Chicken Stock

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With everything getting so high in price at the grocery store I thought I'd make this stock after watching Alton make it on Good Eats(love that show. I made it just like he did and froze it in muffin tins and then put them in bags(great idea.
My husband and I had a hankering for some chicken noodle soup so I was excited too use my new stock. All I can say is WOW!!!! What a difference the stock makes. It was fabulous. Best soup I've ever made because of the stock. I'll NEVER buy it from the store again. It may take a while to make but it is well worth it.

God Bless

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it's unfortunate i didn't catch fritz1113's review before i attempted making this stock today. i guess the 5 stars at the top of the page were enough to win me over, and hey—it's Alton Brown. his culinary tips are usually flawless, but for the first time ever, i've encountered disappointment with the Good Eats genius. :(
followed the recipe to a T, and was excited to end up with so much chicken broth. i even attempted my first consommé with some of the stock, and was floored at how bland it was. it made me realize that the 2 gallons of water is TOO much for this recipe. my mistake was not tasting the resulting stock. again, i trusted my cooking hero. but i'm thankful for the lesson learned. always taste! and always read reviews.
i feel bad to rate it a 1 star because it's not that bad, but i think it's important for the average 5 star count to come down. people should be aware of the water problem. i'm hoping i can still fix this chicken stock tomorrow... i still love you, Alton!

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Michael Ruhlman, in his book Ratio, recommends a ratio of 3:2 water to bones for stock making. One gallon of water weighs 8.3 lbs. thus for each gallon of H20 you would need 5.5 lbs. of bones. This ratio is consistent with the one recommend by the CIA. This ratio probably seems extreme to most home cooks; it certainly was developed from the point of view of the professional kitchen with an ample supply of bones to throw in the pot.
For the mirepox he calls for a 5:1 ratio of water:vegetables (and mirepox is normally 2:1:1 onions:carrots:celery so this means 1.6 lbs of mirepox for each gallon of water. The CIA ratio for mirepox is a little lighter than Ruhlman's, calling for about half the amount.

He also notes that the finished volume of stock starting with 1 gallon of water would be 0.8 gallons.

AB's Recipe is about 4:1 water to bones ratio. (2 gal =16.6lbs to 4 lbs bones Ive made and it is very WEAK.

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I love this recipe, but like most of the other happy posters, I have altered it a bit. I likely use 1/2 gallon to 4 lbs of chicken, give or take a little.

I start by first simmering the chicken, which usually includes at least some thighs and / or legs with meat, alone for a couple hours. I take the chicken with meat out and cool, remove the meat for use somewhere else or more likely as an offering to the cats which are at this point psychotic because the entire house smells like chicken.

I add back the bones, then the veggies and herbs, simmer a whole lot more. I strain and let it cool, then either put 2 cups per bag for chicken noodle soup starter (yum or reduce down by half and fill a silicone mini brownie mold and freeze. The little stock cubes pop right out of that mold and are the perfect size.

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This is a solid recipe. I personally use the cooking process more than the actual recipe. I used about 7 lbs of chicken. Approximately the same amount of water. Onions instead of leaks, celery seed, lots of garlic cloves, a parsnip, a few bay leaves, a teaspoon or two of salt depending on my taste preference as it goes. Can always add a little more water if I get it too salty but I'm pretty good at judging. I'll say to everyone who finds it bland to just add some salt. It really adds what you find it to be missing I believe. I'm making matzo ball soup for Rosh Hashana and will use the skimmed fat for the matzo balls. Remember that all recipes should be tweaked to your own preferences in my opinion.

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As written, it turns out great. Rich flavor and perfect jello-like consistency when chilled. Within minutes the house smells amazing. I have modified mine slightly by first roasting the bones at 375F for 45 minutes, then adding a cup of white wine, two sprigs of fresh rosemary and roughly a tablespoon of herbes de provence, mostly for the lavender, to the above recipe. I find the flavor to be a little richer and more complex, and great for soup.

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This stock smells so marvelous! I was going to use it right away to make chicken soup because I have a cold, but I think I'm going to let it sit in the fridge like the recipe calls for. I halved the recipe because I just didn't want that much stock. I didn't have a chicken carcass, so instead I used six fillet thighs. More expensive, I know, but it is what I had on hand. The only change I made to the herbs and spices was just a scant sprinkle of ground sage. And, I did add a couple of grinds of sea salt. I've never used the method of holding down everything with a steamer basket. I used a heavy sieve instead, but it was brilliant.

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Well, this recipe fell a bit flat. You need more chicken and less water than what is listed. Also, this needs salt!!! Otherwise, a good stock recipe.

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I have used this stock multiple times for several dishes and it's just plain excellent!!!

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I agree with most of this except the amount of water (I would use one gallon and add hot water as needed, a good amount of saffron but no thyme, bay leaf or garlic, but I do add at the very least, 4 parsnips. I do not peel the carrots or parsnips rather wash and brush them clean. I use the brown skin cooking onions, cut off the stems and wash them but leave the all the brown skins on for coloring.... I always use the backs (not the necks but I also use a big package of wings and a few feet if I can find them (nails/claws removed. The next day, when I pull the stock out of the fridge, it is thicker than jello.... then I know I did it right!