Chicken Broth

For 3 quarts of the broth:
1 lb chicken
1 carrot, unpeeled
1 onion, unpeeled
1.5 teaspoons salt

Generally speaking, you can make chicken broth out of any kind of chicken or any chicken parts. However, the medium-sized farm chickens produce the tastiest broth: their meat may be tougher compared to the broiler chickens but the broth will be superior.

When choosing a chicken for the broth, select one under 2 pounds; also choose a rather lean bird with yellowish skin.

Place half of a chicken (or a part of it weighing about one pound) into a pot.

Pour in 3.5 quarts of the water and place on the stove.

Bring to a boil and turn the fire down to below medium.

Carefully remove and discard the foam off the surface.

Add the salt.

Continue cooking for 40-45 minutes after boiling.

Rinse the carrot and onion but do not peel.

Cut the onion in half; cut the carrot lengthwise into 4 parts.

Place a thick-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Do not add any oil.

Put the carrot and onion onto the dry skillet.

Roast the vegetables in the skillet till soft on all sides.

The vegetables will get charred which is perfectly normal.

Continue roasting the vegetables while the broth is cooking – the same 40-45 minutes.

After that, add the roasted vegetables to the pot with the broth. 

Bring to a boil and take off the stove.

Cover the pot and set aside for at least 30-40 minutes. The chicken will release its aroma into the broth during this time. The roasted vegetables will add the color, flavor and clarity to the broth.

Remove the chicken from the broth. Carefully strain the broth through a fine sieve.

Discard the vegetables.

The broth can be served on its own with an egg, croutons and boiled chicken meat as desired.

Alternatively, the broth can be used as a base for any soup of your choice.