Use Chicken Legs for As Much Broth As Possible
Good chicken stock is more than chicken flavored water. While you should aim for a flavorful stock , a good stock should also be full-bodied and pleasant to the mouth, with a firm consistency. That is why, my friends, it is better to cook chicken leg broth.
Chicken legs have little to do with meat, but they more than make up for it with skin, bone and connective tissue, also known as “things that give your body the body you dream of.” Of course, the wings are also rich in fat and collagen , but I would prefer to press them down with sauce . Chicken legs are also very cheap; even at my overpriced grocery store they cost about three dollars a pound.
Making chicken leg broth is as easy as making any other broth. Most stores sell them pre-cleaned – here’s how to clean them if you order them straight from the farm – and unlike when we sold them , there is no need to remove the claws. However, you may notice small yellow patches of the outer skin. Don’t worry, this comes off with a slight tug.
After you’ve removed all of the little skin spots, just toss about a pound of feet into a saucepan (instant or regular) and add whatever aromatic scent you want along with the contents of your trash bag and a little vinegar . For a drink, especially one that soothes the stomach, I’ll add a whole head of garlic (with the skin), a large chunk of ginger, and a whole quarter of an onion.
If I use a pressure cooker, I cook it for two hours at high pressure, then manually release it and then strain all the solids. If I walk the path on the stove, I bring it to a boil, reduce it to a boil, and let it hang for at least five hours. This is a little longer than I would simmer most of the broth, but I want to make sure I get as much of the benefit as possible.
Pour it into a grease separator, or just pour it and cans and scrape off the grease as soon as it is frozen in the refrigerator. (Or just leave the fat in there if you want a fatty broth. Don’t let me tell you what to do with the fat.) Use your very fatty broth as a base for any dish that requires liquid cooking, or just make some really good soup.