Calling all cooks - help me make chicken broth in a crockpot

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I am a terrible cook. One of the few things I can do is put frozen chicken breasts in a crockpot full of water, leave it for many hours, and chunk up the chicken for super easy recipes.

The problem I have is with the chicken broth. It has bits of chicken and gunk floating in it. I have to put a paper towel in a strainer, and strain all the broth. This is time consuming, and doesn’t work very well.

Does anyone know how I can avoid this problem? On cooking shows they say to skim the scum off the chicken broth for the first half hour when it cooks. But they are talking about cooking on a stove. When cooked in a crockpot, the “scum” doesn’t rise to the surface.

Any suggestions?

2

Wrap the chicken in cheesecloth before crockpotting it, or line the crockpot with some large sections of it. Then just pull it all out of the liquid like a big tea bag. To get rid of the grease and scum in the broth, pour it into a container and let it cool, then put it in the fridge. The oils will come to the top where it’ll be easier to skim. For very clear broth though, you’ll still want to strain. Get a very fine strainer and use a few layers of cheesecloth instead of a paper towel. Hope it helps a little :slight_smile:

3

Get a large strainer and some cheesecloth. Paper towels aren’t porous enough.

4

I forgot, I also have trouble with the broth being very gelatinous when cooled. Is this normal for home-made broth? When I say “gelatinous” I mean like chicken flavored Jell-o.

Thanks!

5

Yes.

Especially if you use a lot of gizzards.

Don’t worry, it’s extra-special good that way. And it turns back into liquid when you heat it.

6

Click on my sig link and check out the “Sopa de Pollo con Arroz” soup on the first page. When your stock is gelatinous, it means that you have done a good job. Invest in a fine wire mesh strainer or just let the broth settle in a large container and ladle off the clear portion. Leave most of the fat in unless you are really trying to diet.

The trick is to have a good quantity of salt in the water from the get go. Celery, white pepper, a small amount of garlic and some onions are definitely your friends. Use thyme for your classic American style stock or a hint of oregano for a south-of-the-border accent. Try a dash of five spice powder and a few drops of roasted sesame oil for an Asian twist (all separately, of course).

Feel free to email me if you have further problems.

7

MMMMM! If the broth is very gelatinous when cool, then you have made an excellently cooked chicken stock! To keep it from turning into Jell-O, just add about a cup of water when you have removed all of the bits.

Now, here is a good way to do it, though chicken broth is best made in an open pot, cooked on the stove.

1/2 of a chicken cut up at the joints
1/4 of a small onion, chopped in half
tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 of a tsp. chopped celery

Put all in the crock pot, fill enough to cover with water and place on high for the first hour. Reduce to low and add water if needed. Simmer for 4 hours, of if you like to let it cook when you go to work, then do so. With a slotted spoon, remove all meat and vegetables and place the meat in a bowl for later use. To clarify the broth, pour through a colander or sieve. Return to pot and taste. If too ‘chickeny’ add water as needed to dilute it. It probably will be too ‘chickeny’ because crock pots return the steam to the fluid and tend to condense the flavor, which is why I choose not to use them for most broth’s.

Bring the broth to a second boil by putting the pot on high, with the lid off. Taste. If too watery, let condense through evaporation. If you need a bit more vegetable flavor, add one or two chunks of onion or celery and let cook, tasting every few minutes and when flavored just right, lift them out.

To skim, let cool and skim off the rising oils or pour into bowl, which will cool it faster, and skim with a big spoon. You can buy a grease separator at almost any department store for around $1.00, which makes it much easier.

When done, you should have an excellent broth for your consumption. If it jells, dilute it. Jelling means it is concentrated and is usually desirable. Freezing jelled broth gives you a frozen broth that can be scooped out with a spoon because it will not hard freeze!

8

CORRECTION!! Make that 1/4 tsp. salt!!