Homemade Chicken Stock

4 chicken leg quarters (or 6 thighs or one whole bird, quartered), skin removed

4 onions (not sweet), quartered

4-5 carrots, quartered

4-5 celery stalks, quartered

1 teaspoon Herb de Provence or poultry seasoning

1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

1 teaspoon dried parsley

Enough water to cover

In a large crock pot, place onions, carrots and celery.  Arrange chicken, in a single layer, on top.  Sprinkle with seasonings and add enough water to the crock to cover chicken by about an inch, careful to not overfill the crock (should be about an inch space left at the top).

Set cooking to HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours.  No need to stir.

When cooking time is finished remove chicken and set aside.  Pour the stock into a large bowl through a colander, reserving the cooked veggies.  If there is a lot of fat floating on top try to remove as much as you can.  A little fat is totally fine though.

Now, here's the secret to rich, hearty stock: place (approximately) 1 carrot, 1 stalk of celery and 1 onion into a blender with 1-2 cups of stock.  Puree until very smooth.  Pour the pureed mixture back in the rest of the stock and stir to combine.

I prefer to not salt my stock since I will be using it in other recipes, sometimes even reducing it for a sauce, and will season it at that time.  This prevents over salting.

Either use immediately or allow to cool before preparing for freezer storage.  I like to store 2-cup portions in zippered bags, labeled with the date, laid flat to freeze.  It makes for easy storage and thawing when ready to use.