YumYum Divas YumYum Recipes: Sicillian Chicken Stock, contributed by katg

Contributed by: katg

Additional Credits for Recipe

I was fortunate enough to visit Sicily many years ago and met a woman who made the best chicken stock I’ve ever tasted. She was also nice enough to share her technique… CLICK HERE Discussion

Note from the Diva

I love Soup! I live in Florida and it doesn’t matter how hot it is, I always make Soup. The other day I was craving some Chicken soup and I decided to open a can of that Campbells Select – you know the one advertised on TV where the woman can identify where all the ingredients came from…herbs from Smiths farm, potatoes grown on the east side of a mountain blah, blah, blah! It was just the worst thing I’ve tasted lately and threw it out! (at least the chicken variety!) I have to say though, Progresso makes a decent canned soup! My Mom always made chicken soup using an old hen and boiling it all day…and it was wonderful. However old hens are hard to find these days and I usually use whatever chicken is on sale that week – usually thigh and leg quarters.

List of Ingredients

5 thigh/leg quarters 2 onions 2 stalks celery 1 bay leaf 1 carrot 4 cloves of garlic 3 sprigs of parsley Lots of salt to taste Ground pepper Water to cover

Preparation

Take the chicken legs and pull off as much of the skin and fat that you can…leaving a little. Take a knife or cleaver and give it a quick chop through the bone – once through the thigh and once through the leg, leaving the leg intact (this allows the marrow to come out and flavors and colors the soup) Place the chicken pieces in a stockpot. Wash the onions with the skin on and cut them in half (the onion skins also color the stock). Cut the celery stalks into a couple of pieces, add them to the pot with the bay leaf, carrot (unpeeled), garlic and parsley. Cover with water – about 2” over everything in the pot. (sorry…I’m not a measurer!) Bring it all to a boil and skim off any white foam that comes to the top. Add your Salt and Pepper and lower the heat and just let it simmer for about 2 hours. The smell in the house is incredible! Now you have to strain this…I usually pour it into another pot using a pasta strainer as it doesn’t have to be fine. Discard the onions, celery and carrot and you can salvage some of the chicken to add back into the soup. Some I throw out and the rest I put into a zip-lock bag for a treat to mix with Dog-food for my 2 little Yorkies (they are very happy!) Skim off any unwanted fat and you have such a good broth to make soups and other recipes with!

Cooking Time & Temperature

Simmer 2+ hours

Number of Servings: To make about a quart and a half of good stock…(maybe more…I can’t measure!)

Link to Similar Recipes or Companion Recipe: Kat's Chicken Soup Scotch Broth-A Variation

Cookbook Category
Chicken
Soup-Hot

General Cooking/Prep Method
Saute
Simmer

Recipe Type - Categories
Italian Cuisine

Extra Features of Recipe
Difficulty Level-Moderate
Everyday

Tested & Approved Recipe
Yes!