First time using...

In my experience, stock is more a tool than anything else- it would be kind of hard to "feature" chicken stock in a recipe.**

If the goal is a good chicken dinner, and you have stock on hand, how about sauteeing the chicken till golden, then deglazing the pan with white wine, adding stock and simmering till you have a pan sauce.

** Note: Boar D Laze will be here shortly to prove you can feature stock as an ingredient and that I should hush.

Any of a dozen sauces, from a pan sauce as bluedogz suggests, to all the sauces derived from Veloute.

Or use it as the wetting agent in sides. In a stuffing, for instance. Or to stir-fry veggies.

Or.....well, the uses are legion.

couldn't you also use the chicken stock as the liquid when you mix it with gelatin/aspic for a terrine? that would work out well as being a predominant flavor i would think..

just imagine... chicken stock jigglers.. yum.. :talk:

Deglaze the pan with the stock and make a Jus out of it. Add some chopped herbs and a pat of butter to finish and Viola

Leftover shredded chicken in gravy over biscuits..... Okay that would use the leftovers from a regualr roasted chicken dinner with gravy.

Risotto!

Chicken stock is to risotto what marinara sauce is to pasta.

Also use it to make gravies and sauces.

Do a web search on chicken fricassee and you'll probably get thousands of hits. Hopefully some of the recipes may give you some inspiration.

One meal I like is breaded chicken cutlets ( chicken fried chicken? ) and mashed potatoes, all smothered with a peppery chicken gravy and lots of fresh baked homemade biscuits to sop it all up.

mjb.

If you do any oriental cookiing - its used in a wide range of dishes. Usually at the end of a stir fry to finish off steaming the veg etc, then a little cornflour in water to thicken.

Cook your rice in chicken stock instead of water - the taste is amazing. (Much like risotto per Koukouvagia's post). Or boil your potatoes in it, very nice, especially for mash.

Use it in potato bakes as your liquid instead of cream. Sauces for fish sometimes come out better using chicken stock rather than getting the double dose taste of fish and fish stock which can become overpowering.

Add a little to steamed/boiled veg once they are cooked and toss them in it - yummers!
Use it with greens as your liquid when steaming them instead of water/ or mixed with water, depending on the strength of your stock. Goes really well with cabbage, S & P, and a little sugar and soy.

If your stock has a nice gelling quality, you can set some on a flat plate, cut it into diamond shapes, then use it to decorate cold dishes. You could use it as the top layer in a terrine, cut some nice shaped pieces of bell pepper or what you fancy, herbs, lemon etc, set them in the gelled stock, then build the terrine/ mousse over that. Chill then turn out. Or thinly slice some smoked eel and cover with your gelatinous chicken stock, chill and serve cold, accompanied by horseradish/ sour cream with springs of fresh dill. Accompany with pumpernickel or rye bread.

Its a great ingredient, but unless you use it in a chicken soup, it's not going to be the star. But what a great ingredient :)

DC

The original poster used the term "product" in reference to chicken stock. My guess, on that basis, is that this isn't homemade --- it's store-bought.

If that's the case, I would very strongly recommend NOT making this stock into the star ingredient. Furthermore, do not do anything with it that involves reducing its total liquid quantity by more than a trivial proportion, or it will be extremely salty. (Yes, that's also true if it's "low-sodium" stock -- that means "lower than usual canned stock," i.e. extremely high sodium.)

For example, DON'T make risotto, gelatin, glaze, reduced sauce, or anything of the kind from canned or boxed stock, however high the quality.

I suggest that you simply use such stock in place of water in any chicken recipe (assuming you're not going to be reducing the liquid). Be sure not to add any salt to the recipe until the end: you will probably find the dish salty enough without. If you have simply replaced water with stock, you should get a deeper, richer, and more complex flavor than you usually get. Try a basic chicken casserole, for example.

If of course you're using fresh, homemade stock of good quality, which you should not under any circumstances have salted, then of course you can ignore all these warnings.

Way to put a damper on stock. I have used store bought stock in many dishes other than soup with great results. I always buy low sodium which is important to do so if reducing but when mixed into a recipe (especially with cream like a white gravy) it does not get as salty as you are warning.

The debate on how to make chicken stock is lengthy on other threads. I always lightly salt my home made chicken stock under every circumstance.

I'm with you here. Working in food manufacturing I will tell you that some of the reduced sodium is as good as any home made products and maybe even better. I havent made a Thanksgiving dinner in 15 years without prepackaged stock, and always have a few packages in the pantry for daily use. When both ppl in the home work 50+ hours a week somethings are necessary to have and use.

Which ones specifically? I've tried about a dozen different brands and have yet to find one that compares favorably with my - and many other - home made broths and stocks. Tell us which are as good or better than home made and I'll give them a try.

Lance

I use the Culinary Farms Low Sodium Roasted Chicken and the College Inn FF Chicken Broth and I NEVER buy it in a can, always aseptic box.

Most ppl dont understand how to make stock and arent "Former Chef's". They either boil the bones which makes it cloudy and bitter from the scum, dont cook long enough so its like bath water or over salt trying to make it taste like chicken since they didnt make it right in the first place. Stocks and sauces are an art form and it is difficult to make a proper tasting stock unless you have the time to do it. Im not saying that you personally dont know, I dont know you, but for the average home cook the boxed stuff is perfect.

I have used chicken stock in my cream puff pastry recipe (with savory filling).:D

Also, there is a brasilian appetizer/ finger food called "coxinhas" which the dough is made with chicken stock instead of water. :crazy:

its yummy... Coxinha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:roll:

Speaking of stock, has anyone used "Better than Boullion"? We make alot of our own stock, but this stuff is really good when there is none to be had. It doesn't have MSG in it. Superior Touch Store :bounce:

I have Better than Bouillion (beef) but I don't know what to do with it. Any suggestions?

I have a 3 jars of Better than Bullion in my fridge, Lobster, Clam and Smoked Ham. They are really good and not cheap but a little bit goes a long way.

I'm sorry, but I didn't say anything about prepackaged stock being bad or unpleasant-tasting or dreadful or anything like that. I said that it is rather salty, and that if you reduce it by a fair margin, as when making risotto, it will become extremely salty.

I miss understood you then. You were just very adament about not putting it in anything but a roasted chicken dish or a casserole.

I use better then boullion. I always have chicken and beef in the house, yet i dont use the beef as often.

They do have a higher sodium contant than I'd like, but if you use less of the paste then the jar says, its perfect. Taste is also the best Ive worked with with these type of bases and stocks...better then cubes definatly..IMO