Chicken Broth for Tortilla Soup

Chicken Broth

 

This simple, light chicken broth is made without an initial sear of the chicken or vegetable.  The meat and vegetables are added to the pot, water is added and you cook everything until you have broth.  I used the meat from the chicken for my soup but you could also make this stock with just bones. Roasting or searing everything beforehand will give you a brown stock that is more rich in flavor but I was in a rush.  My soup was perfect with this simple stock and I put it together in a snap! 

• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 carrots, sliced
• 4 sticks celery, sliced
• 1 small fennel bulb, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 6 sprigs parsley
• 1 bay leave
• 6 peppercorns
• 1 whole 4-6 pound chicken
• 1 cup white wine
• water to cover

Place the onions, carrots, celery, fennel, garlic, thyme, parsley, bay and peppercorns in a large stock pot.  Add chicken to cover the vegetables and herbs.  Since I was using the meat for my tortilla soup, I cut my chicken up so I could pull out my breasts before my legs for cooking timing.  I covered the vegetables with my chicken pieces to avoid all of the vegetables and herbs floating to the surface and getting scooped up as I skimmed the foam. Add the wine and cover the chicken completely with the water.  Bring the water to a boil, skimming off the foam as it forms.  Once the water comes to a boil, reduce to low heat and until the water just rumbles when it is covered.  Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes, skimming the foam periodically. 

 

Pull out the breast and continue to cook another 10 minutes.  Once the breasts are cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones and add the bones back to the soup pot.  After 10 minutes, pull out the legs and let cool.  I used the meat on the wings to flavor my stock but you could also pull out the wings and pick the meat but again, place the bones back in the pot when you are done.  Once the legs are cool enough to handle, pick off the meat and add the bones back to the pot.

 

Once the bones are back in the pot, I let the stock cook without the lid to reduce the liquid a bit, again cooking it at a low rumble.  Cook until the flavor has developed.  I cooked mine about 45 minutes more for a light broth.  If you want a strong flavor, cover and cook up to three hours more.

 

The trick now is to remove all of the bones, vegetables, fat and bone particles.  To do this I first remove the larger bones and vegetables with my skimmer directly into my trash.  I then use a strainer and strain my stock directly into my large, 8-cup measuring cup.  I then place my strainer onto my stock pot and cover it with a tea towel and strain my broth through the tea towel.

 

The particles and fat do not go through the tea towel so your broth is cleaned without having to cool the fat.  As I am pouring the broth through the towel, I pull the towel to a clean spot to give me a "clean" strainer, not full of bone particles which slows the draining process.  I then lift the fat and dump it into the sink and start again.  After this process, the stock is fat free and clear; ready to use for your tortilla soup!