Chicken Broth

• 份量: 6 quarts
• 准备时间: 25 minutes
• 总时间: Up to 15 hours

配料

3 stalks celery

2 medium carrots

1 large leek

1 large or 2 medium fennel bulbs

2 large onions

1 head garlic in cloves

½ bunch thyme

One 3-inch sprig rosemary

1 bunch parsley

One 3-inch piece ginger (or more, if making additional ginger-fennel oil)

3 tablespoons fennel seeds (or more, if making additional ginger-fennel oil)

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

Kosher salt

⅓ cup olive oil (or more, if making additional ginger-fennel oil)

5 to 7 pounds raw chicken wings, necks, and/or backs, and/or roasted chicken carcasses or bones

步骤

1. Do some prep:

Cut 3 stalks celery, 2 carrots, and 1 leek into roughly 3- to 4-inch pieces. Quarter 1 bulb fennel and chop the stalks and fronds into big pieces. Quarter 2 onions (no need to peel). Halve 1 head garlic crosswise.

2. Get the broth going:

Put your chicken parts in the largest pot you have, or divide between two large Dutch ovens or pasta pots. Fill with enough water to cover the pieces by an inch or so, and bring to a simmer over high heat. Skim the surface of any foam– that’s the “impurities,” or the bits of protein and fat that rise to the top. (If you’re starting with raw chicken parts you’ll have more than from roasted pieces). Continue to skim as foam continues to surface.

After skimming, add the celery, carrots, leek, fennel (plus fronds), onions, garlic, ½ bunch thyme, one 3-inch sprig rosemary, 1 bunch parsley (stems and all), 2 tablespoons fennel seeds, 1 tablespoon coriander seed, 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, and 1 tablespoon salt. Add additional water if necessary so that the level reaches about an inch from the top of the pot. Use a large spoon to gently push everything under the surface of the water.

3. Cook, cook, cook:

Adjust heat to maintain a low, steady simmer, and cook, without stirring, skimming the fat that collects on the top from time to time, until reduced by half. If you’re making this in a very large stockpot or lobster pot, this may take 15 hours at a low simmer. If in separate pots, this may take about 5. The goal is to go slowwwwly, in order to coax the collagen from the bones. If the water level is halved and you’ve only been simmering for a few hours, the heat is too high! Fill the pot with water and continue to cook at a lower flame. The goal is not to boil, which would make for a cloudy end result, with fat emulsified into the broth. Similarly, don’t be afraid to let the pot gently bubble away… near-stagnant simmering won’t do much.

4. Strain:

Remove broth from the heat. Set a large strainer or colander over a large bowl. Carefully drain the contents of the pot. Don’t press on solids, or you’ll dilute the broth. Discard solids. Season with salt!!!

Drink some of the broth straight away, drizzled with some ginger-fennel oil (see next step!) and transfer the remaining broth to containers and refrigerate until cool before freezing. If keeping in the refrigerator, use within 5 days.

5. Make ginger-fennel oil (optional):

Finely chop enough ginger to measure 2 tablespoons (no need to peel). Crush the remaining 1 tablespoon fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle or in a resealable plastic bag with a rolling pin.

Combine ⅓ cup olive oil and the fennel seeds in a small skillet and place over medium heat. When fennel seeds begin to sizzle, after about 1 minute, add the ginger and season with salt. Continue to cook until either the fennel seeds become fragrant and just begin to turn golden on the edges, or until you see small golden spots on the ginger, whatever comes first. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl or a jar to stop cooking. Season with salt.

Reheat instrux: If heating from frozen, submerge container in warm water until broth begins to melt in order to make transferring to a pot easier. Gently reheat over medium.

备注

This recipe is loosey and goosey. It is meant to work for any combination of chicken pieces, carcasses, or bones. Using a mix of cooked bones/carcasses (from leftover roast chickens) with uncooked chicken parts (like wings, backs, and necks) makes for an ideal broth because you get the combo of deeply roasty-toasty flavor plus the depth of body of a bone-rich stock. A very, very large stock pot is your best bet here (perhaps this is your moment to invest?) as this recipe yields several quarts of broth and cooks for hours (unattended!) But if you only have pasta pots or Dutch ovens, you can use a couple of those in its place. Don’t worry too much about the measurements and precision of it all, just taste, taste, taste–you’ll know it’s done when it starts tasting irresistibly rich and delicious. The final step involves making an infused fennel ginger oil. If you’re planning to drink this broth as a sipper, I highly recommend you go the extra mile. If you’re making this broth as an element to other meals (soups, braises etc.) you can skip that step. Spoiler alert: next week’s recipe is a delicious one and will require homemade chicken broth, so if you’ve got time, make and freeze some of it this week and you'll already be halfway there.