Serves 7

No need to buy commercially prepared stock when it is this easy, and flavorful, to prepare at home. Use the stock in your favorite recipe or ladle 1- or 2-cup portions into freezer containers, then label, date, and freeze. When you’re ready to use, thaw and add to the recipe you are making

SLOW COOKER SIZE: LARGE

2 to 3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces, especially bony pieces such as wings and backs
1 medium onion, quartered
2 celery stalks, leaves removed, cut into 2-inch pieces
4 or 5 whole black peppercorns, or ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 sprigs fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, about 2 inches long
2 sprigs fresh thyme, about 2 inches long
6 cups water
1.Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours.
2.Allow the stock to cool slightly. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a deep bowl. Carefully ladle the stock into the strainer. Discard the meat, bones and vegetables.

★ TIP: Often in everyday cooking, the terms “broth” and “stock” are used interchangeably, but technically there is a difference. Currently, “bone broth” is popular and by food definitions, bone broth is actually stock. Confusing? Yes, but no worries. Both broth and stock begin by cooking meat or chicken in water. Stock is made by cooking the bones for a long time, so it has a richer mouthfeel from the gelatin in the bones. Broth may or may not have been made from bones, but it begins by cooking a meat. Stock is used as an ingredient in other dishes, so it is left unseasoned—or at most, is very mildly seasoned—but broth is seasoned so you can serve it as a light soup. However, they are very similar, and for the recipes in this book you may substitute stock, especially your own homemade stock, for the broth listed in the recipe.

PER CUP: 423 CALORIES ★ FAT 37 G (79%) ★ NET CARBS 1 G (1%) ★ PROTEIN 19 G (18%)