I have always loved how the Indians or Ol' School folks always utilized every part of the animal i.e. they didn't waste a thing. The animal wasn't just killed for their meat, their fur used for garments, blankets, and warmth; their bones used for weapons, jewelry, and a wide array of other purposes I'm sure like making STOCK OR BROTH.
Let's brace ourselves because winter is coming. There is no avoiding it here in the Midwest, the winter doesn't play around round' here lol! One of the few things I do really enjoy about the winter is a good soup. Which generally involves some sort of broth or cream of something or other! How great would it be to not have spend extra bucks on broth or know what ingredients are all in your soup??! It'd be grrreat, I know right! Truly it doesn't get much simpler than making your own broth, which is talking my language EASY,CHEAP, and MINIMAL EFFORT are my bag so to say :) Moving on to the recipe I used which produced at least 2 quarts worth of freezable broth and that's probably quite the underestimate, IT WAS A BUNCH lol!Granted I had a large bird somewhere around 6lbs so yeah....
Most recipes I scrolled through called for carrots and celery which were for added flavor and disposed of afterwards. I don't like to waste and didn't have those items in my fridge so I winged it and it turned out like broth lol. I used two sliced lemons, pepper black and red, a large onion, a few sprigs of fresh dried tarragon, garlic powder, a dash of Italian seasoning, and little salt. You could really use what ever kind of seasonings you prefer, that was just my combo and what I had handy.
Place your bird in a large stock pot with flavoring ingredients to your taste preference, traditionally this is w/ carrots, celery, and onion,salt and pepper, but I'm not a traditional orthodox gal lol! I like to try different things and I love lemon pepper chicken so I thought why not make a lemony peppery chicken broth and my lemons were on the verge of badness so I figured I better use them puppies for something stat lol! Simply pour enough water over the chicken to completely cover it and a little extra just to be safe the bird has a nice full bath and bring it a boil. Once it comes to a nice boil, lower the temp to simmer or lowish and cook for another hour and a half to 2hrs on low. When the leg feels like it is about to fall off or tear away from the bird with minimal resistance, it is done or to be safe you can pull out the thermometer and go the legit route lol! Let the chicken rest a while after it is done before pulling it out and shredding the meat from the bones to let the juices redistribute and because it is hot as heck and you will likely burn yourself, don't do what I did being overly eager about the broth or situation LOL! Once cooled strain out the large chunks of onion or whatever you choose to add and WHALA, you have broth. You could take this further and make stock by re-adding the bones to the liquid and really get some intense flavor. I didn't do this yet, because it was my first time making broth and my fiance got home and we were starving, but next time I'll give it a whirl and compare flavors then. As for now, hope you enjoyed my simple, vague broth making blog and cut costs and improve flavor for your next bowl of soup. Cheers and think outside the box or can! :)
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