Remove the gizzards from the chicken. Clean it
inside and out and let it soak in a large pot of water for 20 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the water and place it
on a rack. Cover it inside and out with kosher salt. Place paper towels
or a good linen kitchen towel over it and let it sit for two hours. This
process is called Koshering the bird.
After two hours wash the salt off the bird then
put it in the pot and cover the bird with fresh water.
Add a teaspoon of pepper and a teaspoon of Bell's
Seasoning.
Peel the onions and cut them in half, then add
them to the water.
Cut up the celery and add it to the water.
Turn
the heat up to high and let it come to a full boil. Be careful that it
doesn't run over.
Reduce the heat to simmer and let it go for a
couple hours, depending on the size of the bird. It is done when the bird
starts falling apart. Do not let the broth boil, or the chicken will get
tough and stringy.
During the last half hour of simmering, taste
the broth to be sure it is not too salty (remember that the koshering
process adds salt to the meat). You may need to add about 1 teaspoon of
salt.
Turn off the heat and let the broth and bird cool
for at least an hour. Remove the chicken and place it in a bowl. Strain
the broth.
Transfer the remaining broth to a clean container
and finish cooling it in the refrigerator. After it is cool, skim off
as much fat off as you can.
Measure the cooled, strained, skimmed stock into
cup and quart containers and refrigerate or freeze until needed.