1 roasted (rotisserie) chicken, meat picked off carcass (to use for soup of course!)
4 cups chicken broth
6 cups water
2-3 stalks of celery, washed and cut into large pieces
2-3 carrots, washed and cut into large pieces
1 medium onion, cut into large pieces
6-8 garlic cloves, cut into large pieces
2-3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp each of dried thyme, lemon pepper, and rosemary
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp whole peppercorns
Bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
In a large stockpot, add the chicken carcass, broth and water. The liquid should just be enough to cover the carcass so add more water as needed. Turn the heat to medium high.
Add the celery, carrot, onion, garlic, bay leaves, all the spices, peppercorns and fresh parsley to the pot.
Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce the heat to keep the stock at a good simmer for about 1 hour.
Taste test the stock and add any seasonings you think it might still need. Sometimes I’ll even add some chicken base if I think it needs a little more flavor.
Using a slotted spoon, start to remove all the vegetables and chicken bones from the stock. Using a fine strainer, pour stock into large bowl to remove all small pieces so you’re just left with hearty, delicious broth.
Use in your favorite soups and I promise you won’t be disappointed.
I know, I know - this is not how you would make traditional chicken stock. This is however my short cut version. I tried boiling a whole raw chicken one time and quickly decided that pulling out the innards was not my favorite thing. Instead, I picked up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store and decided to boil the bones of an already cooked chicken and it turned out great! I also try to use fresh herbs when I can, but dried herbs work just fine. Once it's spring time and I plant my herb garden, my recipes are so much more appealing to the eye with all the fresh herbs.
This recipe is usually what I try to use in most of my soup recipes. It's so hearty and I could just sip it up all on its own! What other short cuts do you use when cooking?
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