Strong Chicken Broth by Pavel Berky

Instructions

• 1
  Cut the hen into individual pieces. Leave the chicken wings whole.
• 2
  Arrange the meat on a baking sheet with a rack so that it overlaps as little as possible and covers the entire surface.
• 3
  Melt the butter and brush it over the meat. Bake in the oven at 250 °C – grill.
• 4
  After about 20 minutes, remove the baking sheet, drain all the fat, and brush the meat again with this buttery pan drippings. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent burning.
• 5
  Turn all pieces, brush again with the pan drippings, and briefly roast until the meat is golden brown on all sides.
• 6
  Remove only the dirtier outer layers from the onion, but leave some layers of skin on, and cut it in half. In a pan with a little butter, sear it cut-side down almost until burnt.
• 7
  Place the roasted meat, seared onion, cleaned vegetables cut into larger pieces, allspice, black peppercorns, bay leaf, and sprigs of thyme into a large pot.
• 8
  Pour in cold water and slowly bring to a boil. Once the water starts boiling, reduce the heat so that the broth maintains a temperature of approximately 85 °C throughout the cooking process. It should not boil vigorously, only “shimmer”. Simmer it like this for at least 4 hours with the lid slightly ajar and without stirring. Gradually, especially during the first 20-30 minutes, skim off any foam from the surface.
• 9
  After cooking, turn off the stove and let the broth cool to room temperature. Then strain it. If you don't want a fatty broth, let it chill and remove the fat from the surface. Do not salt the broth so that it can be seasoned better later according to its use (soups, sauces, risottos, etc.).