Ingredients
- 3 pounds raw chicken backs, necks, gizzards
- 16 cups water
Preparation
• Heat oven to 425°. Chop the bones in pieces if you want and spread them on a shallow baking pan. Roast for 60 to 90 minutes, turning a time or two. The bones should be dark brown, so cook them as long as you need to.
• Place the bones in a large pot and cover with 1 gallon (16 cups) of water. Turn heat to high and bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, covered, for an hour. Meanwhile, pour off any fat accumulated in the roasting pan (I save mine for cooking). Pour enough water in the roasting pan to cover the bottom and scrape all the brown residue off the pan. Pour this into the simmering pot. When the broth has simmered an hour, remove from heat, cool slightly, strain chicken broth into a large bowl and, if you have the time, refrigerate to harden fat so that you can remove it.
• If you’re making chicken broth to freeze and save for later, simmer with the top off, which intensifies flavor and decreases volume so it will take up less room in the freezer. If you want to use the broth for sauces, keep simmering to reduce the volume by half or more, which will give it more body — enough that it may turn to gelatin in the refrigerator. That’s the sign of great broth.