How to Make Dark Chicken Stock

Dark chicken stock is a very rich version of chicken stock. Roasting the chicken and vegetables until very dark and adding tomato paste gives it the added richness. Stock can be used in your favorite soup, stew or sauce.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 3-4lb chicken
• onion
• celery
• carrot
• tomato paste
• dried herbs such as coriander, tarragon, oregano, thyme

1. 
   Cut out backbone

   Using kitchen shears, cut out the backbone of the chicken so that you can spread it flat when you roast it.

2. 
   Prepare for roasting

   Quarter the onion and roughly chop the celery and carrot. Put the vegetables in a shallow roasting pan and lay the chicken over them.

3. 
   Roast til dark

   Roast the chicken and vegetables in a 400 degree oven for one hour. Then flip the chicken and remove the vegetables, reserving them for later. Turn the heat down to 350 and continue to cook for another hour, flipping the chicken again mid-way through.

4. 
   Simmer on low

   Put roasted chicken and vegetables in a large stock pot and cover with cold water. De-glaze roasting pan with water and 2 Tablespoons tomato paste. Loosen up bottom pan bits as you dissolve the paste into the water. Add this to the stockpot. Add 1-2 Tb herbs of your choice. Simmer on low for 2-3 hours.

5. 
   Strain the stock

   Take stock off heat and strain it multiple times. Put the stock liquid back in the stockpot over medium high heat to reduce.

6. 
   Reduce the stock

   Once the stock has reduced by half, take it off the heat and let it cool. Refrigerate overnight.

7. 
   Fat rises to the top

   After refrigeration, the fat in the stock will have risen to the top and solidified. Remove the fat with a spoon and throw away. Strain the stock a few more times to remove any remaining solidified fat.

8. 

   When you have strained out all of the solids, the stock is ready to use or freeze for another day.

Tips & Warnings

• add homemade stock to a roux (mixture of fat and flour) with some butter and cream for a tasty gravy
• use stock as the base of your soups for rich flavor
• Make sure you simmer the bones over very low heat. If it boils, your stock will turn cloudy.

Resources

• How to Make Beef Stock