~Flavorful Chicken Broth~

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This chicken broth is full of flavor and is one of my favorite concoction. I make this broth at least once or twice a month and the best part is that it freezes well.  You can freeze it in individual small one serving  containers.  So when I have the urge for a noodle soup, its ready & waiting for me. The soups that I make with this broth is a rice noodle or udon noodle soup and also you can make Thai Tom Yum soup too. I make chicken broth every few weeks, because I’m a soup freak. Home made broth is much healthier than those store-bought ones. I have tried making the stock out of those ready-made bouillon or  broths, I stopped using them because they do not taste fresh to me. When you make a fresh chicken broth at home from the best flavorful ingredients, it really shows in the taste. For this chicken stock I used all of my favorite ingredients like lemon grass, ginger, garlic, dried star anise, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, whole peppercorns & lime juice and lime peel, green & regular onions. I also use a whole chicken with skin off & I prefer a smaller size chicken about 2 1/2 – 3 lbs, which I feel is much tender, & has much more flavor.

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I use a stainless steel strainer ball for the dried spices, this way its easy to fish out once the broth is done cooking. The stock needs to cook for at least 2 hrs on a medium heat. You will absolutely love the fragrance that permeates your entire home while the stock is simmering slowly on the stove. There is something warm & cozy about slow simmered chicken broth. Sometimes, especially in the winters I like to have this stock with just a squeeze of lime and cilantro to warm me up. Soup is good for the soul. Enjoy!

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• INGREDIENTS:
• One whole chicken 2 1/2 lbs – 3 lbs, skin off.
• one large onion, cubed
• one large piece of ginger, cut into large rounds
• 6-8 cloves of garlic
• green onions loosely chopped
• 1 or 2 lemon grass sticks, cut up into medium size pieces
• 2 star anise
• 3 sticks of cinnamon
• 5 pods of cardamom
• 1 tsp of whole peppercorns
• juice of half a lime
• lime peel (only the green part)
• 2 tsp of salt or to taste

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• METHOD:
• In a large stainless steel deep pot, add about 8-10 cups of cold water.
• Add the chicken and rest of the ingredients.
• Let it come to a boil and then turn down the heat to med low.
• Let the stock simmer on low heat for 2 hrs.
• Strain the stock with a sieve, so only the light broth is left.
• You can fill up to 6-8 small containers, let it cool & then you can freeze.