from roasting (it's called pan dripping). Scrap the bottom of the pan with a silicone spatula to get ever bit of the pan...its worth the time to gather because it will enhance the flavor & texture of your finished soup, gravy or whatever you decide to use it for.
MAKING STOCK
You have two choices : Stock pot or Crock Pot.
Personally, I love the smell of simmering stock on the cooktop slowly cooking away and filling the house up with its aroma. Skimming takes more attention & periodic checking & more hands-on time. But reality, my time is spread thin & I cannot keep a stock pot going & skimming it all day on a cooktop with my schedule. Once in a while if I am at home all day I may do this.
Crock Pot : I would prefer to use a VITA CLAY POT but they have yet to come out with anything larger than a 4 quart size. Most of the time my chicken bones & feet will need a 7 quart or larger size to cook in. So, until VitaClay comes out with a larger capacity than 4 quarts, I will continue to use my crock pot.
I place the bones & feet in the crock pot with 2 TBS of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar. I add filtered water to just cover the bones and let it sit for 15-20min. This allows the acid to start breaking down the proteins. Then I go back and top it off with more filtered water. Turn the crock pot on low & covered & walk away for at least 24 hrs.
After the 24 hrs you may choose to pull your stock from the crock pot, strain and jar up. Depending on the chicken's age when it was harvested (if it was young - you can pull stock as early as 24hrs, if it was old - pull the stock later). I check for the richness. Yellow-golden color with lots of fat globules floating at the top. I do not skim. I will take care of that when I strain my stock into glass mason jars.
STRAINING STOCK
I don't like to hover and skim a simmering pot. Call me lazy but I just have other things I would rather do.
When the stock is ready to be pulled from the crock pot, simply gather about 3-4 quart sized wide-mouth mason jars OR if you plan to freeze the stock use the wide-mouth PINT & HALF sized mason jars, a stainless steel mesh strainer that fits just inside the mason jars, a small piece of cheese cloth to set inside the mason jar mouth & under the strainer & the lids/rings for the mason jars.
Set the cheesecloth inside the mason jar with some overhang around the edges & set the strainer inside the mason jar mouth & use it to hold down the cheesecloth to keep it in place. Sometimes I will double the cheesecloth over if the broth needs extra straining due to extra scum which is visible at the top of the stock when cooking.
I use a 2 cup capacity glass measuring pyrex cup to dip into the crockpot and pour into the jars.
Let the stock cool down before placing in refrigerator. Remove & RESERVE any precious fat that has risen to the top (save this for sautéing vegetables or other meals in the future). You can freeze the stock up to 6 months in a chest freezer & 3 months in an upright freezer. If you decide to keep it in the refrigerator use the stock within a 4-7 days.
I used make the effort of placing dried bay leaves, peppercorns, carrots, celery, etc into the pot along with the chicken bones during cooking. I do not do this anymore because I find that the flavor of the stock is not a big enough difference if you plan on using the stock for chicken soup anyway. When I prepare my chicken soup (recipe follows) I find that I have MORE flavor in sautéing the vegetables prior to adding to the homemade stock.
My 7 quart Crock pot rendered nearly 6 1/2 pint & a half mason jars using the roasted bones from 1 whole chicken (weighing 3.25 lbs) and 6 chicken feet.
After the stock has cooled, place in the fridge. Remove & RESERVE any fat that has risen to the top & you may freeze if desired.
If you make a lot of stock (we make stock from beef, pork & chicken) I recommend labeling.
CHICKEN SOUP RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
1 large yellow onion
4-5 carrots shredded or diced
4 celery stalks - diced
*1 large bush of fresh italian flat parsley - de-stemed, finely chopped
2-4 garlic cloves - minced
1-2 dried bay leaves
1/2 or the entire roasted chicken meat that was reserved from roasting (some people like their soup meatier)
2-3 quarts of prepared chicken stock (some like a soup with more liquid, some like it with a heartier filling...you choose)
2-3 Tablespoons of cooking oil to sauté the vegetables in (We prefer coconut oil or you can use avocado oil or macadamia oil. We do not recommend olive oil - we do not cook olive oil, use it raw) or use the reserved chicken fat that rose to the top of the stock.
1 cup Nutrional Yeast (optional)
all the leftover Pan Dripping (optional)
fresh ground pepper to taste
sea salt to taste
All the ingredients I use are Organic.
Sauté the yellow onion with the cooking oil (or reserved chicken fat from stock) in a pre-heated medium heat in a stock pot for 5 min until soft. Add the carrots and celery & cook until soft. Add the garlic & cook until fragrant.
Add the chicken stock, bay leaves & pan dripping.
Bring the soup to a steady gentle simmer & add the parsley. Simmer for 10 minutes or a little more until the parsley is cooked down.
Before serving, remove bay leaves, add the pepper & salt to taste and stir in the nutritional yeast if choosing.
* Fresh parsley is a big key ingredient for me. Not only is highly nutritious with the minerals but the flavor compliments the richness of the chicken stock. I never make chicken soup without it & I never substitute.
Also, I will sometimes add whole, fresh pastured eggs at the last minute to enhance the richness and nutrition. I simply crack 2-3 eggs into the stock pot 1 minute before I turn off the heat. I immediately stir & break the yolks, carefully trying to incorporate the yolks without over cooking them to a point of scrambled eggs...remove your pot from the heat if you see it beginning to form.
The whites will cook, but I always leave the yolks in a liquid gold state like an over easy egg & incorporate that throughout my soup.
Occasionally I will add basmati rice during the last 10-15 minutes of simmering for my family to enjoy. Most of the time our soup is grain free otherwise.
Just beautiful...the deep, golden color & sparkle you will see when you dip your spoon into your first bowl of this chicken soup. You will feel the richness of health seep into your entire body.
Nothing in the grocery store will compare to homemade soup in flavor or nutrition and especially if you add the chicken feet and its FAT!
RESOURCES
For pastured meats including chicken
http://www.eatwild.com (you may possibly find local availability)
http://grasslandbeef.com (online only)
try your local farmers market
Nutrional Yeast
I use FRONTIER BRAND. You can find it here, http://www.frontiercoop.com. You can also find it on Amazon, Whole foods or maybe your local health food store.
I will continually update this post with more pictures and information.
I welcome all your comments. Enjoy!
Thank you for stopping by,
Elaine McMurray
