Stovetop Chicken Chintan Stock

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, cut up into 14 parts
• 1 leek, including dark-green parts, washed well of sand and sliced crosswise very thinly
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
• 6 medium cloves garlic, minced
• One 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/4 ounce kombu, or dried kelp

Directions

1. Put the chicken breast meat into a food processor and pulse until it is finely chopped, with a texture similar to ground beef.
2. Set the rest of the chicken pieces in a stockpot. Spoon the chopped breast meat over them, then add enough water to cover everything by about 2 inches, which should be about 2 quarts or 1.8L water.
3. Set the pot over high heat and bring the liquid to a simmer, stirring now and then so the chopped chicken breaks apart instead of clumping.
4. Lower the heat to medium-low or low so the stock stays at the gentlest simmer. The liquid should be around 205 degrees F (96 degrees C), with a calm but constant rise of small bubbles and almost no movement across the top. Slide the pot slightly off the center of the burner rather than leaving it directly over the flame or eye, which encourages a convection current and helps steady the heat. Maintain that very gentle simmer for 3 hours.
5. Add the chopped leek, onion, carrot, garlic, and ginger to a large heatproof mixing bowl.
6. With a ladle or large spoon, remove the fat floating on the surface of the stock. If you like, strain that fat to remove bits and save it as a ramen aroma oil or for another use, or simply discard it. The remaining chicken pieces may be saved for niban tori paitan broth, or discarded. Throw away the ground chicken breast meat.
7. Pour the stock through a fine-mesh strainer into the bowl with the chopped vegetables. Add the kombu, making sure it is fully covered by the stock, and steep for 45 minutes.
8. Strain the stock again through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl. The vegetables and kombu can be kept for niban tori paitan broth, or discarded. Transfer the finished stock to sealable containers and refrigerate.