I think of homemade chicken stock as liquid gold. Nothing available on the market has the depth of flavor or richness of homemade stock. It gives anything you make with it such great body and aroma. Just having a big pot of chicken stock simmering away on my stove makes me feel good.
Recipe courtesy of MODERN COMFORT FOOD: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. Copyright © 2020 by Ina Garten. Photography by Quentin Bacon. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Note: Pack the stock in containers and refrigerate for up to a few days or freeze for up to 6 months.
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Ina Garten’s Chicken Soup Recipe
A classic, easy chicken stock recipe that will enhance your cooking.
- Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 5–6 quarts 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 (5 lb) roasting chickens
- 3 large yellow onions, unpeeled and quartered
- 6 carrots, unpeeled and halved
- 4 celery stalks with leaves, cut into thirds
- 4 parsnips, unpeeled and cut in half
- 20 sprigs fresh parsley
- 15 sprigs fresh thyme
- 20 sprigs fresh dill
- 1 head garlic, unpeeled and cut in half crosswise
- 2 Tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp whole black peppercorns
Instructions
- Place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic, salt and peppercorns in a 16- to 20-quart stockpot. Add 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 4 hours.
- Allow the stock to cool for 30 minutes. Strain the contents of the pot through a colander into a large bowl and discard the solids. Pack the stock in containers and refrigerate for up to a few days or freeze for up to 6 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Soup
- Cuisine: Ashkenazi
What do you mean by discard the solids? All those vegetables should be thrown away? Or can they be eaten as is? Or can they be emulsified in a blender added stock for a kind soup?
That’s what I am wondering!
Did I read this correct 3 5 lb chickens?
Small chickens are very hard to find.
Where can I order a 3 lb chicke
I have been making chicken soup for decades, and I would always leave all the vegetables in. After all, they are roughage, and we all need fibre. Just discard the herbs, if you have left them whole. If you are making stock, then you do discard the solids in the pan and boil to reduce the liquid if you are freezing it, so it takes up less room in the freezer. This recipe is for 5-6 quarts, though, so, unless you are feeding the entire synagogue, I imagine you could take some liquid out to make stock and leave the solids in situ as an enjoyable part of the soup.
“Discard,” in this case, means “put aside to eat.” We usually “discard” a bit of broth and have the solids as a hearty soup, but you can use them as is, too.
I keep all the solids and eat them with matzo balls…
In our family, we never boil dill, especially stocks. They give bitterness to the soup and the dill aroma would be greatly diminished.
We add fresh chopped dill fronds directly to the plates before eating.