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Chicken Stock (3.5 litres)
Dutch version of this recipe

Commercial chicken stock is often a rather pale liquid. The taste is salty and artificial. Just try making this chicken stock and taste how a simple chicken broth should REALLY taste. To begin with: chicken stock is made with a soup chicken which weighs about 3 kilogram [6.6 lbs], NOT with the miserable little chickpieces that are sold in some supermarkets under the name of "soup chicken". 
There are some links in the recipe to the tips & tricks of broth making. There you can find descriptions of how to strain, reduce, cool and keep your broth. Because that is the same for all broths and stocks, this information is gathered on one page. On that page you can also find links to other recipes for stocks and soups.

half a soup chicken (boiling hen) (1.5 kilogram)
500 gram (5 1/2 cup) leeks
500 gram (4 cups) carrots
250 gram (1 1/2 cup) onions with skin
3 stalks of stem celery
1 sprig of thyme
good measure of white pepper, freshly ground
few small pieces of mace
2 bay leaves
4 to 5 litres (4 to 5 quarts or 1 to 1 1/4 gallon) cold water

A soup chicken has a lot of fat. To get rid of that, roast the chicken in a hot oven (220EC/425EF) until it is browned. The fat will have molten, which makes degreasing the finished stock later a lot less work. This chicken fat is called schmalz in the Jewish cuisine, it can be used in preparing fried dishes. If you want to keep the fat, strain it and keep it in a closed jar in the refrigerator.
Prepare the vegetables: wash, clean and chop them. The dried onion skins are also washed and added to the stock, they'll give a lovely colour to it.

Transfer the chicken to the soup pan. Add all vegetables, herbs and spices, and the water. Bring to the boil, skim the surface if necessary. Now lower the fire, cover the pan with a lid, and let it simmer for at least eight hours. Your whole house will be permeated with the divine smell of well made stock.

Strain the stock, and reduce to three-and-a-half litres, then let it cool quickly. Now you can freeze what you don't need immediately. 
Do not forget to label your frozen stock, in the freezer all stocks look alike.

All text and pictures of dishes are the intellectual property of Coquinaria and may not be reproduced without permission and acknowledgement.