Chicken Demi-Glace

Notes: You can easily half, or even third this recipe depending on how much time and space you have. If you have an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, you can make this in a fraction of the time — as long as you start with a rich bone broth that doesn’t have the fat an particulates emulsified into it, that’s the starting point you want. Also, I leave out carrots, which are traditional in many bone broths, just because I find that the concentrated demi-glace is a bit too sweet when you have carrots in the mix. But you can add them if you’d prefer!

• Add the bones and/or carcasses and/or feet of 4-6 chickens and add them to a 14qt stock pot

• Cover with water, and bring to a boil. Skim the scum off the top.

• Add 3-4 onions, cut in half.

• Add 3-4 stalks of celery.

• Add 3-4 tablespoons of whole peppercorns

• Add 3-4 bay leaves.

• Reduce heat and cover. The pot should just barely be simmering. Bubbles just barely breaking the surface.

• Let simmer for 24 hours.

• Remove bones/veggies.

• Strain through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth 1-3x until all sediment is filtered out and stock is clear.

• Cool in the fridge overnight

• The next day, scrape off any fat that has come to the surface, and discard.

• Bring the uncovered de-fatted stock up to a simmer

• Skim the scum if any comes up.

• If your cooled stock wasn't jellified, you may add 2 packets/sheets of plain gelatin, but this is optional.

• Reduce stock until it is 1/8th it's volume, it looks glossy, lightly syrupy, and can coat the back of a spoon.

• Freeze in 4oz blocks for future use (this will be equal to approximately 1 qt of stock)