Chicken Stock
In the late fall, I harvest the remaining celery and some carrots from my garden to make this delicious stock. I like pressure canning it to leave room in the freezer for other goodies. Homemade chicken stock is by far superior in depth of colour and flavour to the store-bought variety but it does take a little investment in time. This recipe will yield 7 litres of chicken stock which you can pressure can or freeze.
YIELD : 7 litres (quarts)
Equipment
- Pressure canner
- 20 litre stock pot
Ingredients
For the broth:
- 12 litres water
- 2 whole chickens
- 12 garlic cloves
- 4 large parsnips
- 4 large carrots
- 2 bunches celery
- 6 whole onions
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
- 2-4 bay leafs
Instructions
To make the broth:
- Add everything to a 20-litre stock pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer at least 4 hours. Strain out the solids and put the broth back into the pot. (I like to pick out all the chicken and use in a soup or sandwiches.)
- Cool the chicken stock completely and put in the fridge overnight.
To pressure can:
- The next day, skim off the fat and put the pot back on the stove and bring to a full boil. Boil for 5 minutes.
- Fill 7 sterilized jars to within one inch of the top of the mason jar. (The headspace is important. Too little or too much can affect the seal of the jar and/or long-term storage.) Wipe the rims with a cloth dampened with vinegar.
- Add the snap lids that have been in hot water for 1 minute to soften the seals.
- Put the rings on and tighten to just finger tip tightness.
- Put the jars in the pressure canner. My pressure canner allows for all of the 7-litre jars, but refer to the manual for your pressure canner to determine how many you can fit at a time.
- Can at 11 pounds for up to 2000 feet altitude or look up the pressure for your altitude. Can for 25 minutes for 1-litre (quart) jars and for 20 minutes for 500ml (pint) jars.
- Turn the heat off and let the pressure return to zero naturally. (This can take 50 minutes or longer.) Wait an additional 5 minutes and then open the vent. Remove the canner lid. Wait 10 minutes, remove jars and cool and store. (Refer to your pressure canner manual for more information.) If jars have failed to seal, store in the refrigerator and use immediately or transfer the broth to a freezer-safe container and freeze.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!