Roasted Chicken Stock

In August I started a health experiment. My family tree has a few food allergies and intolerances, and I’ve lived with certain symptoms for a few years that I thought were related to other things, but never really thought I might have inherited any of those food issues. But this summer I reached a point where I could no longer ignore the possibility. I’ve been tested for allergies and already knew that wasn’t an issue, but a food intolerance can be sneaky. It can mask itself as other things, many other things, making it difficult to pinpoint a source for symptoms.

So at the beginning of August I went off sugar and gluten; well, anything with flour of any kind. Cold turkey, just cut it all out. The first day wasn’t too bad, though my sweet tooth kept talking to me. By the third day I thought I would die without a bowl of granola for breakfast and some chocolate to snack on, but I stuck to my plan in spite of how grumpy I felt. I kept track of my symptoms, and by the end of two weeks I was feeling much better. After three weeks, my stomach issues had cleared up, my daily headaches were gone, I no longer felt tired all the time, and I had my old happy self back.

As for what I ate, it wasn’t anything special. I made my daily smoothies (either green or fruit) ate chicken and fish, vegetables and herbs from the garden, beans, fruit, rice, quinoa, avocadoes, nuts; all my usual foods, just no flours or sugar. I alternated vegetarian and vegan meals with occasional meat to keep it interesting, which I usually do anyway.

What I did not do: I didn’t run any marathons or go out of my way to change my exercise routine. I walked or did yoga in the mornings for 30 minutes to an hour as often as I was able, or worked in the garden and did housework.

At the end of the first three weeks I had lost 10 of the pounds I had gained during cancer treatment, and the rest has come off this month. I’ve been doing my happy dance every day putting on on clothes that stopped fitting when I had to do all those cancer drugs. That in itself is fantastic, but there’s more. My body is resetting itself. I’m not getting the stress cravings that used to come when I was on a deadline or had a tough day. I don’t feel that need to sit down with a bowl of ice cream or a bag of gummy bears and drown my stress in sugar, or grab pieces of bread for a snack when I’ve missed a meal because I didn’t have time to stop.

You can say this has been a month for celebration!

So what does all that have to do with roasted chicken stock?

For me, it’s about paying attention. Michael will tell you I’m knowledgeable and careful about what I feed my family because it has always been important to me, so I’m not talking about about reading labels. I’m talking about how food makes me feel and what it does to my body. The only way I could have learned I have gluten intolerance and don’t do well with sugar was to eliminate them, and then see what happened if I let any of it creep back into my life. I feel fantastic when I don’t have all the flours and sugar in my diet. I feel the opposite when I let even a little of those things back in, and my body lets me know it in several unpleasant ways.

So I pay even more attention than before. Yes, I can buy gluten-free stock that has very low sodium, and I keep some on hand (Pacific Foods Organic Simply Stock – Chicken Unsalted), but I also like the process of choosing the chicken and each carrot, onion, and stalk of celery that goes in the pan. l adore the smell of it all roasting in the oven and simmering on the stove. And the flavor it adds to my soups and stews? Can’t touch it with anything from the store.

So, yes, there have been a few changes at Casa Meyers; changes that are making life better for me and my family.

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Roasted Chicken Stock

Adapted from Cooking Light.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time3 hrs

Total Time3 hrs 20 mins

Author: Andrea Meyers

Ingredients

• 3 carrots cut into 2-inch-thick pieces
• 3 celery stalks cut into 2-inch-thick pieces
• 2 medium onions peeled and quartered
• 1 whole chicken cut into pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 6 parsley sprigs
• 5 thyme sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 quarts/liters cold water divided

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400° F/200° C.
• Arrange the carrots, celery, and onion in the bottom of a broiler or roasting pan, and top with chicken pieces. Bake in the preheated oven for 1-1/2 hours, turning the chicken once every 30 minutes. The chicken will be crispy and brown.
• Transfer the vegetables and chicken from broiler pan to the stockpot, and add the peppercorns, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves. Carefully discard the drippings from broiler pan, leaving browned bits (fond). Place the broiler pan on a stovetop and add 1 quart/liter of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, scraping the bottom to loosen the browned bits.
• Pour the contents of broiler pan into the stockpot. Add the remaining 3 quarts/liters of water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer for 1-1/2 hours. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a large bowl. Reserve the chicken meat for another use, and discard the remaining solids. Cover and chill the stock for 8 hours. Skim the solidified fat from surface of broth, and discard.

Notes

Equipment:

large roasting pan
8-quart stock pot with lid
fine mesh sieve
large bowl

Recipe Notes:

I modified the ingredients to fit with I keep on hand in the kitchen: omitted fennel and used extra celery and onions.

I freeze this stock in quart containers and use it in soups and stews. Frozen stock will keep for several months.

Recipes that Work Well with Roasted Chicken Stock

More Recipes for Stock From Other Blogs

• Simply Recipes – How to Make Beef Stock
• Everyday Maven – How to Make Shrimp Stock
• Food52 – How to Make Parmesan Broth + 6 Ways to Use It
• Oh My Veggies – How to Make Vegetable Broth (with kitchen scraps!)

[Disclosure: I am a member of the Cooking Light Bloggers’ Connection.]