# Chicken Carcass - Kitchen Gold!



## Amnesia180 (Aug 8, 2011)

Hi All,

I have been looking at recipes to make use of the chicken carcass that will be left over from tonights dinner.

I have found ways of making a broth, but how do I turn this into soup?

What I was planning on doing was putting the chicken carcass into our pressure cooker as I don't have a big enough pot (but don't seal the lid, just place it over the top). Put water to cover the carcass, add some herbs and a bay leaf or something, bring to the boil and let it simmer for 1.5 hours. 

After that has done, take the bones/fat out and add some carrot, broccoli, onion and potatoe. Leave to simmer until the veg is soft.

But I'm not sure that is right, can anyone suggest anything better?

Many thanks!
Amnesia


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## FrankZ (Aug 8, 2011)

I pick as much meat off the bird as I can without fighting it.

Then I break up the carcass, break the leg bones stuff like that.  Cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce to a very slow simmer.

Give it a couple hours and you can toss the bones and make soup from the stock.


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## Claire (Aug 8, 2011)

I was responding to this and my computer crashed!  Oh, well.  Same as Frank except if you're making for more than one meal, I'd consider leaving out the brocolli.  I love it, but it does tend to overwhelm the other flavors.  When I have a carcass I take it, pick off the meat, break it up.  Just as Frank said.  Then, this time of year I have fresh sage and thyme (dry will do fine), some garlic (no need to peel), onion and celery  Stew it all and drain.  If it looks fatty, refrigerate overnight.  Skim off the fat and put whatever meat is left, chopped, and the veggies/starch of your choice.


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## Snip 13 (Aug 8, 2011)

I would boil the carcass in water as your said and add some chopped carrot, onion and celery. Then remove the Veg and carcass and add some fresh chopped veg of your choice and seasoning a make a soup this way.


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## TATTRAT (Aug 8, 2011)

It taken a bit more time, and a bit more energy, but roasting the carcass first will build a lot more flavor for the stock. Also, browning off the mirepoix, de-glazing with some wine, will help build layers of flavor. . .then go in with a few peppercorns, a bay leaf or 2, and your water. simmer away and for the last 20min, add in a bouquet garni of fresh parsley, sage, thyme and lemon. Is it all 100% necessary? Maybe not. Is it worth the time and energy? Oh yes.


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## sparrowgrass (Aug 8, 2011)

Use your pressure cooker!!  Pressure cooking stock is the way to go--clear stock, lots of rich flavor.  

Cook your bones and veggies for about an hour.  

(My dogs told me to be sure to tell you that when you strain the bones and veggies out, the bones will be soft enough to mix into dog food!!)

Once you make the stock, you can make any kind of soup you like.  I usually add noodles, carrots and celery, but chicken stock is so versatile.


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## Snip 13 (Aug 8, 2011)

I usually get fresh chicken , beef or fish bones from my butcher when I'm making a stock or soup. One carcass won't give you a very flavourful stock. If you don't have any more bones or trimmings you can also add the peelings from the veggies that your adding to your soup for extra flavour and just boil them with the bones. I always add my herbs ans spices after straining the stock since boiling some herbs for too long can cause the flavour to become bitter. 

Here's my basic stock recipe:
3 carcasses with a few necks and trimmings if I have.
2 large onions
2 large carrots
3 celery sticks with leaves
The peeling from all the veggies that I will be using in my soup.

Boil this for about 2 hours then strain. Add any fresh meats and chopped veggies with spices. Cook till tender then add chopped fresh herbs for the last 5 mins of cooking.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Aug 8, 2011)

sparrowgrass said:


> Use your pressure cooker!!  Pressure cooking stock is the way to go--clear stock, lots of rich flavor.
> 
> Cook your bones and veggies for about an hour.
> 
> ...




I have to agree emphatically with sparowgrass.  Roast the carcass for about 30 minutes in a 400' oven.  then break the bones and throw it into the pressure cooker.  Add a stalk of chopped celery.  then cook under pressure for about 40 minutes.  You will have extracted everything out of the bones and cartilage that is good.  Remove the bones and pick off the meat.  Discard the bones and celery.  Now add your soup veggies.  Add sliced carrots and onion.  Season to taste.  Now you can use this for making chicken with barley, or chicken noodle, chicken with rice, or chicken & dumpling soups.  You can also thicken the mixture with a blond roux and use it to make home made pot pies, or Chicken Tetrazini etc.  You can omit the veggies and use the broth to make a great veloute' and then add various veggies to make a creamed chicken style dish, or use the veloute' over fried chicken pieces.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Amnesia180 (Aug 8, 2011)

Thank you for all the very quick replies!

