Make it from scratch. It’s so easy. After carving up and serving a roast chicken, freeze the remaining carcass. Once you have two or three in your freezer, make broth. And if there’s only one, boil and reduce the finished broth to concentrate before using.
If there’s been no roast chicken, make it using (at least) one pack of chicken wings and following the same method.
The rules of thumb
Clarity: to keep things clear, never let the broth come to the boil and keep skimming off the frothy bits that collect on top.
Colour: for a more golden colour roast the chicken wings before adding (220°C for 15 minutes) then brush with tomato paste and roast for another 5 minutes. Or add a slice of pumpkin or butternut to the stock (this will also affect flavour).
To illustrate the colour difference, the broth in the left-hand image above is made with unroasted chicken and the broth in the right-hand image is made with roasted chicken.
The method
Place in a large pot and cover with cold water (about four to five litres): one roast chicken carcass (at least) or one pack of chicken wings (at least), one onion, unpeeled and halved, one carrot, peeled and halved, one stick of celery, base and leaves removed and cut in two, one to two bay leaves (fresh if possible), six peppercorns, a handful of parsley sprigs. Set over a medium-low heat and very slowly bring to just below boiling point.
Regularly skim any frothy, foamy scum from the surface. Just as it’s on the verge of simmering, reduce the heat and cook for 90 minutes (or longer to make a rich stock). The liquid should be moving ever so slightly, with the odd tiny bubble and steam rising off the surface. Strain, cool and refrigerate. Once cold, spoon the solidified fat off the top. Freeze immediately or refrigerate and use within 48 hours.