Chicken Stock
(courtesy Natalie Sellers, 4th St. Bistro, Reno)
1 whole organic chicken and/or organic chicken backs and necks
Cold water to cover
Mirepoix – 2 peeled carrots, 2 celery stalks cut in 2-inch chunks, and 2 large peeled and quartered yellow onions
1 tablespoon kosher salt
A few sprigs thyme
Parsley stems
2 bay leaves
6 whole black Tellicherry peppercorns
Remove giblets from chicken, if included. Rinse chicken with cold water. Place chicken in a deep (8- to 10-quart) stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer over high heat and skim the foam. Stir the chicken under the water and skim again. Reduce the heat and skim again. Add the mirepoix, salt, thyme, parsley stems, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Bring back to a simmer and adjust the heat to maintain a bare simmer. Do not boil! It will make the stock cloudy. Simmer for about 4 hours or until you have a nice chickeny flavor. Turn off heat and allow to rest a few minutes. Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer. Discard vegetables, carcass, and herbs. You may save cooked bird for another use, although it is fairly spent after giving its all to stock. Cool stock in ice bath, then cover tightly and refrigerate. Fat will rise to top and solidify. Remove cap of fat just before you use stock. This stock will keep for about five days, refrigerated. You may want to divide it into several smaller containers and freeze for future use.
