Hühnerbrühe

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large stockpot, 6 to 8 liters
• •Ladle or fine skimmer
• •Fine sieve
• •Large bowl or second pot for straining
• •Freezer containers, 500ml size

Instructions

1. 1

   Start Cold

   Put the soup hen in a large stockpot and cover it with the cold water. Start cold because the slow climb pulls soluble protein and flavour out of the bird before the outside tightens; drop the hen into hot water and you seal the surface like a bad poach. Bring it up slowly over medium heat.

2. 2

   Skim Clean

   As grey foam gathers on the surface, skim it off with a ladle or fine skimmer. That foam is coagulated protein, and if you let the pot boil it back in, the broth turns dull and cloudy. Take ten minutes here. A clear broth begins before the vegetables go in.

   Do not stir while the foam is rising. Stirring breaks it up and sends it through the pot, then you spend the next three hours pretending a fine sieve will fix it.
3. 3

   Add Suppengemüse

   Add the carrots, leek, celeriac, parsley root, onion, parsley stems, bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice, and the teaspoon of salt. The onion skin gives a quiet gold colour, the celeriac and parsley root give the German soup taste, and the small early salt helps draw flavour without making the final broth too salty.

4. 4

   Hold Low

   Lower the heat until the surface only trembles, then cook uncovered or partly covered for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Runter mit der Temperatur. A hard boil pounds fat into the liquid and makes grease you cannot skim cleanly; a low simmer lets the collagen dissolve and the fat rise to the top.

5. 5

   Lift the Meat

   Lift out the hen carefully and let it cool until you can handle it. Pull off the usable meat while it is still warm, because cold chicken clings to the bone and tears badly. Save the meat for Hühnerfrikassee, chicken salad, or a clear noodle soup. Weggeworfen wird nichts.

6. 6

   Strain and Finish

   Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pot or bowl, without pressing hard on the vegetables. Pressing forces cloudy pulp into the broth, and the vegetables have already given what they owe. Let the broth stand, skim off the fat, then taste and salt it properly at the end. Würzen, Fett, Salz zum Schluss.

7. 7

   Chill Safely

   Cool the broth quickly if you are not using it right away. Set the pot in a sink of cold water and stir now and then so the heat leaves fast, then refrigerate within two hours. The next day the fat cap lifts off cleanly, and the broth underneath should be clear, golden, and steady enough to carry a soup.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for a Suppenhuhn, not a roasting chicken. The older bird has more connective tissue, and connective tissue is what gives the broth body after hours in the pot.
• •Wash the leek like you mean it. Sand hides between the leaves, and one gritty leek can ruin three liters of good broth.
• •Keep the first batch plain. No garlic parade, no loud herbs. German chicken broth is the base under other dishes, so it should taste clean enough to become soup, sauce, or fricassee.
• •For a clearer broth, chill it overnight and lift off the fat cap. The fat is useful for frying vegetables or starting a sauce, so save it if it tastes clean.
• •Freeze in 500ml portions. That is the amount a home cook actually reaches for when a sauce needs help on a weeknight.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the broth up to 3 days ahead and keep it refrigerated; bring it to a full simmer before serving or using in a sauce.
• •Freeze cooled broth for up to 3 months in measured portions, leaving headspace because liquid expands as it freezes.
• •Pull the meat from the hen the same day you cook it, then refrigerate it separately; it stays cleaner in texture than meat left soaking in the broth overnight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)