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1
Heat an oven to 200 °C. Arrange the chicken carcasses on a roasting tray and roast until golden-brown, approximately 30 minutes. The Maillard products that form on the surface are the depth of the finished broth; this step separates tori paitan from pale, poached-style chicken dashi. The broth lives or dies here: under-roasted bones produce a flat, colourless result; well-browned bones produce the characteristic depth that distinguishes tori paitan as a technique rather than merely a long simmer. The cue is sight — the bones must be a confident golden-brown on all exposed surfaces.
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2
Transfer the roasted carcasses to a large, heavy stockpot. Add the chicken feet and, if using, the chicken wings. Cover with cold water. Bring to a full, rolling boil over high heat. The cue is sight and sound — a vigorous, churning boil, not a gentle simmer.
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3
Maintain a vigorous rolling boil for 6 to 8 hours, adding water as necessary to keep the bones submerged. It is this sustained, forceful agitation — identical in principle to the Fukuoka tonkotsu technique applied to pork — that emulsifies the chicken fat and dissolved gelatin into the water. Do not reduce to a simmer; the boil must not break. The cue is sight: the broth will turn cream-white and opaque within the first two hours and deepen in viscosity toward the end of cooking.
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4
At 6 hours, assess the broth. Dip a cold spoon and observe the surface: the finished broth is cream-white and opaque, not golden and clear. Coat the back of the spoon — it should carry a slight, viscous film from the emulsified fat and dissolved gelatin contributed principally by the chicken feet. If the broth remains thin and translucent, continue boiling. The cue is touch — the spoon coating tells the cook the gelatin is in solution.
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5
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing the solids firmly. Discard the spent bones. The finished broth should be cream-white, slightly viscous, and carry a clean, intense chicken character. Taste: it must be markedly richer in mouthfeel than a standard chicken stock. The cue is taste — clean chicken intensity with a full, coating body.