Make this broth when you have a day to spend in and out of the kitchen, because it will take four hours just for the boiling time alone. It’s worth the effort, though, because you’ll get an amazing broth that you can serve immediately or freeze into portions for future soups like this spinach mint chicken soup I turned this batch into.

This is “Oaxacanesque” because I’ve sort of followed a recipe from Quinta Brava in Oaxaca and taken a few liberties with it. The biggest difference is that the original recipe can be cooked in an hour with 8 chicken legs or thighs — but my spouse reminded me that I’ve been hoarding chicken carcasses in our freezer like some sort of modern Baba Yaga, so I used three chicken carcasses and cooked the broth for about four hours to make full use of the bones instead.

Using carcasses is a good way to get more use out of a roast chicken after the biggest pieces of meat are eaten. Just tuck them in the back of the freezer and try not to forget about them indefinitely. Once you’ve made the broth, you can salvage what bits of meat are left to toss into whichever soup you make with the broth.

The original recipe is also a bit vague on measurements, so I’ve made some assumptions in my version below.

2 carrots
1 chayote (type of squash; you can sub a medium zucchini if you can’t find a chayote)
1 potato
1 onion
1 garlic bulb
parsley (I went with about half a bunch)
several sprigs of cilantro
1 tsp. cumin seeds or powder
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. cloves
1-2 tsp. black pepper
salt to taste
Chicken: Option 1: 8 legs or thighs; Option 2: 2-3 carcasses

If you’re using chicken legs/thighs:
Clean all the ingredients and peel the carrots and potatoes. Cut all the veggies into a small dice and mince the garlic, parsley, and cilantro.

Add everything to a large stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then boil for 40-50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

Add salt and season to taste.

If you’re using chicken carcasses:
Roughly chop the vegetables and toss into a 20-qt. stock pot along with the skins. Add the rest of the ingredients and cover with water. Bring to a boil (this could take 30-60 minutes if you are starting with frozen), then boil for roughly 4 hours.

Remove from heat and strain, saving the broth in another pot. When the solid matter is cooled, you can salvage the chicken if you like, as this will have fallen off the bones and will be easy to separate. Use immediately or freeze in portions for future soups/recipes that call for chicken stock or broth.