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SERVES:
2-4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 whole chicken (3 1/2 – 4 pounds)


• remaining chicken carcass (and wings too if you like)


• 2 carrots, rough chopped


• 1 large rib celery, rough chopped


• 1 small-medium onion, rough chopped


• 2 bay leaves


• 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme (or pinch dried thyme)


• 5-6 whole black peppercorns


• Water as needed (approx. 6-7 cups)

PROCEDURE:

Whole birds are packaged and labeled so that the chicken breast meat is facing up so, after unwrapping and keeping the breast meat facing upward and the legs pointing away from you, you'll want to use a sharp, thin bladed knife to slice the skin between the leg and the breast meat, then make a slice down the center of the breast bone and slowly and carefully run your knife tightly along the shape of the rib cage to remove each individual chicken breast. (Be aware that there is a thin ridge at the center of the breast bone and you'll actually slice along either side of that as you remove each individual breast).

Once you have removed the chicken breasts, you'll want to make sure that at the thicker end of each chicken breast, there isn't any of the wishbone left behind in the meat itself.

Next, run your knife through the joint that attaches the wing to the body of the bird and then you can also run the knife through the middle joint of the wing to separate that into two pieces.

Next, spin the bird around 180 degrees and use your left hand to push up on the underside of the left thigh to help find the joint that connects the leg to the body, then run your knife through that joint to separate the leg from the body and then, once again, you can cut that leg into two parts through the center joint into a drumstick and a thigh.
Put the knife down for a moment, use your right hand to push up on the underside of the right thigh and then remove that leg as well.

Keep those chicken parts cold until you are ready to use them and then, to make the chicken stock, add the carcass to a deep, heavy bottomed pot and add the chicken wings as well if you like and then throw some diced carrots, celery and onion into the pot, add some fresh thyme (or a pinch of dried thyme) a few black peppercorns, a bay leaf or two and then add enough water to cover and bring it up to a simmer.

Skim the surface of the stock once or twice and then let it gently simmer along for about 1 hour, strain it through a fine mesh strainer and cool it down in the fridge or the freezer.

HINTS:

Any leftover meat on the chicken carcass and the wings (after simmering in the stock) can be removed and added to a simple chicken soup or even made into a simple chicken salad.