Chinese Chicken Stock

Total Time: 3 hrs 5 mins Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• 5 lbs chicken backs (preferably both) or 5 lbs chicken necks (preferably both)
• 1 large onion, peeled & roughly chopped
• 3 scallions, halved
• 3 carrots, roughly chopped
• 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 1/2 head garlic (about 5-8 cloves)
• 8 slices gingerroot
• 1/3 cup mixed herbs (cilantro, basil, parsley, etc)
• 5 black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup rice wine
• 20 cups water (1.25 gallons)

Recipe

• 1 place all ingredients in a large stockpot, adding a little more water, if needed, to cover the rest of the ingredients by about an inch.
• 2 bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer very gently (the broth will be cloudy if you let it continue to boil) for 3 hours, occasionally skimming surface to remove any foam or impurities that rise to the top.
• 3 strain into a container and cool to room temperature before refrigerating (if placed directly into the fridge without cooling, it will sometimes go sour).
• 4 if you want a more intensely flavored stock, return the stock to the pot after it has cooled and simmer over low heat until the volume is reduced by half.