Stock, of any variety, is a staple to anyone who actually uses their kitchen because it’s a part of many major recipes. It can be used for deglazing vegetables, a base for yummy soups, and of course, it heals anything that may be ailing you (re: Jewish penicillin.)

It takes all of ten minutes to prep, about four hours to cook, and eight to twelve hours to cool. You can freeze it for long periods of time, reheat it whenever you need, and it’s easily adaptable!

Okay, on to the important part.

To start your stock, you need the chicken.

Pro-Tip #1: NEVER use boneless breasts for stock. Bones are what give flavor to everything.

For my stock, I used two chicken thighs and one chunk of random bones that I prefer to not describe or look at. I happen to have access to an amazing butcher that is breaking down chickens all day so it was easy to get these extra parts. If you have a local grocer (not a chain store) or even a specialty butcher shop, you can go in, tell them you’re making stock, and that you need chicken bones, and they’ll probably hand them over for free. You can use all random bones or even a whole roasting chicken if you’re planning to use the meat after.

I am doing this in a slow cooker because I don’t have a large stockpot. Really, it doesn’t matter the vessel, you just want it to be a heavy-bottomed vessel that you can cook in over an extended period of time, and you want it to be at least eight quarts.

Now, for the vegetables. The base of almost any soup or stock on the planet is called mirepoix, otherwise known as onions, celery, and carrots. You can learn about the history of it here if you’d like.

Anyway, give these a quick rough chop, keeping them in fairly large chunks, and toss them in with the chicken, along with a couple whole, peeled garlic cloves. Next, come the spices. I go with salt, whole peppercorns, and a couple bay leaves because I like to keep it simple. There are no measurements for these because it’s up to you.

Remember that the more ingredients you’re putting into the pot, the less water goes in, so there won’t be as much actual stock that gets produced because it all reduces down.

Pro-Tip #2: Go easy on the salt. You can always add salt later but you can never remove it.

Be mindful that this is chicken STOCK, not soup, so you want to make it flavorful, but also mellow so you can use it for many things.

Everything goes into the pot with the chicken and now it’s time for the water. You want to fill up your pot or slow cooker almost to the top but leave room for it to boil. For me, this was 9 cups of water.

And that’s all she wrote, folks! Turn on your pot, put the lid on, bring everything to a boil for a couple minutes, and then let it simmer on low for about 4-5 hours. After it’s done and the chicken is cooked completely through, strain it out and let it cool for about eight to ten hours, or until there’s this nice layer of fat on top. You’ll scoop this off once it’s completely cool and be left with delicious, smooth chicken stock!

Pro-Tip #3: Don’t use your stock until you’ve scooped the fat off the top or it will be really greasy.

How to freeze: You can freeze it in ice cube trays so you can add it to soups or random recipes. I freeze it in plastic, air-tight quart containers, personally, but it’s up to you. When you’re ready to use, just boil it for a couple minutes and voila! I told you it was easy.

Basically, this is chicken soup pared down to its most basic form. Winter is coming and we all know that means the flu is on the way. Having stock handy is great for healing your icky sickness and all you have to do is boil up some chicken and toss it into your already made stock!

INGREDIENTS | Makes about 2 quarts

• 3-4 pieces of chicken, or chunks of bone
• 1 large onion
• 2-3 large carrots
• 3-4 stalks of celery
• 3-4 whole, peeled garlic cloves
• Salt
• Whole black peppercorns
• Bay leaves

RECIPE

1. Place chicken parts in large stockpot or slow cooker.
2. Rough chop onion, carrots and celery. Throw in pot with garlic.
3. Sprinkle in salt, a small pinch of peppercorns and two bay leaves.
4. Pour in water so everything is covered, leaving an inch of room at the top.
5. Bring everything to a boil for a couple minutes, then turn down to low for about 4-5 hours.
6. Strain out. Put meat to the side, if preferred.
7. Chill for 8-10 hours or until everything is cool and a layer of fat has formed at the top.
8. Scoop off fat layer and prepare for freezing or serving.

The post Making the Basics: Chicken Stock appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

“Chicken Tortilla is honestly one of the easiest soups you’ll ever make, because it’s basically created by dumping a bunch of ingredients into a pot and stirring. But it’s as delicious as it is easy.”

There’s something so fun and delicious about incorporating an entire meal into one bowl that warms you from the insides and brightens up even the gloomiest of cold days.

My roommate and I have a deal in our house: I cook, she bakes, and we both win. So in exchange for the chocolate cake that I asked for—which was waiting patiently on the kitchen counter when I came home from work—I made her favorite soup, chicken tortilla.

I started this recipe last fall and have given it a few tries over the last year, but I have to say, it’s finally perfect. Not to mention fairly healthy and definitely filling. The best part of this recipe is all of the add-ins and delicious ingredients that you can choose from to really round out your soup.

