So...I started by dumping both packs of chicken in a big, beautiful stock pot that I got for Christmas (thanks Mom!) To the chicken I added some vegetables: two ribs of celery, chopped into big pieces; 4-5 carrots, peeled and cut into thirds; half an onion, leftover from something I made earlier in the week; and a handful of asparagus stalks, which I had saved from the last time I cooked asparagus (don't throw away those ends that you chop off - put them in a baggie and freeze them for making stock!) Cover everything with water, and then set it on the stove to cook! Bring to a boil (add salt at this point) and then let it simmer for a good 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
After a few hours, I pulled the chicken out one by one, took off the skin, and used two forks to pull the meat apart. Seriously, the meat was falling off the bone. It was so tender. I shredded it with my forks and set it aside to cool.
After cooling, store in ziplock bags in the freezer. I ended up with six bags of shredded chicken, not to mention the chicken that I went ahead and used tonight for quesadillas!
Now for the stock. This part is messy and time-consuming, but so worth it. I poured some in a glass storage bowl (pouring through a strainer) and put it aside. I will use that for some kind of soup, something that requires a lot of broth. But most recipes don't call for that much broth. Usually I need one to two cups for a normal recipe. So I ladled broth out and poured through a strainer into a measuring cup.
I stored one and two cup portions in ziplock bags and froze them. I ended up with 5 one-cup bags, and 6 two-cup bags, as well as the bowl of broth. That equals out to somewhere around 22 cups of chicken stock.
22 CUPS. Plus enough chicken for 7 MEALS. Hello? Can I get an "amen"???
I spent around $8 on the chicken, and less than $2 on the root vegetables used in this stock. That's $10.00 tops. And I got 22 cups of high quality chicken stock and 7 portions of meat out of it.
And it's soooo good. Try it! Enjoy!
Hey Jana!
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying reading about your cooking adventures! Thanks so much for blogging about them! I try to cook interesting and tasty food that doesn't cost too much, isn't too complicated, doesn't take too long to cook and that my husband will actually eat, but that is a tall order and it doesn't always happen according to plan. :) I have made chicken stock before and freezing the liquid works well, but how did you freeze the chicken so it wouldn't get freezer burn? Or do you not leave it in the freezer long before you cook it up?
Hey Rebekah!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I think the most important thing when freezing cooked chicken is to let it cool completely before bagging it, and then of course squeezing all the air out before sealing it. I generally use mine within a month or two. Sometimes it does get a little freezer burn, but it usually doesn't bother me because I generally use it for soup or casserole, so I don't really notice the extra liquid once it thaws out.