I think I will use the pressure cooker then, but I had visions of the bones blowing up inside due to the pressure... maybe not! Haha.

So, I will break up the bird (like you said, legs/wings off etc) then bring to boil, then allow to simmer in the pressure cooker. I'm assuming I don't need to do it for as long if it is in the pressure cooker? 
I'll put a couple of bits of garlic in there along with some other herbs.

Once that is done, I strain then reboil/simmer with the veg this time (after taking the carcuss and chicken out). Then just reheat the stock with the chicken meat in it when I want to eat it? Is that right?

Or am I only makin the soup with the chicken meat/veg once I want to eat it? I.e: just keep the stock, then tomorrow reboil it with the veg etc?


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## Andy M. (Aug 8, 2011)

You could make the stock today and save it in the fridge for a day or two.  You could freeze it.  When you want to make the soup. Just bring it to a boil and add the veggies and seasonings you want  and simmer until the veggies are cooked to your liking.


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## snickerdoodle (Aug 8, 2011)

Amnesia180 said:


> Or am I only makin the soup with the chicken meat/veg once I want to eat it? I.e: just keep the stock, then tomorrow reboil it with the veg etc?


 
I make chicken stock frequently but usually don't use it right away.  I keep it refrigerated up to a week or freeze it to keep it longer.  

Some people prefer to make the stock with just the carcass and no added veggies/herbs but adding all the veggies & herbs while you're making the stock is good too and gives it great flavor, especially if the stock is destined for soup.  I wouldn't reuse the veggies that you made your stock with in your soup though; they might be too mushy for your liking.  I would add fresh when I make the soup.


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## joesfolk (Aug 8, 2011)

If you add brocolli do it at the last minute.


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## Amnesia180 (Aug 11, 2011)

Hi All,

I put the chicken in the pressure cooker last night with some water, herbs, carrots and onions.

The stock tates flavoursome, but a bit 'weak' or 'runny'. How can I thicken it up? It has been in the fridge overnight but there is minimal fat ont he top.

I have got the chicken from the bone (it basically peeled off, it was messy to sort through carcass and remaining meat haha). And I've binned the onion and carrots.

Now, I won't be able to use the stock until Saturday. So... should I save the chicken and freeze it (all the chicken is cooked). Or should I make up the soup with the chicken and veg and freeze it. Or will the chicken keep?

Thanks!
Amnesia


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## Andy M. (Aug 11, 2011)

You can do either.  Freeze the stock and chicken or make the soup and freeze that.  It depends on when you want to take the time to make the soup. 

You can make the stock stronger by reducing it some before adding the veggies.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Aug 11, 2011)

Andy M. said:


> You can do either.  Freeze the stock and chicken or make the soup and freeze that.  It depends on when you want to take the time to make the soup.
> 
> You can make the stock stronger by reducing it some before adding the veggies.



Perfect advice, Andy!   I had a friend who used to make his chicken stock by boiling a 5 pound bag of chicken wings to get intense chicken flavor.  But that was before wings sky-rocketed in price due to the hot-wing craze.  He made some pretty great chicken soup.  The dissolved collagen and flavor intensity of his stock was legendary.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Amnesia180 (Aug 11, 2011)

Thanks for the advice. 
I didn't know if it was safe to freeze cooked chicken, that was all 

I went out for a meal last ngiht with the Fiance and I had half a chicken, so I asked them to box me up the bones and meat I had left and also threw that in with the carcass we already had! Bit cheeky, but I didn't mind!

I think I'll put the stock into individual tubs and feeze it along with freezing the chicken seperately. That way I can make it to order


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## FrankZ (Aug 11, 2011)

I find chicken I use to make stock very bland and unfulfilling in soup.  Your tastes and experinece may vary.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Aug 11, 2011)

Fro my soup, I use cubed, fresh chicken meat, usually a combination of breast and thigh.  I add the vegies, and grains to the soup, along with the seasonings, and cook until done.  When the soup is completely cooked, I saute' the cubed chicken in a little butter until lightly browned.  The chicken meat is extremely tender, juicy, and flavorful.  I add the meat to the bowls of soup when serving.  That way, the people eating the soup get great soup, and great chicken.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## binny (Aug 11, 2011)

You need 1 bay leaf,thyme pepper corns carrot/celery/leek/onion and chicken carcass and water that is it for the stock. You can either caramelize /roast them if you want a darker stock or if you want a light one just simmer over a pot.

