Asian-style chicken stocks are flavored with green onions or leeks and ginger. These mild flavorings ensure that other ingredients shine without the interference of strong European-style aromatics.
Recipes for European style light and dark chicken stocks can be found here:
Servings
4
servingsPrep time
10
minutesCooking time
1
hour45
minutesIngredients
2 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 qts cold water
2 green onions
1 2-inch piece of ginger
Directions
- Peel the ginger (the edge of a spoon is a great tool for peeling ginger) and cut into ¼-inch coins.
- Wash the green onions and trim away the roots and any dried, green ends.
- Place all ingredients in a pan and bring to a low simmer.
- Simmer covered at a very low flame for 1-2 hours, skimming fat and foam if desired.
- When the stock is done, skim as much fat as possible and strain through many layers of cheesecloth or a flour sack / butter muslin towel. Straining while hot will result in a stock with better body.
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But what if I don’t want to strain off the fat? Should I? I don’t understand why one would forfeit all that flavor and nutrition. Have I been wrong, all these years? Is it bad for you?
You’re right, there’s tons of flavor in the fat- but skimming it off (And saving it!) has a few advantages.
1. It allows you to more precisely control how much fat there is in a finished dish.
2. If you’re using it in a dish that’s further reduced or boiled, using full fat stock can cause it to be cloudy as the fat is emulsified into the stock. Sometimes that fine. Sometimes you want super clear pretty stock.
3. Use it to make potatoes. Like really. Best fried potatoes almost ever.