Ask Dr. Gourmet

What do mean by "chicken stock?"

In your Chicken Pot Pie recipe, when you say chicken stock, are you referring to the water/stock that the chicken is cooked in or can you use chicken broth?

Dr. Gourmet Says...

Chicken stock is technically made with bones and meat, where chicken broth is made by simmering meat only (sometimes with vegetables). When you use the bones for making your stock and simmer them, the marrow and gelatin dissolves into the stock giving it a richer, silkier texture.

The Chicken Pot Pie recipe was originally developed and tested using Swanson Low Sodium Chicken Broth. This can be found in the soup aisle of almost any grocery store. There are better prepared stocks on the market, but this is the most widely available.

Some recipes on the Dr. Gourmet website call for vegetable stock. It's easy to make your own at home using the parts of vegetables that you might otherwise throw away. Here's how to make your own vegetable stock using the "treasure or trash" method.

Eat well,

Timothy S. Harlan, MD, FACP, CCMS
Dr. Gourmet