I started this recipe last fall and have given it a few tries over the last year, but I have to say, it’s finally perfect. Not to mention fairly healthy and definitely filling. The best part of this recipe is all of the add-ins and delicious ingredients that you can choose from to really round out your soup.

It’s important when you’re cooking to be clean and prepared, which is why I like to get my spice mixtures ready ahead of time. With spicy ingredients, you should start with less and add more so it’s not overwhelming. Unfortunately, that’s something I’ve learned from experience. So I began with ½ a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and chili pepper and added more as I went.

Now, let’s cook that chicken. I’ve found that poaching is the most effective technique for keeping the chicken juicy and flavorful. You’ll want a good liquid to poach in (that’s not water), like a chicken or vegetable stock, or if you’re as lucky as me, corn broth! Basically the idea is you’re keeping all the moisture in and adding flavor at the same time.

“Top with tortilla chips, or cheese, or even avocado if you’re feeling fancy. This super-yummy, belly-filling meal sure to please everyone who eats it.”

Season your chicken with a little salt and pepper and let it sit for a few minutes so the seasonings get good and stuck. In a large (4-5 quart) pot, bring your chosen liquid up to almost a full boil and submerge the chicken. There might be a little bit of the chicken breast uncovered by the liquid, but that’s okay. Keeping it at medium heat, let the chicken sit for about 10-12 minutes, and then flip over so each side gets evenly cooked. Make sure you check the temperature of the inside of the chicken by cutting into it, and only remove when it’s cooked almost fully through. You don’t want it to be 100% cooked as it will finish in the soup itself.

While the chicken is cooking, get working on those veggies. I like to saute some onions, garlic and bell peppers for some of that Mexican flavor in the soup. Give the onions and peppers a rough chop or medium dice, and toss them in a pan with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Sweat them out, or cook until translucent, and then add a finely minced clove or two of garlic and your can of black beans. The point of doing these things together is to combine all those yummy flavors for a consistent blend that will bring the whole thing together.

This is honestly one of the easiest soups you’ll ever make, because it’s basically created by dumping a bunch of ingredients into a pot and stirring. Side note: I picked whole tomatoes for my second can of tomatoes because I really just enjoy squishing them myself. Plus, it’s a nice variety of texture.

You can use pre-crushed tomatoes if you don’t enjoy the mess.

Pour your tomatoes, tomato paste, green chilies (if they’re separate from your tomatoes), and your sauteed veggie mixture into the pot of broth and turn to a medium-low heat. Add in your spice mixture and let this simmer with a lid for a few minutes, making sure to stir occasionally. You may have to stir a little vigorously to fully dissolve the tomato paste but you’ll notice a consistency change once it’s fully incorporated.

This is a great time to pick your chicken. Yeah, that’s a weird sentence but it just means shredding your chicken with two forks, or your hands if you’re an animal (#noshame.) You’ll want the pieces to be relatively small so you’re not getting enormous chicken chunks and no soup on your spoon.

Once the liquid and vegetable mixture is the right level of spicy and flavorful and the veggies have mixed in nicely, toss in the shredded chicken, give it a stir, and voila! You have a super-yummy, belly-filling meal sure to please everyone who eats it. Top with tortilla chips, or cheese, or even avocado if you’re feeling fancy. This soup can continue to cook or you can serve immediately, and it also freezes really well, so no pressure.

INGREDIENTS

Soup

• Two boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 28 oz. can whole or crushed tomatoes
• 8 oz. cans of tomato paste (2)
• 2 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 4 oz. can diced green chilis (optional)
• 12 oz. can black beans
• ½ diced yellow onion
• ½ diced bell pepper (color of your choice)
• Clove of garlic
• Quart of stock- chicken, veggie, corn

Spice Mixture

• Cayenne pepper
• Paprika
• Chili Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Salt
• Pepper

RECIPE| Feeds 4-6

• Season thawed, room temperature chicken with salt and pepper. In a large pot, bring cooking liquid to a low boil.
• Place chicken in the pot, almost completely submerging in the liquid, and turn down to medium heat.
• Dice onion and pepper. Mince garlic. Saute onions and peppers in olive oil until translucent and add garlic and black beans.
• Once chicken is 90% cooked, remove and let stand.
• Combine all spices in a small bowl, starting with 1/2 tsp each and adding to taste.
• In the pot of broth, add in tomatoes, tomato paste, veggies and spice mixture. Let simmer covered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Shred your chicken with two forks until deconstructed into small string-like pieces.
• Add into soup for 2 minutes and stir.
• Serve with tortilla chips, cheese or avocado.

The post It’s Soup Season: Here’s How to Make a Delicious Chicken Tortilla appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.