How to make chicken broth the way Chinese restaurants do it

The chicken broth in wonton soup and egg drop soup is a clear, delicate yellow. Chinese restaurants make this in-house - it's not purchased condensed from a soup factory the way most other types of restaurants acquire their soups. Here's how to make soup stock the way Chinese restaurants do it.

Things you'll need:
* a large stock pot with cover
* carcass of a whole chicken
* water
* strainer or colander
* a second large pot for the finished broth

Step One

Put the chicken bones into the pot and fill it with water. Bring it to a boil. The water will become foamy with bits of fat floating at the top. Dump everything through a strainer in the sink. You're saving the chicken parts and discarding the water.

Step Two

Put the chicken bones back into the pot and fill it with water again. Bring it to a boil. Then turn the heat as low as it will go and cover the pot. Leave it alone for 5-6 hours.

Step Three

Put a clean pot under the strainer, then dump everything through it again. This time, you're saving the liquid and discarding the chicken parts.

Done

You can now use the broth to make soups, or save it for later, either in the fridge or freezer. Once cooled, sometimes the broth will thicken into a gelatinous form. Do not be alarmed - this means you did it right. The more gelatinous, the better the stock.

This same method can be used for other types of stocks, like pork broth (the basis of authentic Chinese cuisine is pork).