You butchered a chicken (see page 144)? Right on! Take that carcass and spin it into a fantastic broth for your homemade soups. The most important thing I want you to remember is that a chicken broth should come to a boil only long enough to remove the impurities from the top. Allowing it to boil longer results in a potentially grainy (from bone fragments) and cloudy broth, which is unpleasant in both look and taste. (And in my world, unprofessional!)
MAKES ABOUT 10 CUPS [2.4 L]
1 chicken carcass
2 chicken wings
Leftover chicken fat from butchering
1 large carrot, peeled, roughly cut into large coins
4 stalks celery, roughly chopped, leaves and end pieces discarded
1 large white onion, ends trimmed, peeled, and quartered
3 large garlic cloves, peeled
45 whole black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1 fresh bay leaf
1 large sprig fresh thyme
In a large stockpot, add the chicken carcass, wings, chicken fat, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaf, and thyme. Add 12 cups [2.8 L] of water and set it over very high heat to come to a boil.
As the broth starts to warm, you’ll notice the top of it takes on a bluish, hazy tint. Once it comes to a boil, use a ladle and scoop out all the fat and impurities that float to the top (the scum!). That scum is actually the blood of the chicken coagulating and cooking. If you have a dog, add a bit of the scum to their dry dog food and they will love it. (Big love is for pets, too.) Otherwise, get rid of it. Boil the broth only long enough to remove the fat and scum at the top, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour.
Set a fine-mesh sieve over a large heat-proof bowl and strain the broth. Discard the solids that collect at the bottom. Your broth should be clear—a clear broth is a tasty broth.
Transfer to a heat-proof container and refrigerate. Once cool, you can freeze for up to 3 months in any size container you like (including ice cube trays, for times when you may need only a small portion of broth for a recipe).