Zuni Chicken Stock

I have made my own stock many times and this one was similar. I do usually add some spices to mine, like a bay leaf, some poultry seasoning and other herbs in addition to the veggies and some peppercorns. I followed the recipe this time though.

Like Quezzle_Sister I wasn't able to skim off all the foam but don't think it had an adverse effect on the finished product.

Since I work at a poultry plant and have worked on the line where they remove the breasts, I already had some working knowledge of how to remove the breasts. I really thought the instructions given in the book were helpful though, especially to someone not familiar with this technique.

I am looking forward to making some of the Asparagus and Rice Soup page 166 with this stock.

This recipe provides excellent detailed instructions on how to make chicken stock. I looked for chicken feet, including the local Asian market, to no avail, and still was able to make great broth using a standard grocery store whole chicken. I followed the instructions (except no feet and no extra wings), and the resulting broth has an excellent bright chicken flavor. I really enjoyed following the instructions for how to remove the breasts. It made me feel like Julie in the move "Julie and Julia".

One concern I had was with skimming off the foam. I did this, as per instructions, stirred, and skimmed again. However, foam continued to come up, and I was unsure whether to remove it or not. I decided not to, and it seemed to go away, but I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts on this.

This cookbook instructs us to do a lot of tasting, and in this recipe, to taste from the beginning. I was nervous about sipping a spoonful of water that contained a raw chicken carcass, but I did, and lived to tell about it. I found it instructive to monitor the development of this broth's wonderful chicken flavor, and I look forward now to trying recipes calling for high quality broth.