Chicken stock

Last night, I made chicken stock for the first time. I don't know why I didn't try this before, but I'm glad I did. The recipe was from a Cooking Light cookbook.

Ingredients:

1. 1 (3.5 lb) broiler/fryer chicken (no giblets)
2. 1 onion, unpeeled and quartered
3. 10 parsley sprigs
4. 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns
5. 1 tsp. salt
6. 6 garlic cloves, sliced
7. 3 bay leaves
8. 8 cups water
9. 1 Tbsp cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Place the first 7 ingredients in a stockpot capable of holding more than four quarts. Add the water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes.
2. Remove the chicken from the pot and cool slightly. Remove the meat from the bones and reserve for later use. Return the bones and the skin to the pot.
3. Stir in vinegar and partially cover the pot. Let the stock simmer for another hour.
4. Strain the stock through a sieve into a large bowl. Discard the solids. Cover and chill the stock for at least eight hours. Before using, skim the fat off the top of the stock.

This yielded about 6 cups of stock. The recipe also called for 2 carrots, cut in 2-in pieces, to be added from the beginning, but I left these out because I'm allergic to them.

The stock tastes delicious, and I can't wait to use it in dishes. I think that as long as I can plan ahead, I will never use canned stock again.