Rich and Flavorful Chicken Broth with Fennel

This hearty chicken broth is very flavorful, thanks to the addition of fennel tops - it's tasty enough to eat just as a broth if someone is sick, or to add sauteed vegetables and rice to quickly turn it into a soup.  Use in your favorite soup, chicken pot pie, or risotto recipes.  Broth just doesn't look great in pictures - at least not from what I can tell - so no pictures.  Enjoy!

Chicken Broth w/ Fennel

After roasting your chicken and removing/eating the meat, place chicken carcass plus roasted skin in a large pot.  Cover with water, just barely. (I find this fills 1/2 my large pot typically).

Add to pot:
fennel tops (the nice green dill-like stems that grow from the fennel bulb)
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
5-6 coarsely diced green onions (tops & bottoms)
1 tsp ground pepper
1 Tbsp salt

Bring to a boil.  Lower heat, cover and simmer for 2 hours.   Cool for ~20 minutes off the heat.  Strain and store or use, as desired.

Homemade Chicken Stock

Happy New Year!  This is a wonderful way to start off the chilly winter months.  I've made homemade broth both with the carcass of a roast chicken after removing the meat, and also with the uncooked carcass we've received when we get our cut up organic chickens.  I've even frozen carcasses and cooked them later when I've had time, so save that carcass next time you roast a chicken and you can simmer a hearty broth later! (literally, just stick it in the pot frozen and it'll heat up in no time! Some recipes that use chicken broth are listed below. A chicken stock will add a slightly richer taste to the recipes, but they will still taste lovely! Enjoy!
A few recipes that use chicken broth: 
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Delicious Risotto
Chicken, Spinach and Mushroom Florentine
Chicken & Rice Soup
Pumpkin Soup
Chicken a la King
Chicken Pot Pie
Leek & Potato Soup
Flavorful Shrimp Scampi with Wild Rice
Broccoli-Cheddar Soup


Homemade Chicken Stock

In a large pot place:
1 chicken carcass (raw, or picked clean after roasting)
2 - 3 carrots, coarsely sliced
1/2 - 1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 - 2 stalks celery & leaves, optional
~1/4 cup fresh parsley
~ 1/8 cup fresh dill
1 - 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 - 2 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp pepper
pinch turmeric, optional
pinch dried mustard, optional

Fill pot just to the top of carcass.  I use a large cooking pot and fill it half-full, which sometimes doesn't quite cover the carcass if it was a large bird.  It's better to have less water than more, so you get a more flavorful broth.

Bring to a boil.  Cover and lower heat.  Simmer stock for 2-3 hours for full-flavor.

Cool and refrigerate or freeze (as you would soup).  Use in any recipe that calls for chicken broth or chicken stock.  You can also use in any recipe that calls for water and 1 tsp GF bouillon.  1 cup stock = 1 cup water + 1 tsp GF bouillon.

Enjoy! 

Mushroom Seasoning - Can be used as Chicken Boullion

I was introduced to this delicious mushroom seasoning by a friend of our family, Nam, who is a wonderful cook from Vietnam.  It's wonderful because while it says mushroom seasoning, it doesn't actually add a mushroom flavor per se, it just adds a depth of flavor.  I love to use it as I would chicken bouillon, or in recipes such as cream sauces where I want a bit more flavor without adding other spices.  It's wonderful and gluten-free!  A great addition to my cooking. 

I figured I'd put it as a post so I can refer to it in recipes, so people who may not be familiar with it will know what I'm talking about.    You can purchase it at Asian food markets and it's great! Enjoy!

Picture of the front of the bag, so you know what you're looking for.

I took a picture from the back of the back, so you could see the simple ingredient list.  Nice, right!  I've been so grateful to Nam for introducing me to this wonderful ingredient, which I have been using with regularity ever since!