Chicken Stock

We frequently buy Costco's rotisserie chicken. It's meaty, juicy, and well-priced. I always throw away the bones and skin when I'm finished, but this time I decided to make stock. Let me tell you, this was well worth it. My house smelled like Thanksgiving for hours. I used Barefoot Contessa's recipe from Food Network. I figured 113 ratings all at 5 stars was a winner.

The steps are simple. Put all ingredients in a pot and simmer. I was able to use fresh herbs from my garden.

After four hours you're ready to strain the stock. I used a fine mesh strainer.

Place plastic wrap over the bowl and set in the fridge overnight.

 The next morning you'll find this nice fat film on the top of your stock. Gently remove the fat.

 Now your stock is ready for use.

I divided the stock into plastic bags to freeze until I'm ready to use them. I ended up with two 2-cup bags and one 1 1/2 cups bag. (I also only had one rotisserie chicken, so I divided the recipe in thirds.) This will make delicious gravy, soup or risotto.

Ingredients:
3 (5-pound) roasting chickens
3 large yellow onions, unpeeled and quartered
6 carrots, unpeeled and halved
4 stalks celery with leaves, cut into thirds
4 parsnips, unpeeled and cut in half, optional
20 sprigs fresh parsley
15 sprigs fresh thyme
20 sprigs fresh dill
1 head garlic, unpeeled and cut in 1/2 crosswise
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

Directions:
Place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic, and seasonings in a 16 to 20-quart stockpot. Add 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 4 hours. Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander and discard the solids. Chill the stock overnight. The next day, remove the surface fat. Use immediately or pack in containers and freeze for up to 3 months.