But i got a few soups which use chicken stock in it just click here

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f56/a-few-winter-soup-recipes-74137.html#post1035785


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## gadzooks (Oct 3, 2011)

FrankZ said:


> I pick as much meat off the bird as I can without fighting it.
> 
> Then I break up the carcass, break the leg bones stuff like that.  Cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce to a very slow simmer.
> 
> Give it a couple hours and you can toss the bones and make soup from the stock.



I do that in my pressure cooker when I have two or three carcasses to cook down. I use the broth for soup base, but the rest goes in the meat grinder. I cook 'em until the bones are soft. Then I mix some flax meal with the ground solids and pour into a pan, let it set in the fridge. My dog, Sadie, loves the stuff, and it's good for her.


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## Geeklove (Oct 10, 2011)

I make this 2-3x a month! My family loves it...after roasting an organic chicken and peeling off all of the meat I throw the carcass into a large pot(sometimes I freeze a couple of them to use)...I then throw a splash of vinegar to draw out the minerals(trying to keep it healthy!)...I cover with water and add in any vegetables(carrot, celery with leaves, onion, and garlic all with skin left on). 
I bring to a boil and then simmer overnight into the morning. I also skim the fat off of the top a few times. In the morning I strain and take the chicken I peeled off of the roast to make a soup. I keep it simple with chicken, salt, pepper, onion, celery, carrot and sometimes a noodle. Serve with bread and butter! Delicious, healthy and everyone loves it!


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## Dawgluver (Oct 10, 2011)

Geeklove said:
			
		

> I make this 2-3x a month! My family loves it...after roasting an organic chicken and peeling off all of the meat I throw the carcass into a large pot(sometimes I freeze a couple of them to use)...I then throw a splash of vinegar to draw out the minerals(trying to keep it healthy!)...I cover with water and add in any vegetables(carrot, celery with leaves, onion, and garlic all with skin left on).
> I bring to a boil and then simmer overnight into the morning. I also skim the fat off of the top a few times. In the morning I strain and take the chicken I peeled off of the roast to make a soup. I keep it simple with chicken, salt, pepper, onion, celery, carrot and sometimes a noodle. Serve with bread and butter! Delicious, healthy and everyone loves it!



I'll bet!  Sounds delicious!  You can also cook the carcass and stuff in the crock pot.


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## Claire (Oct 10, 2011)

Now the cheapest stock material is leg & thigh portions (yes, Mom used to use wings before they became popular).  I can still buy them for under a dollar a pound.  Unfortunately my husband doesn't like dark meat.  BUT, even then, that great, gelatnous stock is worth every dime.  Protein in a cup.


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## FrankZ (Oct 10, 2011)

The last time I made stock in bulk it was backs that were cheap.  I only find thighs at $1/lbs on deep sale, and since that is what we prefer I go crazy with it.


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## CWS4322 (Oct 11, 2011)

Because it was Cdn T'giving Monday, I ran into the local grocery store on Friday and picked up turkey necks and backs for stock. They were very inexpensive (I can't remember the price, sorry). I tossed them in a zippy and then in the freezer for when I make one of the turkeys that is in the freezer--I'll add those bones to the stock. We had ham for T'giving. Which reminds me, I have the drippings and bone with which to deal.


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## PattY1 (Oct 12, 2011)

FrankZ said:


> The last time I made stock in bulk it was backs that were cheap.  I only find thighs at $1/lbs on deep sale, and since that is what we prefer I go crazy with it.



Back when I had more people to feed, I used to buy Oven Stuffer Roasters on sale for .69$ a pound. I would cut them up and use the parts for all of my Chicken needs. The backs I would wrap in plastic wrap and put in a zip lock bag. Once I had 3 or 4 I would use them to make stock/broth. View attachment 12201


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## buckytom (Oct 12, 2011)

what tatt said, once again. roast the carcass a bit, and sautee the veggiesand deglaze to make great stock for soup.

one extra thing is to leave the skins on the onions in the initial boiling to add a nice, deep, golden colour.


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## sparrowgrass (Oct 12, 2011)

I can buy leg quarters in 10 pound bags for about sixty cents a pound--ocasionally on sale for less.  I only eat dark meat, so it works well for me.  I cut the legs and thighs apart, and remove the piece of backbone from the thighs.  

