Homemade Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

I make chicken stock usually every couple of weeks.  I have turned to making it in the slow cooker because I can toss everything in and not have to "babysit" it.  What I like doing is allowing it to cook overnight while I sleep, but this can be done throughout the course of the daytime while you go about your daily tasks or head off to work, too.

There's a few things you should consider when making homemade stock or broth.  First, you can use either a leftover chicken carcass (from a roasted or rotisserie chicken) or you can use raw chicken (whole or in pieces).  Depending on what you use, there will be subtle differences in the depth, flavor and color of your broth/stock.  But, either yields a delicious liquid that will result in a better quality product that store-bought.  If using raw chicken, I recommend buying inexpensive cuts when they are on sale.  Wings, thighs and legs work great.  Save the breasts for your favorite chicken recipes.

There are some who have clear (yet often differing) opinions and definitions of the differences between stock and broth.  The differences can encompass distinct variables such as whether you use the bones/carcass from already-cooked meat or whether you start from raw meat, for example.  The Cooking Geek offers some insight into the differences between stock and broth.  Call it what you'd like, but making your own at home is simple, economical and darn tasty!

I recommend not salting your stock during the cooking process since you never usually know what you'll be using it for in the future.  Salt later when utilizing the stock in a recipe.  If you do choose to salt the stock, do so sparingly.  Also, unless you have whole peppercorns on hand, I do not recommend adding ground black pepper during the cooking process.  Doing so can discolor your liquid.  Add later.

If I make or buy a whole rotisserie/roasted chicken, I throw what remains of the carcass into the freezer in a zip-top plastic bag for making stock at a later time.

Chipotle Chicken and Corn Chowder

I've been away from the blog for a few days.  We've had a chaotic week here in my house. My grandfather passed away this past week.  And, we've been battling yucky sickness in our household since last weekend. 

On a brighter note, my little nephew was born two days ago.  My sister went into sudden, quick labor in the middle of the night.  911 had to be called and she gave birth in a grocery store parking lot in the back of an ambulance just ninety minutes or so after her water broke.  Isn't that quite a story to tell her newborn son when he's older!  My sister is doing great and little baby Carter couldn't be cuter!

Not a lot of home cookin' has been happening in my kitchen in recent days.  So, I was happy to get back to work on a new recipe and blog post.

My dear friend, Carrie, shared this recipe with me and told me that I just had to try this chowder.  It is loaded with so many ingredients that I love (and usually keep on hand), so I was super thrilled to give it a whirl.  I completely trust her culinary opinion, so I had a feeling that I was in for a real treat!  I was not disappointed.  With temperatures hovering around zero (and below) here in Michigan all week, this soup was a welcome addition to my menu today.

The recipe comes from Brown Eyed Baker.  Yields 5 - 7 servings.

Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Over Pasta

 

It was Sunday.

It was cold and rainy.

I was thinking soup for dinner.

Then, I came across this recipe on Little B Cooks' blog.  What a fun blog to browse!  Her recipe for Sun-dried Tomato Chicken was my inspiration for dinner. 

I made a few changes to the original recipe.  And, I served my chicken and sauce over pasta.

As a person who blogs about food and recipes, there are times when I try something new and then, later wish I had done the recipe a different way.  This dish was one of those instances.  Both my hubby and I agreed that using this exact sauce recipe with homemade meatballs would be killer!  The chicken was good, but this sauce is somewhat similar to say, a Swedish meatball sauce ... just infused a bit with the flavor of the sun-dried tomatoes.  So, I plan to try it with meatballs soon!

And, by the way ... if you think you don't or won't like sun-dried tomatoes, I urge you to try it in this recipe.  The flavor combinations are lovely and I know I will be making this sauce again many times in the future!

Homemade Chicken Stock

 

It is so simple and gratifying to make homemade stock in your own kitchen and it is much tastier than a lot of the boxed varieties from the store. Another bonus is the satisfaction of making it yourself and the amazing, comforting aromas that will fill your kitchen on any given day that you to decide to make homemade stock.

 

NOTE:  Yes, there are professional opinions on what constitutes stock versus broth.  Whether I start from an already-cooked chicken or from raw, I've always just used the term stock.  Also, there are ideas out there that stock does not traditionally include salt or seasoning ... and that broth does.  (Stock is considered a base for making broth, I've read.)  You can choose not to salt or season this "stock" (and season later when using in a recipe to create a "broth").  This is simply my method and recipe.

Most of the time, I begin with what's left behind from a store-bought rotisserie or home-roasted whole chicken. But, it can be done with uncooked chicken pieces on the bone and with the skin on. If you're starting with uncooked pieces of chicken or a whole uncooked chicken, you can pick off the cooked chicken for another use when stock is completed.