Chicken Jelly/Fat. Uses ?

balabooberlies

Hello

Had to boil a large amount of chicken thighs and as I left the skins on am left with a large amount of jelly/fat.  Am wondering if there is anything I can use it for and is it worth freezing for later use.

Thanks in advance

bala

bouicca21

jelly for soup/gravy; fat for the food waste bin.

balabooberlies

I think it is all jelly.  Just didn't know what to call it.  Do you just add it to the soup ?

Thank you B21.

bala

3secondmemory

Just add the jelly to soup or casseroles instead of stock. You might have to add some seasoning but you can be assured of optimum nutrition 😃 

Nargleblast

The jelly in gravy or stock, the fat is good for roasting potatoes or for frying off onions at the start of a recipe involving chicken or turkey. 

balabooberlies

oooh thanks.  Will be becoming more and more efficient at not wasting anything.  You are all great !

bala

PipneyJane

balabooberlies said:

Hello

Had to boil a large amount of chicken thighs and as I left the skins on am left with a large amount of jelly/fat.  Am wondering if there is anything I can use it for and is it worth freezing for later use.

Thanks in advance

bala

Bala

The jelly is essentially concentrated chicken stock.  I'd recommend using it in a chicken risotto or saving it for soup.

Regarding the fat that solidifies on top, I render poultry fat and use it for cooking. (Chicken, duck, goose fat.) It's not unhealthy if you don't use a lot at any given time - I usually use about a tablespoon in anything meat related that starts "Fry onion with garlic.  Add..." or includes the words "..brown your meat..".    If you can't use the fat in the next couple of days, you will need to purify it.  Dump it in a plastic bag in the freezer until you have enough to make it worth your while (about a cup's worth), then follow my instructions below for "washing" it.  You can also add it to fat that you are rendering.

To render lumps of uncooked fat: place clean poultry fat +/- chicken/duck/goose skin into a separate baking tray, next time you're using the oven for a roast.  (At this point, I usually add any fat scrapings from the bag in the freezer.)  Pop in the oven and cook until the skins are crispy, like crackling.  Remove and strain through a sieve into a heat proof bowl.. Then dump the crackling onto a plate, dust with salt and pepper and eat.  (Cook's treat.)  Leave the rendered fat to cool and refrigerate until you are ready to wash it.  Jelly may form underneath.

To "wash" fat.  Carefully lift the fat out of your heatproof bowl, leaving as much jelly as possible in the bowl. (Add that to your stock pot.)  Put the fat into another, deep, heat proof bowl.  Pour a kettle full of boiling water over the rendered fat.  It will melt and rise to the surface.  Allow it to cool and then put it in the fridge to set, forming a "lid" over the water.  Once set, lift off the lid of fat and scrape off any crispy bits that might be on its bottom.  (Dispose of those and the water.)   Pop the fat into a saucepan and heat carefully until melted.  Carefully pour into clean, heatproof containers.  (I use recycled soup containers.)    The fat is now ready to use.  Store in the fridge and/or freezer.

HTH,

Pip

balabooberlies

Wow Pip !

Would you like to come and live here ?

  

nosuperwoman

I probably won't do the fat thing as I have an eighties aversion to cooking with fat but I can attest to the value of the stock/jelly underneath. I freeze it and use it as the base for gravy or any other sauce.

Katiehound

and if you are not a soup maker dogs will eat their food at record speed if there's a whiff of chicken jelly in their bowls!

WillowCat

When I make a chicken pie filling the sauce is made with the chicken fat, flour, jelly/dripping and a splash of milk and seasonings.  Super cheap and the taste is unbelievably good.