Easy & Awesome Chicken Stock

My old Doctor had a sign in his office with a picture of the rear view of a naked and ginormously fat lady pushing a cart down the grocery aisle with the caption, "never shop on an empty stomach". I would add, "or naked", but that is beside the point. We've all heard this, but truthfully, if I go into the store and I'm not hungry, I will leave with an empty cart, because nothing seems appealing. In my new unemployed life I am frequently shopping and doing lots of other errands on an empty stomach because I will forget to eat. There was a time when I thought that was the most ridiculous statement ever, like who forgets to eat? Now I frequently find myself out & about around lunch time, and fading because I am starving.

I was shopping at Costco recently, on an empty stomach, and thinking about what I would have for lunch. Costco is the best because not only does it have high quality stuff at reasonable prices but also because you can feed your whole family at the food court for about twenty bucks. And they have the best hand dipped ice cream bars.  FYI, I forgot to eat before I started writing this. So anyway, I was imagining my food court lunch when I strolled by the rotisserie chickens. I could eat at the food court for $5, or I could buy a chicken for $5 and eat today and tomorrow, and have the makings for some delicious chicken stock. See? Hungry people are capable of making good choices, Dr. Gale!

When I was a kid I used to love chicken legs, now that I'm an adult I find them kind of gross. The exception is Costco rotisserie chicken legs, but only when they're piping hot and fresh, like I have to eat them the second I get home or the window closes. After I scarfed down my chicken legs and removed the breasts for the next days' lunches, I tossed the rest into my crock pot with some water and seasoning and let it crock on low for 2 or 3 days. Some of you may wonder about the safety of leaving your crock pot on for 3 days, but I can assure you it's perfectly safe. I saw a program on how small appliances are made, and crock pots are tested by plugging them in and leaving them on for nine months. There is no food safety issue either, as the crock pot stays at temperature that will not allow any harmful cooties. After a couple of days, use a wooden spoon to break the bones and allow the rich delicious marrow to enhance the stock. They should be soft and easily break, if not let it go another day or so. Strain out the solids, and pour some hot water over the strained solids to get every drop of goodness.

That's it, the recipe for chicken stock. You could use any chicken or turkey bones to make this stock, you could also add onions or garlic to it. I am allergic to onions, and also I like the stock to be a neutral chicken flavor so it is versatile so my recipe is just "chicken bones and skin". The flavor is incredible and the effort is so minimal, once you try it you will be hooked!