This post is part of a partnership with Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative, but all opinions are my own. Right now you can get $50 off your first box with code FarmBox50.
It’s finally soup season! In the winter months I love making big batches of soup in the slow cooker to warn me up on a cold day. I use my slow cooker so often during the winter that I don’t even bother putting it away. I also use the slow cooker make my own chicken stock to use as a base for soups.
If you’ve been following along for a while, you know I now get most of my meat from Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative. All of their meat is from the US and pasture raised. And because they work with small independent farmers, they recognize the value of using as much of the animal as possible. That’s why you can find things like chicken necks, chicken feet, or even liver on their site.
I recently ordered chicken necks Grass Roots to make a hearty chicken stock. Chicken stock is seriously so easy to make I hardly call it a recipe. If you’ve never made your own stock, you can use any bones, but chicken necks are a great way to use part of the bird that is often forgotten about.
For me, this stock tastes best around the 8 hour mark, but you can leave it cooking for 12+ hours. The longer you cook the necks, the more nutrients like magnesium, calcium and collagen are released into it.
The hardest part of this recipe is the straining. I like my stock to be very clear, so I strain it 3 times. If the stock is still cloudy, Ill run it through cheesecloth. If you’ve never seen chicken necks, keep scrolling past the recipe!
Warming winter chicken stock
Description
Stay warm and healthy with this rustic chicken stock ready to wrap you in comfort!
Ingredients
1 package of Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative chicken necks
2 large onions, quartered
3 large carrots, chopped into thirds
2 stocks of celery, chopped into thirds
2 tablespoons whole peppercorns
optional: fresh sprigs of thyme or parsley stems
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in the slow cooker. Add enough water to cover all of the ingredients.
- Cook for a minimum of 6 hours but ideally 8. You could even cook for 12+ hours for a very bold flavorful stock.
- Once the stock has cooked remove the lid and let cook for about 20 minutes. Then it’s time to strain it. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl. Use tongs to transfer the chicken necks and vegetables to the strainer, letting the stock strain into the bowl. Empty the chicken necks and vegetables into another large bowl then discard once cooled.
- Next, you can strain the stock another 1-2 times through the strainer or using cheesecloth. Keep going until the stock is as clear as you like it.
- Once the stock is cool, divide between containers and refrigerate for 2-3 days or freeze for a month.
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