Japanese Chicken Stock

Tori Dashi

Relatively inexpensive chicken wings can make really rich and flavorful stock, as the wings have a lot of bones and joints where the richest flavors are released from. In just 20 minutes of simmering plus resting time, the rich tori dashi is ready. I usually make a large amount, so I can use it for a couple of different dishes, but if your donabe is medium or smaller size, you can adjust the recipe about by cutting by half or so. The bonus of making this stock is the leftover chicken. It's still flavorful, so I like to make a side dish with it.

Equipment

Large-size Classic-style Donabe (3-qt/ 3,000 ml)

Yield

About 7 cups (1.8 L)

Ingredients

• 2 pounds (900 g) chicken wings
• 2 tablespoons liquid shio-koji or sea salt
• 2 negi (Japanese green onion), green part only (can substitute with green parts from 4 green onions)
• 1 oz (30 g) ginger, cut into thin slices
• 1 teaspoon black pepper corns
• 8 cups (2,000 ml) water

Procedure

1. Combine the chicken wings and shio-koji in a large bowl, and mix well by hand. Cover and let the chicken marinade for 30 minutes or up to overnight. Pat dry.
2. Combine the chicken with the rest of the ingredients in the donabe.
3. Cover with lid and set over medium-high heat. As soon as the broth starts to boil, turn down the heat to simmer. Skim as necessary.
4. Line the surface of the contents with a otoshibuta (drop-lid) or a piece of parchment paper. Cover with lid again and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and let it rest for 20 - 30 minutes. *The resting time will help further deepen the flavor of the stock.
6. Transfer the chicken wings to a bowl and save for another use. Chicken wings are so tender and tasty, too. Strain the stock into a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve.

Simmer gently for 20 minutes.

Once the donabe is rested for 20 minutes, remove the parchment paper.

This is how the rested stock looks before straining. Very aromatic.

Chicken wings are removed first.

Stock is strained.

Rich and aromatic stock is ready.  

With the leftover chicken, you can make a quick side dish. In this photo, I tossed the chicken meat with spicy black vinegar & chili sauce. Bones can be removed easily by hand, and I shred the meat roughly by hand. I like to keep the cartilage so I can enjoy the crunchy texture.

• If you want to make extra-rich collagen-packed chicken stock, continue to simmer for 4 hours. Replenish with more water as necessary to avoid the stock from getting reduced too low. Chicken wings used for the extra-rich stock should be discarded, as they become quite exhausted after simmering for a long time.