chicken stock

Simple question: If I were to use whole chicken pieces rather than just the bones to make stock, will the meat be completely useless when I'm done with the process (for something like chicken salad). If it is useless, is there any reason I couldn't throw in the whole pieces and then pull the pieces out and remove the meat and return the bones to the pot once the meat is cooked enough to use but not so much that it has no flavor left?

[augiewren]

I use whole fryers and necks and backs to make my chicken stock and use the meat from the fryers for salads. I cook my stock for at least 3 hours and find that the pieces of meat are generally okay for salad use.

[shroomgirl]

Hens hold their flavor and are great for stock, I add wings, and backs too....large % of meat to water. Meat is ok for salads

[Pete]

I like to cook my chicken stock for 8-10 hrs. That way I get a great extraction of gelatin that you can't get with a shorter cooking. The meat that cooks that long becomes flavorless and kind of gross consistency. For my stocks I like to use chicken bones and wings.

[Nick.Shu]

A lot of places will blanch "chicken barrels" i.e. chicken carcasses with breast on and thighs and wings off. I do use the meat for sandwiches and return the bones to the stock for reduction.

You must be careful that you dont over blanch the meat and make sure that you wash the barrels thoroughly.

[KyleW]

I am in Pete's camp. I use Bones if I have them or just buy wings. After 8-10 hours there's not much left but the stock, when cooled is like jello.

[Mezzaluna]

My grandmother used chicken feet to add gelatinous quality to the stock (see postings on gross things other eat...!). I use a whole chicken, plus backs and necks- lots of them. I pull the meat off after a couple of hours' gentle simmering, then return the bones to the pot. Shroomgirl, I agree: hens are best, even better than free-range fryers.

[UniChef]

Why would you use the premium cuts of a chicken for stock when there are so many scrap pieces? Escoffier would turn over in his grave!

[Nick.Shu]

previously i would use chicken bones
(fillets removed) but given the fact that my establishment uses a considerably large amount of poached chicken for sandwiches, using the chicken barrels is the most economical way of both providing the meat and stock.

Thanks again everyone. Being a home cook, and only being able to cook about twice per week, it takes some time to accumulate bones, which is why I was interested in using some whole chickens (I'm currently out of carcasses). This weekend I went ahead and bought two hens (at a good price) and quartered them, threw everything in and then I removed all of the breast meat after about 45 minutes and let everything else go. I was able to use some of the stock that night for rice and for a pan sauce for a pork loin. Everything went great and the chicken salad I made from the breasts made some great weekend lunches.