Wash and clean the birds. Place chicken in the stockpot and cover completely with water, plus an inch or two extra. Bring to just the start of a boil. TURN THE HEAT OFF! DO NOT REMOVE OR LIFT THE LID. Don't even peak in! Let it stand until the sides of the pot are completely cooled. You should feel no heat when you place your hands on the side of the pot. When cooled, remove the chicken and reduce the broth to half at barely a simmer. Remove from heat. Place the pot in the refrigerator. Skim off the solidified fat and freeze. You can use the fat to make a roux for chicken gravy.

Remove the meat from the bone and you can freeze it, or use in chicken soup, salad, etc. The meat will be moist and completely cooked.

When using the broth for soup, you can now add celery, carrots, onion, potatoes, cooked chicken meat, seasonings, etc. If you use a stewing hen, (and they can be hard to find now-a-days) the meat will be stringy, but the flavor is so much more intense and the broth will be a rich yellow.

NOTE: It is the boiling of meat that creates the scum so often found in "from scratch" soups and broths. It comes from the blood in the product bones and meat. If you do not allow the broth to boil at any time, you will have clear broth.

I use my spagetti cooker basket. It makes removing the chickens so much easier. I place the basket in a large bowl to catch all the liquid that you pour back into the pot.