Chicken broth is basically boiling the chicken pieces with flavorings to make broth which is a base for many soups and stews. Now that winter is here and soup is so welcome, I thought it would be a good idea to share how to make a simple chicken broth that suits everything you want to cook with it, and doesn’t have overpowering flavors that will affect the end result.
First let me identify the difference between Chicken Broth and chicken Stock. Broth is what you get when you boil the chicken meat with onions and flavorings until the meat is done. It is usually of a thinner consistency. Stock on the other hand is boiling the chicken bones with flavorings as well, only this time it is simmered for a longer period of time releasing the gelatin from the bones. This results in a fuller mouth feel and a richer flavor, with a gel- like consistency.
Use whatever chicken pieces you have on hand but do not debone them, bone adds so much flavor. Therefore the bonier the piece, the more flavor the broth has. You can use a whole chicken like I did or cut it into pieces.
Ingredients:
- 1 chicken
- 1 medium to large onion
- 5 cardamom pods
- 5-10 black pepper corns
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 mastic beads
- 1 - 1 ½ liters water
*In a large pan, pour in some vegetable oil or butter and add in the chicken pieces. You want to lightly fry them to gain a golden color. This step is not essential, but it makes a world of difference in flavor. So if you have some patience please take the time to make this extra effort.
*Once the chicken is golden on all sides, drop in everything else. The chopped onion, the black pepper corns, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and the cardamom pods. Just make sure you give the cardamom a small bash to open the pod and release its flavor. Just do not add the mastic beads just yet.
*Now pour in the hot water and allow it to boil before you reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
*After the water boils, drop in the mastic beads. If you dropped them in earlier they will stick to anything they come in contact with.
*Now we leave the whole thing to simmer for about 1 hour. If your chicken is cut into pieces, it might need less time. Although I don’t recommend it.
*Once the chicken pieces are fully cooked, you can check that with a fork or the tip of a knife, you turn the heat off.
*This is the base for many recipes like soups and stews, I tried not to incorporate many flavors that will affect the outcome of the dish you are cooking. Enjoy.