Japanese Chicken Stock

This is how ramen stock is made, but now its my go to at home as

As I have come to learn about Japanese food, it’s simple but it’s not easy. Chicken stock actually very easily burns and doesn’t like oxygen. Once I was taught this stock by my sensei, I never went back to french stock. No, there is no mirepoix, nothing but bones and water. Which means those bones and that water need to be REALLY GOOD, cause there is no where to hide. I simply can’t make dingy stock any more. I also prefer this stock because it has one flavor - chicken. All the other flavors can be added as you cook.

This stock also never boils. It stays at a max of 180 degrees, and you will babysit it to ensure there is no steam coming off the top, because if there is, there is oxygen being pumped through your stock and you will loose the golden color we are going for. Think of it like this, low and slow you are coaxing the bones to give all the goodness they have in the purest form.

This recipe is from my cookbook RAMEN OTAKU: Mastering the art of Ramen at Home

TORI CHINTAN - all chicken clear stock

For a 10Qt or larger pot
Makes about 6 cups

1 5-6 pound chicken
2 pounds chicken feet
2 cups thinly sliced ginger, skin on
1 12x12”  piece of kombu
8 cups of water (or 2:1 water to bones ratio using weight)

Blanch the chicken feet: Arrange the feet in a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot and add enough cool water to just cover the feet. Bring to a boil over high heat on the stovetop. As soon as the water reaches a boil, remove from heat and dump out the water. Take those feet and place them in the bottom of the cooking vessel to cool in the fridge. This will allow the feet to congeal together and form what will become your “raft”. Blanching the chicken feet before adding them to the stock both cleans them activates the collagen they contain. 

Cut the chicken into quarters: With the tip of a sharp knife, cut the wings off and set in the pot. Cut the breast meat off by guiding your knife along both sides of the cartilage at the end of the breastbone; reserving the breast meat for another use (like the toppings in the lemon chicken pai-tan; see recipe page 000). Turn the chicken skin side up. Cut lengthwise down the center of the chicken to split it into halves. Cut through the skin separating the thighs. 

Use organic hens if possible as they are more plump and have more delicious fat. Chicken feet can be procured at many butchers and Asian groceries. 

Pictures of the Chicken, how to break it down and what parts are important. 

You can have your butcher quarter your chicken for you, but be sure they gives you the whole bird--you want to the spine and skin as well as they add flavor and collagen to the broth. Finally, don’t be afraid of blood--it helps clarify the stock and makes it sweet. If you see it in the bones or carcass, it’s okay!

Tightly pack the chicken parts, including skin and bones, in the pot--the goal here is for the bone to remain relatively still while they cook, not roll around. Arrange the blanched feet in a tight formation on top of the chicken. Now, if you have the space in your fridge - place whole pot with bones for 1 hour in the fridge. Why? To let those chicken feet jell together and form the next raft on top of the bones. Remove the pot from the fridge, fill with just enough water to cover--the ideal ratio is about 2:1 water to bones; you don’t want to drown them. If you want to be really exact about the water to bones ratio, get your scale out and use the above ratio.

STOVETOP

You do have to keep an eye on this stock to ensure that the your heat isn’t too high and the water doesn’t evaporate too quickly. Your goal is a slow, steady simmer that will yield a rich, clean stock. Timing-wise, you will ideally start the chintain in the morning so you can have time to do paitan on the same day, but you can hold the bones overnight in the fridge and start the paitan the following day if necessary. 

Notes: Use a large (8-12 quart) stock pot with a heavy bottom if possible--the taller and skinnier 

it is, the better, which limits the broth’s exposure to air and helps create a delicious fat seal on top (see below for more detail). 

Turn the stovetop on high and quickly bring the broth to a boil. As soon as you hit a boil, turn the heat down to a low simmer--use a thermometer to measure 200°F, as the chicken can burn easily. A filmy brown foam will begin to rise to the top at this point— ignore it. Don’t skim the stock. Trust me, you want the foam. It has essential amino acids in it, plus it acts as a “raft” to help clarify the stock for the next 30-45 minutes. When you start to see a layer of the fat coming off the bones and the feet, you can cover the pot to keep oxygen out (oxygen will oxidize your stock, giving it an unappealing dingy color). 

Continue simmering at this heat for 6 hours. No stirring, ever.  

While the broth is cooking, pull out a large bowl or container (or several smaller bowls/containers) to chill the broth in; and clear space in your refrigerator. 

When broth has reached a rich golden color and your entire house smells like incredible chicken soup, and when you carefully taste the broth for a “lick your lips of pure chicken” quality, or that it reads at a 5 or higher in the refractometer, it’s time to carefully strain the bones from the stock. Pour the stock into the bowl you’re chilling it in, and add the ginger and kombu (optional). Allow the ingredients to steep in the broth for about 40 minutes at room temperature, then strain out and discard. Cover the broth and chill in the refrigerator until totally solid and gelatinous, a minimum of 3-4 hours or overnight. 

When the broth is totally chilled and a thick layer of fat has formed on the top, use a spoon to skim the fat off the top and reserve for making the infused chicken fats on page 000. 

Chintan will last 1 week in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer. 

PRESSURE COOKER

You ready for this? Set it and forget it.

Grab your pot (vessel) from the fridge. Turn it upside down on the counter and give it a nudge to get the congealed feet off the bottom. Now add the chicken parts, then raft of feet on top, then carefully add water. Lock the top and set your cooker on HIGH for 90 minutes. Your stock will get to just around 250 and the HIGH pressure will move the process along 3 fold from stovetop. Remember to allow the steam to release naturally, instead of forcing it (which will bring it to a rapid boil and disturb the clarity), and the top lock will release and you can open and behold your beautiful golden stock.

Carefully taste the broth for a “lick your lips of pure chicken” quality, or that it reads at a 5 or higher in the refractometer, it’s time to carefully strain the bones from the stock and set aside to cool. Pour the stock into the bowl you’re chilling it in, and add the ginger and kombu. Allow the ingredients to steep in the broth for about 40 minutes at room temperature, then strain out and discard. Cover the broth and chill in the refrigerator until totally solid and gelatinous, a minimum of 3-4 hours or overnight. 

When the broth is totally chilled and a thick layer of fat has formed on the top, use a spoon to skim the fat off the top and reserve for making the infused chicken fats. 

Chintan will last 1 week in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer.