Brown Chicken Stock

Ingredients

• 2  bay leaves 
• 0.5 teaspoon peppercorns black
• 3  carrots 2-inch-thick cut into pieces
• 1  celery stalk 2-inch-thick cut into pieces
• 6 pounds chicken pieces 
• 0.3 pound fennel stalks 2-inch-thick cut into pieces
• 1 medium onion unpeeled quartered
• 6  parsley sprigs 
• 5  thyme sprigs 
• 16 cups water cold divided

Equipment

• bowl
• oven
• pot
• sieve
• roasting pan
• broiler
• stove
• broiler pan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 40
2. Arrange the first 4 ingredients in the bottom of a broiler or roasting pan, and top with chicken pieces.
3. Bake at 400 for 1 1/2 hours, turning the chicken once every 30 minutes (chicken and vegetables should be very brown).
4. Place the peppercorns, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves in an 8-quart stockpot.
5. Remove vegetables and chicken from broiler pan, and place in stockpot. Carefully discard the drippings from broiler pan, leaving browned bits.
6. Place broiler pan on stovetop; add 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes, scraping the bottom to loosen the browned bits.
7. Pour contents of broiler pan into stockpot.
8. Add remaining 12 cups of water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours.
9. Strain stock through a fine sieve into a large bowl. Reserve chicken for another use; discard remaining solids. Cover and chill stock for 8 hours. Skim solidified fat from surface of broth, and discard.