The French Laundry’s Chicken Stock
How The French Laundry makes their chicken stock.
Ingredients
Golden Chicken Stock
- 1,000 g Chicken wings
- 180 g Chicken feet
- 1,500 g Cold water
- 800 g Ice
- 90 g Carrots, 1 inch dice
- 90 g Leeks, white and green parts only, 1 inch dice
- 90 g Onions, 1 inch dice
- 8 g Garlic, root removed, crushed
- 8 g Thyme
- 8 g Black pepper corns
- 1 ea Bay leaf
Consomme (Bonus recipe)
- 2 qt Chicken stock
- 2 ea Egg whites
- 200 g Chicken
- 30 g Carrots, peeled and small dice
- 30 g Onions, peeled and small dice
- 30 g Leek, small dice
- 1 ea Sprig thyme
Instructions
Golden Chicken Stock
- Rinse the chicken bones under hot water until the water is clear. This helps remove the excess proteins which will turn into impurities while the stock cooks. * Freezing the bones not only helps you stock pile enough bones, it also helps remove the excess liquid and protein which can cloud the stock
- Place 1000 g of chicken wings with 180 g of chicken feet into a stock pot, filling with 1,500 g of cold water, which will help keep the impurities larger, making skimming easier. Bring this up to a convection simmer by pulling the pot half way off the burner and brining to a simmer. Remove any impurities with a fine mess spider and/ or a large spoon with a bowl of water. Add in 800 grams of ice, which will congeal the fat, making it easier to skim off.
- Place this back fully on the burner and bring to a simmer. Cook for 90 minutes, skimming as fat and impurities rise up to the surface.
- To the stock pot add 90 g carrots, 90 g leeks, white and light green parts only with 90 g onions, all cut into a 1 inch dice. The remaining aromatics are 8 g of crushed and peeled garlic, 8g Fresh thyme, 8 black pepper corns and 1 bay leaf.
- Once the vegetable are done, turn off the heat and let the stock rest for 20 minutes to allow any particle to fall to the bottom of the pot.
- Use a ladle to gentle remove the stock from the pot, being careful to not move the bones. Once the stock starts to get low, tilt the pot to reach the rest of the stock. Discard any remaining stock on the bottom which is cloudy and full of impurities.
- Place the stock over an ice bath to properly cool, then place into containers. The stock will stay good in the fridge for 5 days, but for long term storage, place in the freezer. Just make sure to leave an air gap in the container for the stock to expand.
Consommé (Bonus recipe)
- Add 200 g chicken into a food processor and blend. Add in two egg whites, then 30 g each of carrots, onions and leeks. Place this into a container with one large sprig of thyme.
- Heat 2 qts of stock to 100 f/ 38 c in a heavy bottom pot and whisk in the raft. Continue whisking until the the stock reaches 125 F/ 51 C. Bring this up to a light simmer to allow the raft to float to the surface and collect all the impurities. Cut a window into the raft large enough to fit a ladle and baste the top of the raft to set it and allow this to cook for 20-30 minutes.
- Carefully ladle out the consommé, being careful not to disturb the raft. Strain this through linen like to remove any small pieces of raft. Store and cool just like the stock.
