I am starting my first post with one of my obsessions – homemade chicken stock. Since chicken stock is something I use quite regularly, especially during soup season, I thought it would be a good idea to get a recipe out there right off the bat.
A chicken stock made from scratch is heads and shoulders above anything you can buy in a box or (worse) a can. Not only is the taste superior when you make it yourself, but it is so much more healthful, too. When the kids go back to school and the weather turns colder, it is very important to nourish ourselves with foods that boost the immune system. Prepared properly, chicken stock is rich in minerals, aids in digestion, and strengthens the immune system.
Making stock does not require a lot of work, but it does take some time on the stove to simmer. I like to make stock on a day when I know I’ll be around for 5 hours or so and I usually make 2 large stockpots at once. Stock can stay in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or be frozen for up to 3 months.
Just so you know, I’m all about efficiency, and this is the first of many opportunities to apply “green” principles — which can save you some green. Let’s say you just made a flavorful roast chicken last night – instead of tossing the carcass in the garbage (this is a simple example of adaptive reuse!), save it for chicken stock, it will yield a very rich broth. That way you get multiple meals from a single purchase, saving you time and money. Who said it wasn’t easy to be green?
Tips for making a flavorful, nutrient-rich stock:
- Bones! Use fresh chicken parts such as backs, necks, wings and feet, if you can get them. (Toss the feet in the pot first so they don’t float to the top and stick out. That really freaked me out the first time I did that!) You can also use a whole chicken if you like to have poached chicken meat to use afterwards.
- Cold water – it will draw lots of flavor from the bones.
- A gentle simmer – this will result in a clear broth.
- A little acidity (such as vinegar) – to draw lots of minerals and amino acids from the bones.
- Time – the longer it simmers, the more flavor you will have.
- Turkey, too – you can do the same thing with your leftover turkey carcass from Thanksgiving.
Let me just warn you right now – once you’ve cooked with homemade stock, you’ll never go back to a box!
Homemade Chicken Stock Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 whole free-range chicken , or 4 pounds of bony chicken parts, such as backs, necks and wings (if you can get chicken feet, use them!)
- 6 quarts cold water*
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar**
- 1 large onion, peeled and halved
- 2 carrots, peeled
- 2 celery stalks, cut if necessary
- fresh parsley, few sprigs
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
Instructions
- Wash the chicken and remove gizzards from the cavity. Place chicken and/or chicken parts in a large stainless steel stock pot. (You can cut the chicken into pieces if you need to in order to fit in the pot.) Add the cold water and vinegar. Put the temperature on high and bring to a boil.
- Immediately turn heat to low and skim with a slotted spoon any foam that rises to the surface. Try not to skim any of the fat or you will lose a bit of flavor. At this point, it is important to keep the stock to a bare simmer and NOT a boil.
- After skimming off all the foam, add all the vegetables except the parsley. Cook uncovered at the gentlest possible simmer for 4 to 5 hours. (I like to go as long as 12 hours). You want to see tiny bubbles just barely breaking the surface. If the heat from the burner does not go low enough, partially cover the pot or leave your stock pot half on the heat and half off.
- About 10 minutes before finishing the stock, add the sea salt and parsley (this will impart additional mineral ions to the broth).
- Strain the stock into a large glass bowl. Remove the chicken meat from the carcass, if using a whole chicken, and discard the remaining solids. Cool before refrigerating.
- Ladle through a fine mesh sieve into quart-sized containers or whatever size is most useful and refrigerate overnight. The next day, skim off the congealed fat at the top of each container. Refrigerate the stock for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. I have been using BPA-free containers from letsgogreen.biz as well as Sistema. I also reuse glass quart-size jars from yogurt and Vegenaise. Just soak the labels off and wash before adding your stock.
Notes
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
If I only have one frozen rotisserie chicken, can I just make this with one and half all the other ingredients? Or would it be best to wait until I have more chicken parts to add? Thx!!
meaning you have the carcass, not an entire chicken, correct? It’s not a lot of bones for that quantity of water, so I would decrease water and veg!
Hi Pamela! What’s the difference between stock and “bone broth”? I normally use raw chicken parts (with meat and bones) so that I then have cooked chicken to shred and add back into the strained broth. Is that possible with “bone” broth – I feel like cooking the meat for so long might be a no-no. Thanks for the advice! I made this for the first time probably 8 years ago and I’m still making it today – I can’t imagine using boxed broth now! 🙂
Such a good question! Bone broth is made with only bony parts and simmered for 18-72 hours. You can make chicken stock with only bony parts as well, but you would only simmer for 5-8-ish hours (although there are no “rules” per se.)
Hi- I just made stock and am waiting for it to cool in a large glass bowl. Should I cover the bowl when I put it in the fridge?
Thanks for all your advice! You are such an inspiration
You can, but sometimes I leave it uncovered. It’s probably safer to cover it so nothing falls into it or so it doesn’t spill if people go through the fridge.
I was wondering what brand and size pot do you use to make the stock? Love your recipes!
Thanks, Amanda! My favorite stock pot is by Demeyere and it’s 10.6 quarts. You can find a link here: https://pamelasalzman.com/kitchen-basics/
Can you use a rotisserie chicken carcass after the meat has been consumed?
Absolutely! You’ll need a few of them though or you’ll at least need to supplement the carcass with additional chicken parts. Just make sure you clean any flavorings out of the cavity, such as herbs or lemon.
Ahhh great! So if I put raw breast/ribs how long should they simmer before I remove the meat is I want to eat it?
Probably after an hour, but then put the bones back in and let those go the rest of the time. 🙂
i am interested in making homemade stock but i’d like to be able to do it in a crockpot. have you tried that yet and do you have suggestions on how to alter this recipe for a crockpot? also above you mention using the bones from the night before’s roast chicken. can i do this recipe with just the carcass or do i need to add fresh chicken parts as well?
I sure have! Check out this link here: https://pamelasalzman.com/slow-cooker-whole-chicken-and-stock-recipe/
I made the soup and let it simmer for 6 hours. When I went to take it off the stove, most of the liquid had evaporated and all that was left was mushy chicken and the vegetables. Any way to salvage it and what did I do wrong? thanks…
Hi Debra, I’m sorry this wasn’t a success for you, but you can just strain what is left and use it for stock. I can think of two possible things that would have caused this to happen. First, it’s important to very gently simmer the stock, as in tiny bubbles barely breaking the surface. Boiling is not what we want here. Also, salt should not be added until the end, if at all. Salt causes rapid evaporation. If you happen to use kosher chicken, I think it might be better to partially cover the pot. Let me know if you have any other questions and I am happy to help.
Pamela,
What about using the vegetable scraps that I usually use to make my vegetable broth with for the chicken stock? Seems like they would work as well?
Definitely! Good call. Actually brown onion skins will add a nice golden color to the stock.