Chicken Broth

You can substitute a 3-pound chicken cut into pieces for this recipe. When you remove the meat from the bones, save the dark meat for use in a casserole and the white meat for chicken salad. (Return the chicken breast to the strained broth and let it cool overnight in the refrigerator before you chop it for the salad; the chicken breast will be more moist and succulent if you do.)

Yield: About 4 cups

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces
• 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
• 2 large carrots, scrubbed
• 2 stalks of celery
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 ½ cups water

1. Add the chicken pieces and onion to the slow cooker.
2. Slice the carrot and cut the celery into pieces that will fit in the slow cooker and add them. Add the salt, pepper, and water. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. (Cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken pieces.) Allow to cool to room temperature.
3. Strain, discarding the cooked vegetables. Remove any meat from the chicken bones and save for another use. Refrigerate the (cooled) broth overnight. Remove and discard the hardened fat. The resulting concentrated broth can be kept for 1 or 2 days in the refrigerator or frozen for up to 3 months.

Schmaltz

The chicken fat that will rise to the top of the broth and harden overnight in the refrigerator is known as schmaltz. You can save that fat and use it instead of butter for sautéing vegetables.