Sadly, another Hatch Chile season is almost at a close. Hopefully you got your case of Hatch chiles, and had them roasted for you at one of the Melissa’s Produce Hatch Chile Roasting events near you. There are still a couple of events coming up, in case you missed one. This recipe for Hatch Chile Chicken Stock actually calls for fresh Hatch chiles, which you can still find in supermarkets.

Usually a chicken stock is made to be a neutral base, with the essence of chicken being what you taste. That way the stock can be used for sauces, soups, stews or whatever you needed it for. If you already know what recipe you intend to use your stock in, you can layer the flavors of the recipe into your stock base.

Here are a few basic stock additions to consider:

Ginger, lemongrass – Asian dishes

Cilantro, coriander, cumin – Mexican dishes

Cardamom, clove, cinnamon – Indian dishes

Also consider fresh herbs and dried chiles as additions to your stocks for a maximum flavor boost.

I made this stock in my slow cooker, which I do if I am making a smaller amount of stock. When I make my post Thanksgiving turkey carcass stock, I use my 16 quart stockpot and cook it overnight. For this stock, I used a few chicken carcasses I had in the freezer, and cooked it for 24 hours in my 8 quart slow cooker.

If you like to roast chickens or buy quality roasted chicken from your market, save the carcasses after you eat the meat. Pop the bones into a resealable plastic bag, and freeze them. When you have 2-3 frozen, you can make a pot of stock.  If you have any chicken  or turkey necks, throw those in too!

Classic chicken stock is made from raw bones, but you can make a really good stock using roasted chicken bones.

Once your stock is made, if you do not need to use all of it, pour the cooled stock into resealable plastic bags and lay them flat on a sheet pan. Place the sheet pan into the freezer until the stock is frozen. Remove the sheet pan from the freezer, leaving the bags of stock. The flat bags of stock take up less space in the freezer.

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Hatch Chile Chicken Stock

Prep Time 5 minutes

Servings 4 quarts

Ingredients

• 3 chicken carcasses
• 4 mild or medium Hatch Chiles seeded, cut into large chunks
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 carrots washed and quartered
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 quarts cold water

Instructions

1. Place the chicken carcasses into a large (8 quart)  slow cooker.

2. Place the Hatch chiles, onion, carrots, bay leaf and thyme into the slow cooker, tucking ingredients around and on top of carcasses.

3. Pour the water over the ingredients, adding more if needed to bring the level to the top of the slow cooker.

4. Set the slow cooker to low, and the timer to 24 hours.

5. When stock is done, strain the stock into a large bowl or pot through a double layer of cheesecloth.

6. Place the bowl into an ice bath to cool the stock quickly, then refrigerate until completely cool. 

7. Remove and discard any fat that has solidified on the surface. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

8. Use or freeze stock within 2-3 days.