Butchering a chicken with Ginger Pig (and chicken stock)

Two weeks ago we attended the “School of Grub with The Ginger Pig” at the fabulous establishment that is Paradise By Way of Kensal Green. We learnt to butcher a chicken. It was brilliant.

Before we jump into the event itself, a quick word about Paradise. This is a gorgeous restaurant/pub/club/party venue which can be found, as the name suggests, in Kensal Green. Now, I appreciate this may be a little out of the way for those of you who are not North West Londoners, but honestly, I think this place is totally worth that tiny bit of effort. The decor is a mix of funky, eclectic and romantic, the food is quite simply brilliant, and the plethora of events, whether it be club nights or comedy, means that there really is something for everyone. Plus, their house gin is fantastic – what more do you need to know?!

Over the last few weeks Paradise have been hosting the “School of Grub” – a “unique series of events about fabulous food and the people that make it”. We signed up to the chicken session, because, yes, I’m still obsessed with chicken. I actually thought we may be coming to the end of my obsession, but then last Sunday we roasted a chilli and lime glazed chicken with such great success that I can’t wait to do it again! Sorry John.

During the lesson we learnt how to butcher and joint a chicken – taught by one of Ginger Pig’s very talented butchers. After a quick demo by the master, we were each given our own chicken to carve up. Now, I’ve had a fair bit of practice at hacking up chickens, but when the name of the game is taking ALL the meat off the bone, I fail miserably. But I’m a fast learner, and when armed with a super sharp knife I’m actually a pretty good butcher, if I do say so myself. We learnt how to take off the breasts and legs, before prepping three dishes: breaded escalopes, chicken breasts stuffed with goats cheese and wrapped in bacon and de-boned chicken legs stuffed with sausage meat.

It was brilliant fun. If you enjoy cooking and getting to know your food, I highly recommend a butchery class. The Ginger Pig know there stuff, although having just checked their website, they only seem to cater for the bigger animals – I’m not sure how often you find yourselves needing to carve a cow or pig. Erm, never?

We celebrated with a feast of Ginger Pig produce – hams, scotch eggs and the most amazing pork pie. I had two, okay, maybe three slices slathered in their Pickle Pot chutney and pickled onions. Yum yum yum. We were then sent home laden down with our prepared chicken and carcases, ready to be turned into stock.

I have never made my own chicken stock – it just seemed too much like hard work when there’s such a huge variety of cubes/jellies/fresh stock from the trusty local. But I’m loathe to throw anything away, so the next night I set out to make stock with our two carcasses, using the Ginger Pig recipe. And hey, it was pretty easy. In fact, super easy – all you do is chop a few things up, throw everything in a pan and leave it to do its thing for 3 hours, checking on it every now and again to scoop off the skanky scum.

I can’t say I’ll always be making my own stock from now on, because, let’s face it, I’m lazy and probably won’t always have a chicken carcass to hand (assuming the obsession dies). But I think it’s a nice skill to have and will make you feel ever so domesticated.

So, here you go, a chicken stock recipe for you. Give it a go and next time I’ll reward you with a nice risotto recipe in which to use it up.

Chicken stock
(courtesy of The Ginger Pig)

Makes about 1 litre

Chicken bones from one chicken (can be raw or roast)
Sunflower oil
2 white onions, peeled and roughly chopped
2 leeks, trimmed and roughly chopped
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 star anise
3 bay leaves
10 peppercorns
Handful fresh parsley
Glass white wine (optional – use water otherwise)
Sprig of thyme

1. If starting with a raw carcass, roast the bones in a hot oven (200c fan) for 20 minutes before beginning.
2. Put a large stockpot on medium heat, add a splash of sunflower oil before throwing in the onions and leeks. Soften the vegetables for a few minutes – you’re looking for the vegetables to become slightly translucent, do not allow them to colour.
3. Add the rest of your ingredients, including the chicken bones and cover with cold water. Bring it all to a very gentle simmer – it should not be bubbling – and leave to cook for three hours. Skim scum from the surface regularly.
4. Strain the finished stock. Return the liquid to the pan and reduce by a third to half, depending on how rich you would like it to be.

Apologies for lack of photo – I forgot to take one / didn’t think you’d find a picture of stock that intriguing.