Saving money on pantry items is one of my greatest enjoyments. I hate wasting money. I am always looking at sale items, and always save money by making things myself. And while I love the convenience of buying pre chopped onions in clear plastic containers, I will risk lots of tears by chopping them myself just to save a buck. Yup, that’s me.
How I Made a Simple Stock From Store Bought Rotisserie Chicken
I always have chicken stock in my pantry, and I stock up on it when it is on sale. Either in cartons, or cans, I always have some on hand. I even have some homemade chicken stock, in the freezer from time to time. Chicken stock is always used, in so many ways, and I personally can never have enough stocked in the pantry, or freezer.
When I am having a busy day, yet I still want to eat a healthy, homey, meal, I usually grab a cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, as I am buying food for the week, and when I get home, we make a big salad, and quick dinner is done. Well on the rare occasion that I find, that I have run out of chicken stock, I see the leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge, and I went for it!
It’s already seasoned, and it shouldn’t take too long! I have other items that need to be purged from the fridge soon, so this is great! I had some celery, and sliced carrots that were due to be thrown out, and I just added onion, and garlic as well. I did not have fresh parsley, or thyme, but I threw some dried spices in the water with salt, and pepper, and I let it come to a boil. I then let it simmer for about an hour, and stock was done!
I let it cool, and store it away in the freezer, but not before tasting it to see if it has flavor, and boy does it ever! You can use this in your favorite sauces, stews, soups, or wherever a recipe calls for chicken stock or broth. You can also make this with leftover chicken bones from an oven roasted chicken. Nothing goes to waste around here.
If you have carrots and onions that will soon be thrown out, or you are not sure what to do with the cut ends of onions, or carrots, just bag them up, in re-sealable freezer bags, and place them in the freezer for future stock. I have even done this with leftover chicken bones as well. If there is room in the freezer, it goes in. Whenever I need stock, I just dump everything into a large stock pot, and let it go for several hours. The aroma, will fill your home with the smell of comfort food.
I store my stock in these Glass Storage Bowls that have a lid, so it can be poured into a pot, and store the rest away easily!
Most families eat roasted chicken a lot, and there is usually extra onions and carrots in the fridge. Celery is used often as well, so this is really a no-brainer! I make it in the morning, lots of times, and by noon, it is ready to store away. You can even freeze it in ice cube trays, then place them in a sealable bag in the freezer, for when you need just a little for a sauce, or small portions. I love using leftovers for something new, so that I can save a little money, don’t you?
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