I’m vegan and wanted to use the leftover chicken bones from my roommate for stock for the kitty and him, cause unflavored stock is expensive for cats and I don’t wanna waste.
Am I doing this right? Small bowl has skin idk if I should just toss
by SpotWild7061
27 Comments
You’re gonna need a bigger pot. Yes I would toss the skin
Bigger pot. Save the skin and pan fry with salt it’s a nice snack for your roommate to have or to garnish with. Skim the foam coming from the top and keep at a low temp – keeping it at a simmer will make sure things don’t disintegrate. Good luck!
I would keep the skin in the stock, skim the white foam that floats on top, slow simmer for hours and hours and hours and top it up when it gets a little low. So much flavor. Roasting the bones even with some meat left on gives amazing flavor. Since its for a cat I wouldnt add any aromatics, herbs or veg
You need a much bigger pot for stock.
Since you had the skin and some fat left on the bones, I would skim off the solid fat once it cools. You also don’t need that many bones for one batch.
You gotta have room for enough liquid to make this worthwhile.
If a cat might eat it absolutely no alliums (onion, garlic), they are toxic to them.
Roast the bones first in the oven 425 ish until they’re a little brown, then put in a much bigger pot with any fresh herbs you have, a couple peeled carrots and some celery. Simmer (not boil) for up to 6 hours stirring once in a while. Allium free for the cat and super tasty for the humans (someone pls correct me if carrots and celery are bad for cats)
Toss the skin. Much larger pot. You can even use a crock pot filled with as much water will go.
Bigger pot or cook only a small batch at a time.
There’s a huge amount of raw meat on those bones, what are they leftover from?
A bigger pot and a heat diffuser for the gas burner for real low simmering would be nice to have.
Also – spread out the bones on a baking sheet and roast @ 350F until they get a little browned. Then add them to the pot with water and aromatics (carrot, celery, bay leaf, whole peppercorns), and as someone pointed out no alliums if for a kitty. I’ve made stocks with raw bones and cooked bones. I prefer the cooked bones.
The skin is up to you. Save it to make baked cracklin’s or add it to the pot to impart more flavor (fat) that you’ll have to skim off & toss into the bin.
Bigger pot.
No skin.
Chunky Veg – ~~Quartered onions and~~ rough chopped carrots at least. ~~Leave the skin on the onion for a darker color~~.
Whole pepper corns and coriander seeds.
No salt. You can add salt later after it reduces if you want.
Get a bigger pot
Get a bigger pot!
Get a bigger pot or make less stock.
Crisp up the skin in the air fryer first!
Or better yet roast the bones and skin (air fryer or oven) before simmering to help bring out the flavor!
Browning the bones off first gives a lot more flavor for human consumption. And skin will make it fatty. The easiest way to get rid of it is to chuck it in the fridge and let it cool completely, then you can scoop the cold fat off the top
Get a bigger pot, roast that.carcass first.
Personally I make broth in a pressure cooker, and then take it outside for the venting part. That way the kitchen won’t smell so strongly of chicken afterwards.
I always break he bones to release the marrow and collagen. I’d probably roast those.
You could still throw the skins in for flavor, I would just let the fat settle in the fridge and skim it off the top before storing or using (especially for the cat’s consumption). I’ll usually save my fat scraps to toss into my stocks, then store the skimmed fat in a mason jars to throw in the freezer to use for cooking down the line. If your roommate cooks, this could be a good option for them to have a flavorful fat to cook with. But if not I would just toss it after skimming.
Much bigger pot.
Leave it all in there.
Cook it till it reduces a bit.
Add veg etc for added flavour.
My process is here: 2 pans total
In 1 pot: Remove all remaining meat and fat from the bones (i usually use those bulk pack cheap leg quarters so lots of skin) and place in a small pot, render slowly til all thr golden goodness is released, snack on the crispy skins when they’re right.
In the 2nd pot: in a giant stock pot, place your bones, a couple halved or quartered onions, a bulb of garlic thats been chopped in half, celery with the tops still and some crudely chopped carrot. For stock I don’t peel the veg. Add your water, some salt and any seasonings and boil.
Once rolling, turn it down to medium and let it go. Making sure to skim the scuzz. Its ready when it feels right. Always taste as you go, and you can also add a little bullion to easily punch it up.
When you go to make soup, sautée the vegetables in the rendered chicken fat. Adding a teaspoon of the fat over the finished bowl of soup also goes crazy.
Use a bigger pot. A slow cooker is best.
I just want to back up what some others have said here: Use a bigger pot. Use everything. Simmer for hours and hours. You can add more water if it cooks off too much. Break the bones. Roast the bones? (I’ve never done this but I’m going to try it now). When done simmering strain all the ingredients out by using a fine wire mesh sieve and pouring the broth (slowly and carefully) into another pot. Cover and chill overnight in the fridge and then skim all the fat off the top the next day.
… And hey OP, if you’re doing this for your animals that’s awesome but… do it for yourself as well. Homemade stock is the f’ing best! (If you do, don’t forget the onions and garlic. (and celery and bell peppers, and carrots) Some white wine doesn’t hurt either;)
Edit: Whoops! You’re vegan, my bad. Well, I don’t know. Other peoples then?
I always pull the skin from any applications where it will get soggy and air fry them. They cook in their own fat and get really crispy. Then crumble them into your soup or eat them as is.