I use the backbones for stock--I can usually make a couple of quarts just using the backbones and the odd leg or two.


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## Soma (Oct 12, 2011)

Sounds like you're on the right track, Amnesia!

but I consider the stock-making as a separate job from the soup-making. For soup I like to start with fresh veggies: first, onion, celery, carrot, maybe some mushrooms....glaze these in a little olive oil; then I add whatever more substantial veggies I feel like (broccoli, cauliflour, potatoes), before adding the homemade stock. 
I cook the vegetables in the stock, before adding the chicken bits. Since the chicken meat was roasted, it only needs to be re-heated in some good hot stock, not cooked again like the new vegetables do.

I also like one or two dry cloves (not garlic cloves but the spice) into my stock. Gives it a nice 'punch'.


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## CWS4322 (Oct 12, 2011)

I'm am a believer in "strip the carcass of the meat" process for stock. I crack the large bones and put them in the roaster. I roast the bones to which I add water, carrots, celery, grated fennel, a teaball filled with pickling seasoning, garlic, grated ginger, fresh bay, pepper corns. Or, I don't put anything in. I slow roast the bones for 8-12 hours at 250. Then I strain it and move on to soup, etc. The pickling seasoning adds the 'missing' element. I use the fat from the 'juice' for pan fried potatoes, etc. When I make soup, I add the meat during the last 5-10 minutes so it doesn't get mushy.


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## spiceoflife (Oct 12, 2011)

PattY1 said:


> Back when I had more people to feed, I used to buy Oven Stuffer Roasters on sale for .69$ a pound. I would cut them up and use the parts for all of my Chicken needs. The backs I would wrap in plastic wrap and put in a zip lock bag. Once I had 3 or 4 I would use them to make stock/broth. View attachment 12201



That is exactly what I do. I often do a butterflied chicken on the BBQ. I remove the backs and necks and freeze them. Once I have a whole pot full, I make stock with them. I pack in onions, carrots, celery, pepper, thyme, sage. Cook it for a few hours, strain it. Chill it overnight, remove the fat, bag it up and freeze it in lots.

Much better than store bought. Love the flavor.


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## my2girls (Oct 12, 2011)

Tip: wrap bones/carcass in cheese cloth before simmering. Easy retrieval of miscellaneous bones and what not. Bouquet garni as well.


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## CWS4322 (Oct 12, 2011)

buckytom said:


> what tatt said, once again. roast the carcass a bit, and sautee the veggiesand deglaze to make great stock for soup.
> 
> one extra thing is to leave the skins on the onions in the initial boiling to add a nice, deep, golden colour.


 I save the onion skins and toss them in a zippie. I add these to stock when I make it.


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## Andy M. (Oct 12, 2011)

my2girls said:


> Tip: wrap bones/carcass in cheese cloth before simmering. Easy retrieval of miscellaneous bones and what not. Bouquet garni as well.




I just pour it through a strainer into another container.


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## my2girls (Oct 12, 2011)

Andy M. said:


> I just pour it through a strainer into another container.


 
Pouring that hot liquid through a strainer into another container is very difficult. Lifting a nice, neat parcel of cast-a-ways; gift wrapped for the trash is more suited for me.


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## TATTRAT (Oct 12, 2011)

Andy M. said:


> I just pour it through a strainer into another container.



+1



my2girls said:


> Pouring that hot liquid through a strainer into another container is very difficult. Lifting a nice, neat parcel of cast-a-ways; gift wrapped for the trash is more suited for me.



To each their own. The cheese cloth also soaks up some of the fat, which I reserve for roux. . .but, to some, a lil fat removal is a bonus, lol.


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## Andy M. (Oct 12, 2011)

my2girls said:


> Pouring that hot liquid through a strainer into another container is very difficult. Lifting a nice, neat parcel of cast-a-ways; gift wrapped for the trash is more suited for me.




Both ways work.  Whichever is easier.


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## Soma (Oct 13, 2011)

CWS4322. That's it!
Oh.
My.
Goodness.
what you describe above, about roasting... sounds to me like the perfect formula for making the richness, the substance, the je-ne-sais-quoi of deep, robust, soup-base taste!
 I've been cooking for 54 years, ( since age 10,  ;>) and am still learning (and forgetting, and learning-again) that  magic happens in the roasting (of meat and/or vegetables)

Thank you!

and 'spiceOfLife': do you barbecue the necks etc before freezing and storing?


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