Ingredients:

  • 2 kg whole roasting chicken
  • 450g chicken wings
  • 4.25 liters cold filtered water
  • 2 large yellow onions
  • 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks
  • 2 large parsnips
  • 3 celery stalks with leaves
  • 1 small white turnip
  • 1 bunch fresh dill
  • 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1.5 tbsp Kosher salt
  • 1 tsp whole black peppercorns

Instructions:

  1. Place the 2 kg whole chicken and 450g of wings into your stockpot. Pour in the 4.25 liters of cold filtered water.
  2. Turn the heat to medium and bring it to a very slow simmer. As the water heats, a gray foam will rise to the surface. Use your skimmer to remove every bit of this scum. Cook 30 mins until no more foam appears.
  3. Add the 2 large onions (one with skin), carrots, parsnips, and turnip. Push them down into the liquid. Add the 1.5 tbsp of Kosher salt and 1 tsp of peppercorns now.
  4. Maintain a lazy simmer where only one or two bubbles break the surface every few seconds. Cook 1 hour 30 mins until the chicken meat is tender.
  5. Tie the dill and parsley together with kitchen twine and submerge them in the broth. Cook 45 mins until the herbs have wilted and released their oils.
  6. Carefully lift the whole chicken out of the pot and set it on a tray. Once it's cool enough to touch, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces and discard the skin and bones.
  7. Pour the entire contents of the pot through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container. Discard the spent herbs and onions, but keep the carrots and parsnips if you like them in your final bowl.
  8. Let the broth sit for 10 minutes. Use a wide spoon to skim off the excess fat from the top. Note: Leave a few gold coins of fat for flavor and mouthfeel.
  9. Return the clear broth to the pot. Add the shredded chicken and the cooked carrots/parsnips back in. Heat gently until a simmer is reached.
  10. Taste the broth. It should feel wholesome and full bodied. If it tastes flat, add another pinch of salt. The salt is what makes the vegetable flavors pop.