The Ugly Truth

Cutting up a whole chicken is disgusting. I've been doing it for almost a year and It still grosses me out. I really have no excuse because by the time the chicken comes to my kitchen it is thoroughly dead and neatly gutted and plucked. The nice farmers who get it in this condition for me deserve a word of thanks! I am very much the product of a generation who thinks that chickens hatch from the egg pre-packaged in Styrofoam and plastic wrap. We don't generally like to think of our food in its original, clucking, kind-of-cute form. If we would think a little more often about where our food really comes from I think a large portion of society would naturally be drawn to sustainable local farms and be willing to pay a little more to eat for dinner a chicken that has been allowed to live a healthy, chicken-y life, rather than one that has never seen the light of day.

So what am I doing cutting up chickens, you might ask? I'm making homemade chicken broth! Using one whole chicken I can make four(ish) quarts of broth for use in soups or just about any savory recipe that calls for water (try substituting the broth for water--Mmmm!). Making your own broth is certainly economical--whole chickens are cheaper per pound than pre-packaged parts. The broth is richer and you can control the flavor and saltiness. I find store-bought brands much too salty. Plus there are bragging rights! When I say I'm making chicken and noodles from scratch I mean it! (OK, except for the noodles, but pasta is on my learn-to-make list!)

So here's how I do it. I find it helps contain the mess to place the chicken in a large casserole dish to cut it up. You'll need a sharp knife,(a smaller one is easier to work with), if you have them some kitchen shears are helpful, but not really required, and a large stock pot.

* Pull the leg away from the body and cut through the skin to expose the joint. This is easier said than done--I still have to dig around to find where the bones meet (blech).
* Cut through the joint, toss the leg into the pot.
* Repeat with opposite leg.
* In similar fashion, pull the wings away from the body, find the joint, cut and toss into the pot.
* Put the rest of the chicken into the pot.

You could, at this point cut along either side of the backbone (the shears work well for this) and break the breast bone to separate the breast, but I skip this step. If your intention would be to cook and serve the parts you would want to complete this last step and probably separate the drumsticks from the thighs as well. This way you would have nice, neat chicken parts instead of the half-butchered mess I'm satisfied with for making broth!

In case you're wondering, the cutting up is necessary! The first time I tried to make broth I just threw the whole chicken in and ended up with slightly chicken flavored water. The more of the bone and tissue you expose, the richer your broth will be.

* To the pot add the following:
* 3-4 stalks of celery, coarsely chopped, leaves and all
* 3-4 carrots, coarsely chopped
* 1 onion, quartered
* 2-3 cloves of garlic, cracked
* several sprigs of fresh thyme

This is where your own tastes come in...other ideas for adding to your broth: turnips, parsnips, more or less garlic, whole peppercorns, bouquet garni. Don't bother adding salt until you've drained your broth. It will just evaporate during the cooking.

* Add enough water to cover
* Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, depending on the size of your chicken.
* When finished cooking, remove the chicken parts and set aside.
* Strain broth into storage containers suitable for storage in your freezer. Cheesecloth works well for straining if you have it. I just use a very fine colander.
* Add salt to taste.
* Discard the veggies. I hate to waste, but the idea in making broth is to leach all the flavor from the veggies into the broth, so they will be soggy and flavorless!
* Pick the meat from the chicken and use as you please!

I love to use a portion of my fresh broth and the chicken to make a big pot of chicken and noodles right away. My version is very simple! I just cook some fresh carrots and celery in the broth until tender, add egg noodles, chicken, some thyme and a little mixed flour and water if I want to thicken it.

This is just my version of chicken broth. I would love to hear other additions to the seasoning or other methods! Please share!