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–+ servings
Ebonie Garnica

Whole Chicken and Feet Meat Stock for GAPS Intro Stage 1

A plain GAPS Intro Stage 1 and Full GAPS meat-stock batch with one raw whole chicken, two pounds of prepared feet, three liters of water and natural salt. Save the cooked meat, skin, fat and soft tissues as well as the stock. Measure actual finished yield.
Print Recipe
Cook Time 2 hours
Servings: 1 batch (measure actual finished yield)
Course: Full GAPS, GAPS Intro Stage 1, Soup
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 raw whole chicken Fresh or fully refrigerator-thawed, with skin, bones, joints and meat.
  • 2 pounds prepared chicken feet Clean and prepared for the stockpot; weigh before cooking.
  • 3 liters filtered water Measured starting water, not a guaranteed strained yield.
  • natural sea salt or rock salt To taste, added at the beginning of cooking.

Equipment

  • Large stockpot with lid Check that the bird, feet and measured water fit with working room.
  • Kitchen scale and liter-marked jug Weigh feet; measure starting water.
  • Skimming spoon and ladle Skim the foam and transfer stock under control.
  • Sieve and clean dry heat-safe receiving pan Support securely before straining.
  • Clean equipment for separating cooked food Remove hard bones and claws; check carefully for fragments.
  • Food thermometer Check actual cooling temperatures.
  • Larger vessel or sink, ice and cold water External ice-water bath; keep bath water outside the food.
  • Suitable cooling and storage containers Label stock and cooked food separately; freezer-safe containers for later portions.

Method
 

  1. Check that the raw whole chicken, weighed prepared feet and measured water fit the stockpot with working room and a properly resting lid. Have the skimmer, ladle, sieve, clean dry heat-safe receiving pan, thermometer, external ice-water bath and storage containers ready.
  2. Remove the bird’s packaging and any wrapped giblet packet. Rinse the meat and feet with cool water, keeping splashes away from other food. Clean your hands, sink, tools and surfaces afterward. Keep the bird’s skin and edible soft tissues.
  3. Put the chicken and prepared feet in the checked pot. Add the measured water and natural salt to taste. Bring to a boil, skim the rising foam, cover and reduce to a gentle simmer.
  4. Count from the simmering stage. Plan about two hours, checking a commercial bird within its usual 1½–2-hour window; a home-reared free-range bird may need about three hours. The chicken must be fully cooked, with meat and softened tissues coming away from the bones easily. Continue gently if it is not ready; do not extend a finished bird’s cook just to chase a firmer gel.
  5. Turn off the heat and start the cooling clock for saved portions. Support the sieve over the clean, dry heat-safe receiving pan. Transfer the hot stock carefully, using a ladle if the pot is too heavy to lift and pour under control.
  6. When you can handle the cooked bird and feet, separate the edible meat, skin, fat and softened tissues from hard bones and claws. Check for fragments and cut the food into suitable bite-size pieces. Measure the stock and edible food separately; finished yield varies. Serve the portions needed warm.
  7. Cool saved stock promptly in suitable smaller heat-safe containers standing in an external ice-water bath below their rims. Stir often and replenish ice. Check with a thermometer, aiming for 70°F (21°C) in under an hour, then finish cooling in the refrigerator. Use the first two hours for rapid cooling and six hours in total to reach 41°F (5°C), counting from off-heat, including straining. The clock does not restart in the refrigerator. Cool the saved cooked food promptly too.
  8. Label plain stock and cooked chicken separately with their original date. Refrigerate the portions planned for today or tomorrow and freeze later portions after cooling. For freezer-suitable glass, use cooled stock and leave expansion room. Freeze initially without lids, then seal, following the container’s instructions. Never pour hot stock into cold ordinary glass. Reheat the portion needed on the stove and serve warm.

Notes

GAPS: Plain raw-meaty chicken stock for Intro Stage 1 and Full GAPS. Keep the fat and edible soft tissues. This is not a long-cooked bare-bone broth.
Measured batch: At 1× use one whole chicken, two pounds prepared feet and three liters starting water. No fixed finished volume or meat-portion count is promised. Salt is to taste.
Timing: The card’s two hours describes simmering, not the whole preparation. Prep, heating, straining and cooling take additional unmeasured time. A commercial bird usually needs 1½–2 hours; a home-reared free-range bird may need about three. Check actual fully cooked, soft meat and tissues.
Cooling: Start the clock off-heat, including straining. Stir in an external ice bath, aiming for 70°F (21°C) in under an hour; use the first two hours for rapid cooling and six hours in total to reach 41°F (5°C). Check with a thermometer; no visible steam is not a cold-storage check.
Food and storage: Save edible chicken, skin, fat and soft tissues; carefully remove hard bones and claws. Label stock and cooked food separately. For this batch plan, refrigerate today/tomorrow portions and freeze later portions after cooling.
Scaling: At 2× use two chickens, four pounds feet and six liters water; at 3× use three chickens, six pounds feet and nine liters water. Use sufficient capacity or separate original-size pots and check each batch. Cooking and cooling times do not automatically multiply.
Equipment: A stockpot with working room, thermometer and cooling setup are needed. No particular appliance brand is required. For freezer-suitable glass, use cooled stock and leave expansion room. Freeze initially without lids, then seal, following the container’s instructions. Never pour hot stock into cold ordinary glass.

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