Why a whole chicken?
The combination of fat and gelatin-rich bones therein will give you the best shot at the most flavorful broth that, ideally, should have a little body to it. The bird can be whole or cut up. In the accompanying recipe, the meat from the chicken does not cook for a long time and therefore can be used as a soup component. About 2 pounds of chicken wings could be used instead. For the accompanying recipe, though, it's easier to detach the skin for that fried-chicken skin benefit.
In a SeriousEats.com kitchen test, the thinnest and lightest-colored broth was made with boneless skinless chicken breasts.
Why not start with a commercial broth?
Lots of home cooks do, of course. But some products have lots of additives, including potato flour, yeast extract and "natural chicken flavor," and those who are wheat-, dairy- or gluten-intolerant need to read the labels closely to see whether the broths were manufactured in a facility that processes those ingredients. And some of those additives make for a cloudy broth.
What makes a broth cloudy?
Generally, tiny protein particles will make a DIY broth cloudy. This happens often when the broth is brought to a full boil, so a state of "barely bubbling" is the way to go for clear broth. If cooked noodles or chicken sit in refrigerated broth for more than a day, they can start to break down into particles, too. Why do so many store-bought broths and soup bases contain yeast extract?
It's commonly used to add an "umami" characteristic, and it contains some naturally occurring monosodium glutamate (MSG).
