Keep your chicken carcasses!

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  • cblwolf
    cblwolf Posts: 5
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    Steal away!! Every once in a while, I have moments of genius. They are few and far between, though. :laugh:

    I work a few hours each week at a specialty food market and am always surprised at how much boxed chicken stock we sell...
  • WillLift4Tats
    WillLift4Tats Posts: 1,699 Member
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    Bump
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
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    Bump

    Hey, a castbuddy! What did you do?

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  • snowmanluv
    snowmanluv Posts: 200 Member
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    I've too have done this for years. You might add 1 tbl of vinegar (apple cider) to it too. Helps to bring out the calcium.

    Agree I toss the chicken leftover bones (usually from roasted chicken), onion, carrot, celery into crockpot for 10-12 hours. Drain.
    Use the broth for soups, cooking, etc. So, good too. In the day, I use it to make chicken and dumplings for the family. Taste better than any restaurant or store bought broth.
  • snowmanluv
    snowmanluv Posts: 200 Member
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    Best soups ever start with the bones. You don't eat them just cook with them then toss. There's a book out there called Stone Soup...added everything to it including bones.
  • Gidzmo
    Gidzmo Posts: 904 Member
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    If you have leftovers from a chicken, make broth.

    1 chicken carcass
    1 package Lipton onion soup/dip mix

    Cover the chicken remains with water in a big pot and add the soup packet. Simmer for an hour. Dump everything out into a strainer over a really big bowl. Put the bowl in the fridge until the fat hardens at the top of the broth and skim that off. Now add salt if you want.

    I portion mine into 4-oz tupperware and freeze them. I used the broth to cook all my grains and it's way better than water! This broth is the almost fat-free kind because you skim that off the top.

    We do this with the turkey carcass every Thanksgiving (without the soup packet). The broth and bits make a very good turkey-and-rice (leftover turkey for sandwiches).

    Has anyone tried freezing the broth?
  • ShandaLeaS
    ShandaLeaS Posts: 136 Member
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    I do mine with the bones, celery, onion, carrots and seasonings in the crockpot for about 18 hours on low, strain and cool and then freeze. I also do the freezer bag for leftover veggies that aren't going to be used before they go bad. I put all kinds of veggies in the bag and then dump the bag in the crockpot, add whatever broth and meat and easy peasy soup!
  • Momm22boys
    Momm22boys Posts: 48
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    I put the chicken carcass with celery ends and leaves, onion, and carrot ends in the crock pot for the whole day. Then I strain, refrigerate, and scrape the fat off the top. I use it for my gumbo, jambalaya, and soups.
  • gonnamakeanewaccount
    gonnamakeanewaccount Posts: 642 Member
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    Oh my goodness, I can't imagine how people stand this. Simmering bones tastes so nasty to me. I can't even stand the taste of chicken after it's been sitting on the bone for a day, and turkey is much worse - it tastes horrible if it's been sitting on the bone for even a few hours.

    What do you eat on Thanksgiving then?
  • rebbylicious
    rebbylicious Posts: 621 Member
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    I use 1 tbsp white wine vinegar or 1 tbsp Cognac.. literally takes the whole pot to a new level :) mmmm
  • sugarkane1234
    sugarkane1234 Posts: 51 Member
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    I keep a quart-sized Ziploc bag in the freezer and put cleaned veggie "discards" in it: onion skins, the end of the onion (I don't usually keep the root end, since it can be somewhat dirty), bottoms and small middle part of celery, carrot peels or thoroughly cleaned tops, garlic tops (I usually grate my garlic, so there is generally a small piece leftover), Portobello mushroom stems, etc.

    I call them my Stock Bits. Whenever I have a chicken carcass, I have veggies ready to flavor the stock!

    AMAZING!! Such an awesome idea :D I'm stealing it!

    I can't believe I never thought of this! I love it!
  • karensdream
    karensdream Posts: 135 Member
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    I keep a quart-sized Ziploc bag in the freezer and put cleaned veggie "discards" in it: onion skins (which impart a lovely hue to the stock), the end of the onion (I don't usually keep the root end, since it can be somewhat dirty), bottoms and small middle part of celery, carrot peels or thoroughly cleaned tops, garlic tops (I usually grate my garlic, so there is generally a small piece leftover), Portobello mushroom stems, etc.

    I call them my Stock Bits. Whenever I have a chicken carcass, I have veggies ready to flavor the stock!
    I do this as well. I also keep the top leafs off celery when I clean it, and carrot peels. Makes a great stock. I freeze in 4 oz baggies and also make it in ice cube trays.
  • KrazyAsianNic
    KrazyAsianNic Posts: 1,227 Member
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    I always save my carcass for soup. Normally I make the stock by boiling the carcass, onion, celery, and carrots together.
  • buzzcockgirl
    buzzcockgirl Posts: 260 Member
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    I use every bit of a whole roast chicken! Whenever Safeway has them for $5 on Fridays, I buy 2. We eat for dinner, lunch, etc. When I've got all the GOOD parts off (for dinner, sandwiches) I pick every last little bit of meat off that I can and throw in a large ziploc in the freezer. These chicken bits are what I use when I make a white chicken chili, or enchiladas or something where the chicken doesn't have to look 'good'. Then I take the carcass and any little bits that are still on it and boil it with all the veggies (carrot, celery, onion, bell pepper). I never add salt or pepper or anything, maybe some garlic or a bay leaf.
    Once it's done simmering (I am impatient- couldn't let it go for hours and hours-- maybe just one hour!) I pour it into mason jars (or old spaghetti sauce jars) and let it cool (keep it about 3/4'' inch from top)... and freeze it!
    When I'm making soup, chili, boiling rice or quinoa - I use one of these jars. This stock is super low in sodium and plenty flavorful!

    Gotta use everything you can - get your money's worth outta that chicken!!

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