Recommended: Ramsay Gordon: Delicious Chicken Stock

Ramsay Gorden Easy Chicken Stock [Also in dwHelper folder]
I will not cannot partake of Hainanese chicken rice without the flavorful, steaming chicken soup or the sensational gingery chilli sauce or ginery sauce that is often identified with Traditional Haineses Chicken Rice. To my palate chicken rice is not Hainanese Chicken Rice if either one of the quinessential accompaniment is missing at my table!

It took me many weeks - several months, in fact - googling countless recipes on the Net and conducting exhaustive trials, before I found the chicken broth by Ramsay Gordon and Malaysian Chef Cheong Liew gives me the most flavorful, wholesome chicken soup I have tasted, ever! And I would be hard-pressed if I have to choose one from the other.

And no wonder, not only is the list of ingredients almost matching each other, but the steps are also uncannily close. No matter, either method produces superior chicken stock. And that's what counts, doesn't it?

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As I am partial to thyme, I decided to go with Gordon's method. He uses fresh thyme whereas Chef Liew uses clove which is a tad strong for my taste buds for a soup. You will not go wrong, however, if you follow the method advocated by the highly regard Malaysian Chef. Read a short brief about him.

Steps:
1. Carcass of chicken in pot.
2. Chop and roughly cut 1 red onion, 1 leek, 1 carrot to same size, so all cook at same time. Cut and add 2 sticks celery, 1 garlic bulb cut in half, 1 t black peppercorns, crushed lightly with a pan and finally, 2 bay leaves, couple of fresh parsley and a nice sprig of fresh thyme. The vegetables flavour the stock.
4. Quickly bring to a boil, and skim the scum that form to avoid a cloudy stock.
5. Boil 30 min, max 40 min. Then sieve the stock.

Now you have delicious chicken stock to use as base for your dishes.

VERDICT: Gordon method is way superior to the PC method of Nathan (see below). The chicken soup has wonderful aroma! The delightful aroma from the spices and vegetables fills the kitchen as the stock is being made, whereas the PC method produces thick soup without any discernible aroma!

Note: Instead of fresh thyme, I used 1/2 tsp dried thyme. Sprinkle fresh coriander, cut into 2" lengths with roots, squashed slightly, and turn off the fire.

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Chef Cheong Liew's Chicken Broth
Finally, this post would be incomplete without providing for our readers a comparison with Chef Liew's White Chicken Stock, thanks to Lily Wai Seck Hong's post: Perfect Steeped White Chicken.

QUOTE
White Chicken Stock

Ingredients
1 kg chicken bones cut into walnut size pieces
2 sticks celery
1 leek
1 onion
1 clove
1 sprig thyme
1 small bay leaf
5 parsley stalks
pinch of salt
10 white peppercorns

To remove blood and impurities, plunge the bones in boiling water. Bring the water back to the boil and remove the bones. Refresh them in cold water. Place the bones in a stockpot and cover with 3 litres of water. Bring to the boil and skim off any impurities. Simmer for 11/2 hours.

Add vegetables and herbs and cook for a further 30minutes. Ten minutes before the end of the cooking process, add the salt and peppercorns. Strain the stock through a fine sieve, then through a muslin cloth.

Chill, then, when you are going to use the stock, or freeze it, remove any remaining fat.

What Chef Liew said about this stock:
Because it has not been exposed to dry heat, white chicken stock does not brown. It is used for general purposes, such as soups and sauces and for dishes where color is important, such as vegetables, rice and cream or white colored sauces.

UNQUOTE

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NathanMyhrvold's PC Method:

PROBLEM #5: You want homemade chicken stock, but you don't have eight hours to kill.

SOLUTION: Chop small to chop time.
Pulse the ingredients (typically, carrot, onion and celery) in a food processor until very finely diced; remove vegetables, add boneless chicken pieces and puree. Chop chicken wings into tiny pieces. Brown all the chicken, then add vegetables and cover with water. Simmer for an hour. The stock will attain the same flavor it would have taken 8 hours with large chunks.

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Chicken Stock from steaming chicken

UMAMI Chicken Stock
Do you know there is a Fifth Taste? Aside from salty, sweet, bitter, sour, there is Umami!

Source: Umami Fifth Taste

In 1960, further scientific research revealed how combining a glutamate with an inosinate (ribonucleotides from meat) creates the perfect umami taste. The classic, brothy flavors of three major cuisines fits this profile:

GLUTAMATE INOSINATE
Japanese Dashi: Kombu (Kelp) + Bonito Flakes
Chinese Chicken Soup: Chinese Cabbage, Chinese Leek + Chicken Bones
Western Bouillon: Onion + Leg of Veal

Of course, this culinary “magic” was in use for 1000 years throughout the world before the science was understood, or umami had a name.