How To: Make Homemade Chicken Broth

North Carolina Weather ya'll, I swear! Today the high is supposed to be in the high 60's. Earlier this week...and yesterday we had the heat blasting and fire place rolling to keep the arctic temperatures from chilling our home. Mother Nature just loves to keep us on our toes that's for sure!

Whether the weather in your neck of the woods is chilly or on the warmer side, give this How To recipe a try to keep in your fridge or freezer for whenever you need some brothy flavor to boost your meal. We make this once every week or two and keep it storing in the freezer until needed. It is so simple to break out a jar of this and dump it into soups, rices, casseroles, sauces or whatever else you may need it for. Since it is pre-measured in 1, 2 or 3 cup containers you can simply dump what you need based on which jar you grab.

I promise, you'll notice a huge difference in your dishes. The broth is so much richer and more flavorful than the stuff in the box or can. Oh, and not only is this delicious, this is the most simple recipe you will ever encounter, all you need is time! Let the broth concentrate for many many hours and then chill in the fridge to remove the extra skin on the top. Minimal work is needed just a prep on some veggies and the rest is in the boil!

Try this recipe out, friends!

Homemade chicken broth is such a wonderful alternative to store bought for so many reasons. To list a few...

• It will save you money! Homemade chicken broth is made with a carcass of a chicken that we have already purchased for another meal. I did not buy the chicken just to make the broth, I simply used an ingredient that was already paid for! Also, the added ingredients to add additional flavor to the broth are so minimal and should be staples in your home you already have on hand.
• The quantity is so much larger than a container you would buy at the grocery. Typically, my batch of chicken broth (made from 1 small chicken carcass) yields 10-12 cups of chicken broth. One carton from the store is roughly 3 or 4 dollars and only yielding 4 cups. The price of the additional ingredients is much less than 3 dollars and doubles, almost triples the quantity.
• So easy! Homemade chicken broth is a cinch to pull together. Throw some ingredients into a pot of water and you let it boil and simmer all day and there you have it! Delicious chicken broth whenever you want it!
• Easy and convenient to store. We store our chicken broth in mason jar containers. We found two cup portion mason jars and stash them in the freezer until we need them. That way, we can take one out to defrost or pop the lid off and defrost it in the microwave in a moments notice. If you go through chicken broth quickly, you can store it in the fridge for about a week. Otherwise, keep it frozen until you need it. I do recommenced storing it in 1-3 cup portions. That way, when you defrost one container you will typically use most, if not all of the rationed container. If some is left store it in the fridge and use it up that week in other dishes. 
• You can control the ingredients that go into it. Below is a picture I took of a carton of beef broth's ingredient list (we didn't have any chicken broth since we haven't been buying for a while, but you get my drift). I promise you my homemade broth doesn't have monosodium glutamate, dextrose, caramel color, autolyzed yeast extract and whatever the hell the rest of those things are. My ingredients are fresh and exactly what I chose to put in there. Also,  I did not add excessive amounts of salt, simply 1/4 of a teaspoon went into the recipe. This was to simply bring the flavoring out of the veggies. You could even add NO salt and flavor it as you go with the dish you are preparing. There is no need to have the excess amounts of salt that these pre-made stocks have.

Cat creeper ^

So, hopefully those bullets are reason enough to convince you to make your own broth from now on! I promise, it is so, so simple to make and so, so worth it!

Check it out!

Homemade Chicken Broth
yields 10-12 cups worth of broth
print the recipe here

1 chicken carcass (We purchase a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store about once a week for a quick
dinner. Eat the chicken for one meal and save the carcass to make broth with. Make sure to keep all of the bones and skin to help get the most flavor into the broth.)
12-14 cups of water
1 small lemon
5-6 sprigs of thyme
3 carrots, each cut into 4-5 big chunks
4 celery stalks, each cut into 4-5 big chunks
1 onion, cut into chunks or quartered
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 t. pepper corns
3 bay leaves
1/4 t. salt

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a big soup pot and bring to a boil. Feel free to add/remove ingredients based on your taste buds. We had thyme on hand that needed to be used, but if you don't have it, skip it!
2. Let the stock boil for a good 45 minutes to an hour.
3. Turn the broth off or keep it on very low heat to keep it warm and let it sit for many hours. At least 2, but up to all day. Remember, the longer you let it sit the more concentrated the chicken flavor will be.
4. Once the broth has rested, strain all of the vegetables and remains of the chicken through a colander over a big bowl. You can discard all of the vegetable remains.
4. Now that you have separated the broth from the ingredients, let the broth chill for a few hours or overnight. The reason for this is because there is a layer of fat that will form on the broth that is ideal to remove. Once the broth is chilled remove as much of the layer of fat/skin that has formed over the broth as you can using a spoon.
5. Ladle the remaining broth into your selected air tight storing containers. Don't forget to label the quantity and if you are storing in the freezer make sure to date them!
6. Store in the freezer for long term use, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
7. Enjoy your broth in countless recipes! Oh and don't forget to enjoy the extra change in your wallet...if you use broth as fast as we do, it will add up quick!!

Are there any recipes/ideas you would like to see on the How To segment of LiveLaughLove?

Have a fabulous weekend, friends! Oh, and stay tuned for my fabulous apple cheesecake tart recipe I have for you next week. Seriously, to die for!