Okay so I recently switched doing stock from the basic “throw it all in a pot” method to taking a few extra steps prior and the result is phenomenal. I took a knife skills class a few months ago and they taught us how to break down a whole chicken. You can usually find whole chickens for a cheaper price per pound than chicken breasts so why not buy the whole bird and use all the parts in the stock? Genius! I go to a snobby meat market because I love to know exactly where my meat lived it’s precious life and what it ate during that time. Anyway, they had these beautiful chickens from a farm in Sebastapol and I had to indulge. I broke down the chicken so I had the breast meat separated from the rest of the bones and cooked those for dinner (separate recipe). With the rest of the chicken (bones plus dark meat) I roasted them with some veggies before throwing them in the stock pot. The result is a deep, rich stock that is a great base to any soup or dish.

What you’ll need:

• Bones + dark meat from a whole chicken
• 3 carrots, roughly chopped
• 4 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, quartered
• 4 garlic cloves (left whole)
• Olive oil, salt + pepper
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• Stalks from 1 bunch of parsley
• 6 thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf

Directions:

• Combine chicken, carrots, celery, onions, and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet and coat with olive oil. Season with salt + pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. The veggies should be starting to caramelize and the bones should release some of their juice.
• Add the remaining ingredients to a large stock pot. Top with the roasted ingredients and cover with cold water.
• Bring stock to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 3.5 to 4 hours.
• Strain, let cool, then remove the layer of fat on the top.
• Enjoy!