I had a chicken back and some bones left from the chicken I cut up for the Ad Hoc Fried Chicken, so of course I gave the cookbook’s chicken stock a try. The recipe calls for many more bones than I had (not to mention chicken feet) so I cut the recipe down by a third.
Like many of the recipes I’ve read in Ad Hoc at Home, the chicken stock recipe is very particular and thorough. Keller is adamant that you want a “clean” stock, so no chicken organs are included, and the rest of the carcass is thoroughly rinsed to ensure no blood will cloud up the stock. There are also relatively few vegetables – just a bit of carrot, onion, and leek.
The recipe instructs you to set the pot half way on the burner, to create a circulation effect that will drive the impurities to one side of the pot, making them easier to remove.
This stock had to be tended to for almost the entire cook time, which was one thing I’ve never done with stock; usually I just bring it to a simmer and leave it alone for hours. The heat was increased slowly to simmer, removing the obvious impurities along the way. Once it was simmering, I dropped in a quart of ice, which drives the fat to the top, making it easier to scoop. Then the stock was brought back to a simmer, continuing with the tedious cleaning along the way. See my impurities bowl below. Bleck.
After another hour of this, the stock had reduced greatly (partly through evaporation, partly through my skimming).
Usually I pour the stock through a mesh strainer, but once again Keller says this is a mistake that will cloud your stock. Instead, you are instructed to ladle the stock gently through both the strainer and cheese cloth. The recipe also makes it clear that you should not squeeze out any liquid from the meat.
Then the stock took a nice cool dip in an ice bath.
The stock still had a slight amount of fat in it, but it was very clear.
I’m not sure if mine was cloudier than is intended, but it was much cleaner than my usual stock. The smell was fantastic.
I was only left with two containers like the one below, so next time I make this, I’m going to be sure to wait until I have enough chicken parts to make this worthwhile. If my roommate is reading this, that’s why we have chicken backbones in the freezer.
I was working from home on Friday, and was extremely busy, so when I wanted to make a quick lunch, I threw together this soup. I didn’t have any thawed chicken on-hand, but what the hell, I made some “chicken” noodle soup. At least it smelled very much like chicken. It actually tasted great too. The stock was so satisfying, and I didn’t have to do much to it. Instant nourishment.
Here’s the quick recipe:
- Sauté for 5 minutes – 1/4 sliced onion with a 1” piece of unpeeled, crushed ginger
- Meanwhile cook noodles
- Add 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp curry powder, 2 cloves garlic confit, mix, cook 1-2 minutes
- Deglaze pan with splash of white wine, cook off all the wine
- Add noodles & stock, remove ginger
- Plate, add pointless garnish for dramatic effect
- Season to taste, I like lots of pepper in my chicken noodle soup
The yellow ring around the soup is the curry, not chicken fat. Not the most visually appealing soup, I know.