Friday Foods: Chicken Stock

Chicken stock is incredibly easy to make and nutritious to boot.  I have been making my own chicken stock for years but just came across this idea from TheNourishedKitchen.com for Perpetual Stock. The idea is that there is so much nutrition in stock that we should be enjoying its savory goodness every day. Here's how it works:

1. Take a roasted chicken frame or leftover chicken bones. You want to find a chicken that was able to eat a natural diet and didn't spend its life in a cage. Organic is best. Not only is it more humane but chickens raised in this setting will be much more nutritious. I also added the giblets, minus the liver.

2. Stick it in your slow cooker and fill it with water.

3. Add veggie scraps (onion, celery, garlic, parsley). *This is optional

4. Set it on low and simmer.

The stock will be ready to use within 24 hours, but if you replenish the water you can keep it going all week. Whenever you need stock, run it through a sieve or a reusable coffee filter and enjoy. Today I filled a pot with stock, threw in some bowtie pasta, added the leftover chicken and Viola! a quick, and easy lunch.  I also added some to my doggie's bowl and he ate two servings and begged for more.

What's the difference between broth and stock? Not much. Broth is usually made from meat and veggies and stock is made from bones. But these terms are used interchangeably. Since you are cooking the bones for such long periods, the bones will soften, and seep all the nutrition into the water.

People suffer from malnutrition for two reasons. One, they aren't eating nutritious foods, either from lack of available healthy foods or a poor lifestyle. Two, they have intestinal damage that prevents them from absorbing nutrients. The gelatin in stock coats the lining of the intestines which heals and protects from further damage. This is especially helpful for people with celiac's disease, food allergies, or inflammatory bowel disease. Also, stock is loaded with easily digested minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, etc.  It also has collagen, which not only promotes skin health, but may improve joint and bone health.
   
So even if you are not keen on stock simmering away all week long, at least throw those bones into a slow cooker for 24 hours and enjoy one batch. You can also freeze any leftovers for those chilly days when only soup will do.