Ingredients

• 4 pounds raw chicken backbones
• 7 quarts cold water
• 2 onions, unpeeled and quartered
• 2 carrots, peeled and halved crosswise
• 2 celery stalks, halved crosswise
• 4 tablespoons Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 thyme sprigs (or 1/4 teaspoon dry)
• 5 pieces parsley sprigs (or 10 stems)

Instructions

Rough cut the vegetables. Check the video for reference.

Put everything in a large 8-quart stockpot. On a Wolf Burner, bring the stock to a boil over high heat. Then turn the soup down to a simmer.

Skim off any foam and fat that rises to the surface.

Simmer the stock for 4 hours, keeping an eye on it to make sure it stays at a simmer. If the chicken still has pieces of the skin attached, the fat will render and float to the surface. When that fat builds up on the surface, the soup will stop simmering and not cook correctly. Make sure to check the soup every 30 minutes or so and skim off that excess fat as it rises.

After the soup has simmered for 4 hours, remove the vegetables and chicken with a spider strainer.

Strain the stock through a fine-meshed sieve and let cool.

Scrape any more fat that has risen to the surface as the soup cools. Save it in the fridge or freezer for soups and sauces.

Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.