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Chicken Stock
Total 1 day and 6 hours (includes resting time)
Active 45 mins
Makes Six 16-ounce jars
I find myself using chicken stock in my cooking almost every day. I use a jar of stock to make rice and pasta dishes, and to make soups and stews. It is a quick and simple way to elevate the flavor of a dish. The best way to do this is to make a big pot of stock, process it in a pressure canner, and stock your pantry with the jars. It is fun to make this recipe on a cold day when you are getting things done around the house, since the stock simmers on the stove for a long time.
TIP: Evaporation is part of the process of making a flavorful broth. The longer the liquid takes to evaporate, the stronger the flavor of the stock. It is important to simmer the stock rather than trying to hurry the process by boiling. The finished product should be a rich golden color that is fragrant and full of flavor.
Special Equipment
Six 16-ounce canning jars with bands and new lids, canning pot and rack, pressure canner and rack, jar lifter, canning funnel, lid wand
Special Equipment
Six 16-ounce canning jars with bands and new lids, canning pot and rack, pressure canner and rack, jar lifter, canning funnel, lid wand
Ingredients
Directions
- Prepare the stock: Put the chicken in a large stockpot and pour in 3 gallons of water. Add the whole carrots and celery stalks with the onions and garlic followed by the parsley, thyme, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Turn down the heat to a low simmer, and skim any foam off the top of broth with a large metal spoon. Add the vinegar to the stock. Continue to simmer for 4 to 5 hours, tasting the broth at different points in the process. Salt to taste at the end of simmering.
- Prepare the jars: Wash six 16-ounce canning jars with bands and new lids in hot, soapy water, then rinse well. Place the rack in the canning pot and begin filling the pot with warm tap water; while doing so, fill each of the jars with water and place them in the pot. Add enough water to the pot so the jars are covered by 2 inches. Add the bands and lids to help ensure a good seal. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Keep the pot covered until ready to fill the jars.
- Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve or several layers of cheesecloth. Cool the strained stock to room temperature. Use a ladle to remove the layer of fat that has floated to the top of the stock, pouring it through a gravy separator. It is important to remove all of the fat from the stock before canning. Pour the strained stock into a clean pot and bring to a simmer.
- Prepare the canner: Place the rack inside the pressure canner and fill the bottom with 2 to 3 inches of warm water and place the rack inside. Rub olive oil around the beveled edge of the rim to help ensure the pressure canner will be tightly sealed.
- Fill the jars: It is important to handle the jars carefully and to work with one at a time, keeping the pot covered. Both the jar and the product should be hot. Lay a clean kitchen cloth down on the flat surface where you will be packing the jars. Use a jar lifter to pull the first jar and pour out the water into the pot. Insert a canning funnel into the jar mouth. Ladle the stock into the jar, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean, wet cloth to ensure that nothing will interfere with the seal. Using a lid wand, lift a hot lid and band out of the water bath. Place the lid on the jar. Screw the band over the lid and tighten it until you meet with some resistance. Do not overtighten. Lift the full, closed jar into the pressure canner using the jar lifter. Repeat to fill the remaining jars.
- Process the jars: Pressure canners vary and it is important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions specific to your equipment and specific to the altitude at which you are cooking. The directions here are for a manual pressure canner.
- Close and tighten the clamps around the lid to securely fasten. Turn the heat to high until you observe steam coming out consistently from the vent pipe for 10 minutes. Then set the pressure regulator weight for cooking at 10 PSI. Always take a moment to pay attention to the processing time and weight setting specific to the recipe you are following. Adjust the temperature until the weight only rattles between one and four times per minute. Set a timer to process the jars for 20 minutes. It is essential to process the jars for the full time.
- At the end of the processing time, turn off the heat. Let the canner cool until the pressure gauge drops to zero, then remove the pressure regulator weight with an oven mitt. Wait 2 more minutes before carefully opening the clamps and removing the lid of the pressure cooker, tilting it away from yourself to avoid the hot steam. Use the jar lifter to remove the jars to a cooling rack or a flat surface lined with a kitchen cloth, leaving a little space between the jars.
- Let sit undisturbed for 24 hours. You’ll know the lids are properly sealed by the popping noise they make; this may happen right away or much later. Also, the dimple on the top of the lid should be flat and the lid concave. Write the date on the jar lid and keep in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Any jars that are not properly sealed can be refrigerated and used within 1 month.
- Properly handled sterilized equipment will keep canned foods in good condition for one year. Making sure hands, equipment and surfaces in your canning area are clean is the first step in canning. Tips: Jars should be made from glass and free of any chips or cracks. Preserving or canning jars are topped with glass, plastic or metal lids that have a rubberlike seal. Two-piece metal lids are most common. To prepare jars before filling: Wash jars with hot, soapy water, rinse them well and arrange them open-side up, without touching, on a tray. To sterilize jars, boil them in a large saucepan, covered with water, for 10 minutes. Jars have to be sterilized only if the food to be preserved will be processed for less than 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath or pressure canner. To sterilize jars, boil them in a large saucepan, covered with water, for 10 minutes. Follow manufacturer's instructions for cleaning and preparing lids and bands. Use tongs or jar lifters to remove hot sterilized jars from the boiling water. Be sure the tongs are sterilized too: Dip the tong ends in boiling water for a few minutes before using them. All items used in the process of making jams, jellies, preserves and pickles must be clean, including any towels and especially your hands. After the jars are prepared, you can preserve the food. It is important to follow any canning and processing instructions included in the recipe and refer to USDA guidelines about the sterilization of canned products. Find Information information on canning can be found at the National Center for Home Food Preservation website: http://nchfp.uga.edu/.
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