Chicken with Creamy Fennel Broth | Tried and True Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How long to simmer chicken broth? ›

Bring to a boil on high heat and reduce to a low simmer. If scum rises to the surface of the pot (this usually happens in the first half hour of cooking), skim off with a large metal spoon. Let simmer uncovered at a low simmer for 4 to 6 hours. Check every hour or so to be sure there is still enough water in the pot.

If you can pack in even more chicken and aromatics, your stock will only get richer and more gelatinous. As for time, if you don't cook a stock long enough, you risk not extracting sufficient flavor or gelatin. Cook it too long, though, and you get into a case of seriously diminishing returns.

Simmer the uncovered stock for a minimum of four hours for chicken and at least eight hours for beef, skimming every ninety minutes. Add water as needed to keep the bones submerged.

Know your chicken and veggie to water ratio.

You don't want to dilute your stock, otherwise it will be weak in flavor. Make sure the carcass and veggies are covered by at least an inch or two of water, or between 12-20 cups of water (that's at least 3 quarts or up to 5 quarts).

Stock is generally made from bones, and broth is generally made from flesh. In both cases, they are often supported with aromatic vegetables, but in the case of stock, left unseasoned for maximum flexibility in recipes, whereas broth will usually contain at least salt and pepper.

The hotter you cook the stock, the faster you convert collagen into gelatin. Cooking low and slow gives you good conversion while preventing fat, minerals and other gunk from emulsifying into your stock. Boiled stock will be cloudy, greasy and have a lower yield.

I've found that two hours is a good amount of time for simmering chicken stock. A good amount of flavor is extracted from the chicken, but it's not an all-day affair. Just make sure you taste the stock, as it may need a little more time to get it to where you want it.

The longer you cook the broth the more concentrated it becomes. The important step to remember for food safety is that once your broth is cooked to your liking it needs to be cooled quickly and not left set on the stove for hours.

After simmering for at least 4 hours in total, strain your stock through a fine-mesh sieve, strainer, or cheesecloth into a large bowl, pot, or a large stockpot. Simmer up to 24 hours for more flavor before straining.

Is 3 hours enough for broth? ›

So, stock is without bones and broth is with, and depending on your gut health, you will either cook it briefly (2 hours-3hours) or longer to extract the most goodness from the bones (GAPS note: Check question 26 for specific GAPS definitions / what to do if following that protocol).