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Chicken Stock

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Homemade Chicken Stock is a rich, savory kitchen staple made by gently simmering chicken bones with vegetables, herbs, and aromatics. Use it as a flavorful base for soups, stews, sauces, gravies, risotto, rice, and braised dishes.

Ingredients

  • 3–4 lb chicken bones, carcasses, wings, backs, or necks
  • 10–12 cups cold water, or enough to cover by 1–2 inches
  • 2 yellow onions, quartered
  • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 small handful fresh parsley
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • Salt, optional, to taste

Instructions

  1. Place the chicken bones and pieces in a large stockpot. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, and whole black peppercorns.
  2. Pour in enough cold water to cover the ingredients by 1–2 inches.
  3. Place the pot over medium-high heat and gradually bring the liquid to a gentle simmer.
  4. Skim away foam and impurities that rise to the surface, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer rather than a vigorous boil.
  5. Simmer gently for 3–4 hours, occasionally checking the water level and skimming the surface as necessary.
  6. Taste the stock toward the end of cooking and continue simmering until it has developed the desired richness and concentration.
  7. Carefully strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container. Discard the cooked bones, vegetables, and herbs.
  8. Cool the strained stock promptly, preferably by dividing it among smaller, shallow containers.
  9. Once thoroughly chilled, remove some or all of the solidified fat from the surface if desired. Refrigerate or freeze until needed.

Notes

  • Chicken carcasses, wings, backs, and necks provide bones and connective tissue that help produce a flavorful, gelatin-rich stock.
  • Use little or no salt if the stock will later be reduced or added to other seasoned dishes.
  • Keep the stock at a gentle simmer rather than a vigorous boil for a clearer finished stock.
  • For roasted chicken stock, roast raw chicken bones and optionally the vegetables until deeply browned before simmering.
  • For a lighter stock, use raw chicken bones and simple aromatics without roasting.
  • Rosemary, sage, or additional thyme can be added, but use stronger herbs sparingly.
  • For an Asian-inspired variation, add fresh ginger and green onions and reduce or omit the traditional herbs.
  • Chicken bones and suitable vegetable trimmings can be collected in the freezer until there is enough for a batch of stock.
  • Store cooled stock in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 3–4 days or freeze for longer storage.
  • Leave room for expansion when freezing stock in containers.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://thefamilycooking.com/chicken-stock/