Make a Better Chicken Broth

Like many other families, we save on groceries by maximizing what we purchase. One way to do this is to make soup out of the bones after I roast a chicken.

Since we don't use the pan drippings to make gravy, I pour them into a Pyrex measuring cup and refrigerate overnight. The fat separates, and the remaining material gels into a thick solid. I think that a lot of the gelatin from the chicken bones is in those pan drippings. The first time I added this to the soup, we had the richest-tasting, most full-bodied soup I'd ever made. So now I do this routinely.

I skim off the fat and add the drippings to the pot with the chicken (most of the meat removed and reserved), vegetables (carrots, celery, onions, garlic), spices (black peppercorns), and water (to cover).

I've read that using the pan drippings can make a soup cloudy. It might, but I can live with a little cloudiness in exchange for better-tasting soup.

I'm linking this up!

• Tuesday's Tip Jar at BlogMommas.com
• October Fest Carnival of Super Foods (Stock/Broth edition) at Kitchen Stewardship