"Chicken stock, to me, is more valuable than gold." - Martin Yan

Using chicken bones and leftovers to make stock is a sustainable approach to reducing food waste. Not only that but chicken stock serves as the foundation for countless recipes, including soups, stews, sauces, risottos, and gravies. Its ability to enhance the flavour of dishes makes it a staple in many cuisines.

There are, of course, lots of quick and easy chicken stock products on the market. Store bought stock require you to keep a pan on the hob for an hour to make it, and can be created by simply boiling a kettle. However, convenience aside, there are a number of drawbacks with the store bought options. Many of the commercial stock cubes have a high sodium count, and where brands have removed salt, they have replaced it with other ingredients that aren’t necessarily healthy either. Many of the premade stocks are also seasoned beforehand, which means you can’t control the seasoning of your food as easily either.

The main drawback between the homemade chicken stock and store bought liquid stock is often the price. You can create several litres of chicken stock from one whole chicken carcass, you can control the seasoning and flavour of the stock, and you can also freeze it in portions to be used when you need it, rather than a clipped back going off in the fridge.

I usually place the stock onto boil, then when it’s simmering at a much lower temperature, place an automatic timer on the hob and get on with other tasks. I ensure there isn’t any danger of boiling over first, and that frees me up to keep busy while the stock percolates happily away.

Song for this recipe:

Money - Pink Floyd

Audiobook for this recipe:

Agent Sonya - Ben McIntyre

Ingredients:

• 1 x chicken carcass with majority of meat removed

• 1 x carrot

• 1 x onion

• 1 tsp x mustard seeds

• 1 x celery (I personally hate celery so don’t add it, but it’s a standard addition to stock usually)

Directions:

• Place the carcass and any loose chicken bones in a casserole dish or large pan with a lid and cover easily with water. Fill to the amount of stock you want to make in litres.

• Peel and very roughly chop the carrots

• Peel and roughly chop the onion

• Add all the vegetables and mustard seeds to the chicken and water

• Bring to the boil, skimming the surface for any scum or fat that settles at the top. Boil with the lid on for around 20 minutes

• Reduce to a simmer and allow on a gentle rolling boil for around an hour. The longer you leave it, the more impactful the flavour, however the greater the electricity or gas cost.

• As the stock is simmering, keep skimming the surface of scum and fat.

• After an hour (or however long you want to leave it). Strain the bones from the stock (make sure you don’t accidently strain the liquid down the sink - I’ve seen this happen!)

• Discard the bones, most people also discard the carrots too, but I like to eat them during the next step

• Place the stock back into the pan and bring to the boil again. Keep simmering with the lid off and reduce the stock for around another 20-30 minutes. Don’t let it reduce too much, you want to find the balance between concentrating the flavour and still keeping plenty to freeze or use in your cooking!

• When you have reached a point where it has reduced (perhaps by as much as a quarter), turn the heat off and allow to cool

• Once cool, divide into separate tupperware’s and freeze, or keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and use when necessary.

Recipes you can use the Chicken Stock in

• Lasagne: Adding in real homemade stock gives the bolognese a real boost.

• Lion’s Head Meatballs: The meatballs are cooked in stock with a little veg. An easy treat.

• Beef Casserole with Dumplings: No good stew can be made without a great stock

• Corn Chowder: Great soups are made with homemade stock - this one in particular is delicious.