Homemade Broth - Tip of the Day

by Alexa Weibel, Posted Dec 3rd 2009 @ 9:00AM

Making your own chicken or turkey broth is easy and cheap -- and is bound to beat any canned variety you could pick up at the store.

Grannie's Chicken Rice Soup. Photo: bloorozez, Flickr.

Don't let your turkey or chicken carcass go to waste after you've removed what meat you can garner -- the frame makes an incredibly flavorful base for homemade stock!

Toss the frame in a large stockpot along with some vegetables for added flavor, including -- but not limited to! -- a couple carrots, celery stalks, chopped onion and garlic. You may also toss in some fresh herbs, depending on your desired use for the soup -- we'd recommend using cilantro for turkey chili, or try parsley or thyme for a traditional chicken soup. Add enough water to generously cover.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer after the stock begins to bubble. Cover, and simmer for at least two hours. Next, strain the liquid, discarding the vegetables, meat, and remaining particles. The broth is delectable on its own, or use it in soups and other recipes or freeze for future use.

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Filed Under: Tip of the Day, How To
Tags: chicken broth, homemade broth, homemade chicken broth, homemade chicken stock, how to make broth, turkey broth

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

12-31-2009 @11:29AM gary_johnson_53 said... When I do this I often get a lot of gelatin. Is this normal? Are there more detailed instructions for getting a nice broth from a carcass than this? When using just the carcass, does that mean using the whatever skin is left?
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12-31-2009 @11:49AM Gary said... I found this post where many people say the broth should be gelatinous:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/587378

but I am still confused as to how what to do with the carcass to get the stock to taste more chickeny than gelatiny?

What to do about the skin is not clear to me. If I roast a chicken, should I do something else to the skin, like take if off the carcass and fry the fat off of it?

"If you want a clear stock which doesn't solidify, use meat only."

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12-31-2009 @12:27PM Gary said... I wish I could edit my own comments. To make my confusion a little clearer, try this experiment. Chop the carcass bones in half before you make the broth. This lets out a lot more "gelatinous" material and the one time I did it think it made the broth taste like gelatin, not anything like chicken.
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2-10-2010 @12:35PM Speedracer said... For starters, broth and stock are two different things. A stock is used to help flavor rice, make soup, and make sauces or gravy. A broth is made from stock, is more flavorful and can stand alone for soup. Stock is made from the bones and should contain very little if any skin, meat, or connective tissues. It should be skimmed often and once chilled, the gelatin can be removed by taking it off the top in solid form. The fat from the skin of the meat/chicken is making your stock/broth gelatinous.
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