Good bird - good stock??

[tim]

2 litres of it.

[tim]

[supersprout]

oo look at that frozen stock cube idea :o :D

[tim]

Thaws more quickly & only use what you need.

[calendula]

I nearly always cook corn fed chicken in a large pot in water and lots of other things (whatever you fancy), let it simmer and get gloopy, throw in the vegetables until all cooked and serve - then you have the best stock left which is perfect for soups - all made in one pot - thank you Nigel Slater  ;D

[Doris_Pinks]

I too make my own chicken stock when I have a leftover bird,LOVELY stuff!

As we are working on a shoestring I also make stock out of chicken wings, (dead cheep they are! ;D ;D )
makes a lovely stock, and just chill it and scrape the fat off the top.

[tim]

Very much agree with FREE RANGE wings. They are my normal source of stock.

But on this occasion it was the real thing. I seldom roast a bird - too dried up & limited in re-use. And it shrinks in cooking. No, my favourite, mostly when the herd are here, is:

6lb local free ranger.
2l or more Vegetable Water from the larder. To almost cover the bird. Can't get any more into our biggest pan! Cover.
Handful Parsley.
2 Leeks.
2 Onions.
1/2 Lemon.
Bunch fresh Thyme/Tarragon.
Bay leaves.
Black Peppercorns.
4 Carrots.
4 sticks Celery.
Cabbage & Chard 'outers' as available.

And I bring to the boil (anyone still listening??) & into the bottom oven for 4 or so hours, basting, till 85C.
Cool. Skim. Skin.

And the bit that hurts me - discard the veg!! OK - you could put them into a tasteless soup??


That - to me - is STOCK!! I really don't believe in re-hashing a roast bird - there's nothing left in it?

[Hyacinth]

WOT!! ??

You crunch up the bones Tim?

The carcass from a roast bird makes fabbo stock 8)

[supersprout]

it's that slow-release that makes for your lovely stock I bet tim (grr@aga-owners)
but chard leaves! :'( :o at least you throw them away ;)
have to agree with Lish, cooked bones make a lovely stock - what Oriental cooks call 'second stock', used in dishes which require chicken stock as one of many ingredients. Your 'first stock' will be so good it should be appreciated on its own. And I'm sure it is ;D

[Chantenay]

Free range chicken wings - Tim please, please tell me where you get them. I have given up one of my favorite dishes (chilli & garlic wings) because I can't track down an acceptable source.

[tim]

Lishka - you're joking? No, the bird is on the table - hot or cold.

Yes - roasted bones can be useful.

Chantenay - the local butcher. Honey, chilli & garlic!

[Chantenay]

Tim - drop the honey - that's for girls.
Discard wing tips, joint the remainder so you get two bits. We can easily eat 4 wings (ie 8 pieces) each. Remove skin.
Put a pleasantly flavoured olive oil to cover bottom of an oven proof dish which is large enough to hold your wing joints in a single layer.
Oven to Gas 6. Slices of garlic (as much as you fancy, I use at least two fat cloves) and a small handful of guinadillos (tiny red dried spanish chillies). Heat in oven until garlic JUST beginning to sizzle - not burn (5 mins or so).
Meantime, plain flour, 1tspn salt, half to one tspn cayenne pepper (depends how much you can stand). Coat wings with seasoned flour. Put into chilli/garlic oil. Bake in oven 45 mins or so (while Strictly Come Dancing is on), turning half way through cooking. Guzzle from the dish using olive ciabatta to scoop up the chilli/garlic oil.
It's one of my husband's favorites on a Saturday night and I can now only do it about once a month, when I have saved up enough wings scavenged from free range birds (the rest of which get roasted). Now I know they exist, I will pester our good butchers to see who can come up with the goods.

[tim]

Good one! Ours is simpler. No skinning (too much like hard work) & no flouring. Let them go caramelly on their own - on PTFE sheet so that it sticks to them, not the tray.

Yes, Chilli if the g/children are not here.

18 whole chicken wings, split (tips for stock!)
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Toss in marinade when cooked.