You probably already know that homemade chicken stock is infinitely better than anything you can buy in a can. What you may not know is how stupidly easy it is to make. Take a cold and rainy day like today, grab a book or the paper and a few ingredients and you'll be good to go. Generally, any time I make a chicken, I take the bones and put them in a ziplock bag in the freezer until I have enough to make stock. Today, my freezer was empty, so I bought chicken necks and backs (super cheap!) and threw them in a stock pot along with roughly chopped onion, carrot, celery and parsnip, a few garlic cloves, a bay leaf, and some whole peppercorns. Once it's all in the pot, all you need to do is fill with water at least to cover and bring to a boil. Once it boils, turn down the heat to a simmer for as long as you like — at least several hours. Taste as you go, and don't add any salt until you're happy with the strength of the stock. Strain and chill, and feel free to scrape off the fat if you'd like (but save it for something yummy!).
