Chicken Stock – Medieval Cooking

In our modern world, food waste is terrifying. In developed countries such as the U.K, half of all food waste comes from the home. This was simply unthinkable in the medieval era.

Preserving food was much more limited then also. One could salt or smoke meat and fish to prolong its life. Pickling vegetables was also an option. However, refrigeration was impossible.

This meant that food would have to be used fairly quickly, especially meat. Especially chicken. Eating chicken was rare for a medieval peasant, as any female chickens were prized for laying eggs!

On the off-chance a chicken has been eaten, the carcass would have been used to create a chicken stock. The basis of many hearty pottages or soups! As with our beef pottage, this recipe will use a slow cooker.

The Ingredients

• Leftover cooked chicken carcass, bones snapped to expose all that marrow
• 1 peeled white onion, cut into quarters
• 2 carrots, ends trimmed
• 2 celery sticks, cut in half
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed open
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon of dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
• 1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns
• Enough water to cover the ingredients

The Method

1. Set-up your slow cooker as per its instructions, set it to low
2. Snap the bones of your chicken carcass and add it to the slow cooker
3. Add in the remaining ingredients, including the water
4. Allow to cook on low for either 12, or 24 hours (I prefer 24)
5. Strain and drain that stock!
6. Allow the stock to cool before then storing it in the fridge, or freezer. The stock can be stored in the fridge for about 5 days, or frozen for up to a year.

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So there you have it, a delicious and hearty chicken stock made from your leftovers.

Want to learn more about reducing waste? https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/ is a great resource.