Chicken Stock

We use carcasses and chicken feet, so this is a stock, not a broth. We like to roast the carcasses beforehand to give us a nice dark rich stock.

Ingredients (12 quarts)

• ~12 lbs chicken feet
• 4 roasted carcasses or 2 fresh chickens
• 3 lg onions, halved, skins left on
• 1 bunch celery, chopped (leaves and all)
• 10 lg carrots, scrubbed and chopped
• 1 bunch thyme
• 1 bunch flat parsley
• 1 head garlic, whole cloves unpeeled
• 2 Tbs peppercorns
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 or 4 lg bay leaves

Directions

1. Combine everything in a large stockpot.
2. Cover with water and bring to a boil.
3. Once boiling, turn down to a low simmer and simmer uncovered for several hours (at least 6).
4. Strain it all through a sieve and/or cheesecloth. If using fresh chickens, remove them, let them cool, remove the meat and save for other uses. Set in cold space overnight.
5. Remove any fat that has floated to the top. Bring the rest to a boil again.
6. Pour into quart jars with 1" headspace.
7. Pressure can at 11 pounds for 25 minutes.