2-3carrotsskin on, chopped or broken into 2-3 pieces
2-3celery stalkschopped or broken into 2-3 pieces (don’t bother removing the leaves!)
2medium onionpeel on, cut into 4-8 pieces
3-4garlic clovespeel on, smashed
¾tspHimalayan or fine sea salt
½teaspoonwhole peppercorns
1tspwhole coriander
5-6whole juniper berries
1whole star anise
2-3bay leaves
1tbspdried herbsI used a mixture of thyme, oregano, savory and parsley
12cupscold water
Instructions
Preheat a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the bones and let them brown without moving them for about 4-6 minutes. Flip the carcasses over and brown the other sides (chicken backs have sort of a triangular shape, so you will have to brown them on all 3 sides).
When your chicken bones are nice and golden all over, add the rest of the ingredients, including the water.
Slowly bring to a boil over medium-high heat then reduce the heat, cover partially and simmer for about 1½ hours, until your stock is good and fragrant. Adjust seasoning if necessary and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly then carefully strain the stock into a bowl through a colander. Press it down nice and good so you get every last bit of liquid out of the bones and veggies, then discard the solids. Let the stock cool at room temperature for about 1 hour then cover and refrigerate overnight.
With a large spoon, remove any solidified fat from the surface (if any) and discard. Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve to collect any residual fat that may have stayed behind.
Use the stock immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
You can also freeze the stock for up to 3 months*
Makes about 6 cups.
Notes
*I like to ladle mine straight into resealable freezer bags, about one cup per bag, and lay the bags flat in the freezer until frozen solid. (You might want to double bag or place the bags on a cookie sheet until the stock is completely frozen to avoid accidental spillage). Freezing the stock into thin, flat squares makes it real easy and convenient to use afterwards. You can easily cut out little chunks as needed, or, say you wanted to make a soup and needed to use an entire bag or two, having it all nice and flat like that will help it thaw much quicker.Please see the very similar Mayo Clinic's Chicken Stock Recipe to get an idea of Nutritional Facts