The most widely used stock in any kitchen, and the cheapest: carcasses are leftover material. In three hours you have a light, gelatinous base that underlies soups, velouté, risotto and half of your white sauces.
Chicken stock
Fond de volaille
Chicken stock
Fond de volaille
Method
01
Blanch
Put the carcasses and feet under cold water, bring to the boil, boil for 3 minutes and rinse everything clean. Rinse the pan too.
02
Start the stock
Put everything back with 3.5 litres of cold water. Bring slowly to just below boiling and skim carefully.
03
Add aromatics
Add the leek, onion, celery, carrot, bouquet garni and peppercorns.
04
Simmer
Leave to simmer gently for 3 hours, just below boiling point. Longer is pointless: chicken bones release their flavour quickly and then start to taste bitter.
05
Strain and cool
Pass through a fine sieve and muslin, cool quickly in an ice bath and store covered in the fridge. Use or freeze within 3 days.
Tips & notes
Definitely add the feet: they are full of collagen and are the reason your stock sets like jelly when cold. A stock that doesn't set also gives no mouthfeel to your sauce. Use within 3 days from the fridge, or freeze (up to 3 months).
Chef's tip
A good chicken stock smells of chicken and nothing else. It is tempting to throw in all the vegetable scraps of the day, but celeriac, cabbage and peppers dominate quickly and make the stock useless as a neutral base. Stick to leek, onion, carrot and celery.
Variations
- Fond brun de volaille – First roast the carcasses in the oven at 220 °C until golden brown for a brown chicken stock.
- Bouillon de poule – Add a whole boiling fowl and use the meat for a ragout or salad.
- Asian variation – Infuse with ginger, spring onion and white pepper instead of a bouquet garni.
Contains:
Celery
Serve with
- Velouté
- Suprême
- Poulette
- Risotto
- Consommé
- Soups
| Calories | 90 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 11 g |
| Carbohydrates | 14 g |
| Fat | 1 g |
| Fibre | 5 g |
Estimated values, calculated from standard nutritional values per ingredient.
