I like chicken broth more than chicken stock.

I’m sure this seems like a relatively mundane statement… but in my world, it’s not.  I learned how to make a proper stock at culinary school; there are ratios of bones to veg to water, you can’t boil it, etc. etc. etc.

I also found during my schooling that I had a knack for butchery, which grew exponentially during my externship, and one of the things I did daily for the restaurant was to make the chicken stock.

It seems like I’m splitting hairs here but stock is made from bones, whereas broth is made from meat (which is usually attached to the bone).  The flavor is different.*  Upon consideration the cost is different too.

We’ve been taught, and if you google it, that broth is less flavorful.  Stock is the ultimate way to go.  It’s just what you do.  And for years I have been making it at home just like I was taught, and cooling it in ice baths just like I was taught, and everything, just like I was taught.  Because I was taught it was the better way.  And, ok frankly I do make a phenomenal stock; with all this practice I damn well better.

But last week I woke up with a really gut-wringing stomach ache; I really can’t remember the last time my stomach has hurt that bad.  And after half the day and finally getting a little rest, I regained a small sliver of my appetite and craved some of my mom’s chicken rice soup.

I understand the logical path here is that nostalgia makes us all feel better yada yada, but from a culinary perspective I’ve noticed in my adult life that her soup has an amazing depth of flavor.  And, I know she makes it by throwing a whole chicken in a pot.

Which would be a broth.

Which for the go-to option I have turned my nose up at for years because I was taught that wasn’t the way.

So, I was like screw it and I pandemic Instacarted a whole chicken to my house (even though I had my own stock in the freezer), threw it in a pot with the appropriate veggies, and made soup.

It was the same as I remembered.  The chicken was cooked perfectly doing it that way, and the flavor was awesome.  I had two bowls.  I may have regretted that later but that’s a different story for another time.

The point is, I had been taught that stock was better.  An institution I trusted taught and ingrained that into me, but I never stopped to ask why.  To ask what their specific motivations were.

Now, years later looking at the question for the first time there are probably multiple answers, most of them flavor related, but I’m betting one of them is also cost; no restaurant can afford to just boil** whole chickens every day for broth.

But I never stopped to ask.  I never stopped to see what would be better for me, cooking for my household and not a restaurant, and what fit our needs.  I never stopped to ask myself which one I liked better, or which one was easier to make at home (broth btw), or which one would also yield something else (chicken) that I could use for meals throughout the week when I made the broth (efficient).

I just trusted what I was taught, because people with more singular experience than me in that one singular area, with different needs, backgrounds, experiences, and reasons than me, had taught me that.  And I unquestioningly followed.

I’ve come to realize that it’s not disrespectful, to the talented chefs who taught me or the institution, to question the lessons I’ve been taught.  They have different reasons and motivations for those lessons, and it’s ok if they don’t apply to my life.  What’s not ok is if I don’t challenge them to make sure those lessons fit into my life.

Most will come into this article with confirmation bias –yes thank you Mr. Anders I still remember your lecture on the subject from years ago– but I challenge you, after you’ve soaked in the warm fuzzies, to try to look at it from another angle… especially from the angle of someone with whom you may currently disagree.

Then, if you’re brave enough apply it to yourself and play devil’s advocate– what if you’re wrong, or let’s just say not completely right?  What will do you do about it if you are?  How will you resolve the internal conflicts you may have unearthed?

My hope is that everyone, equally, regardless of background or other traits that differentiate us, tries this. 

And if it reveals some things that require some processing, or some internal math that may not line up with personal end goals, may I suggest some chicken broth.

I hear it’s really tasty, and easy to make.

* Ok I need to throw in that there are different types of stock, each made for different things, and each when used properly produce amazing culinary results.  Here I’m only comparing a simple (no bone roasting) at-home stock to a similar broth, which also takes into account preparation time and cleanup, and the ability to use the cooked chicken in another final dish.  But it actually does just taste better to me too.

** Yes I know stock shouldn’t be boiled, just work with me here.