Easy Homemade Chicken Stock
My secret to flavorful and nutrient rich soup is Easy Homemade Chicken Stock. Homemade Stock is so much better than store-bought for many reasons. It’s cheaper, it’s more nutritious, and incredibly more flavorful. Homemade stock is also a great way to use leftover meat, veggie scraps, herbs and other aromatics. Not to mention, it’s easy-peasy. I promise!
Stock is the foundation for so many dishes and chicken stock is the most widely used in our house. Soup is the obvious dish but Easy Homemade Chicken Stock is great for adding flavor to rice dishes, pasta sauces, curry dishes, braised meat and so much more. Check out my Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese with Lobster, Red Wine Braised Short Ribs, or my Lemon Risotto Cups all using Stock.
What I use to make Easy Homemade Chicken Stock
Whole Chicken – The difference between stock and broth is in the meat. Broth just uses the meat while stock is made using bones. The use of bones is what makes chicken stock so valuable in nutrients and collagen. You can use a chicken carcass, a whole chicken, or chicken wings, drums and thighs (bone in). I always tend to make stock with a whole chicken so I can reserve the meat for soup.
Herbs and other aromatics – I always load up my homemade stock with lots of herbs such as parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage and a bay leaf. I also add peppercorns, garlic and sometimes even a lemon.
Vegetables – I always use carrots, celery and onions in my stock. If I have parsnips or leeks, I’ll use those too.
My secret ingredient – finally…I have a secret to share…I add a parmesan cheese rind to my stock. It’s a game changer, friends! It really does deepen the flavor of stock. I just love finding a use for literally every scrap in the fridge. Never throw away a cheese rind! There’s so much flavor in there. Add it to stocks and sauces.
How I make Easy Homemade Chicken Stock
Use a large stock pot – place all the ingredients in the largest stock pot you can find. I found a large inexpensive stockpot at Homegoods years ago and it’s perfect for stock. Make sure you cover the chicken, all the veggies and herbs with water. I use about 16 quarts of water. You want everything to be well submerged so the water gets infused with all that flavor.
Bring to a boil – Keep the heat on medium-high and bring the water to a rapid boil. If scum or foam starts to appear at the top, continually scoop it away.
Simmer – After the water comes to a boil, turn the heat to low-medium and simmer the liquid for a minimum of three hours. The liquid will reduce to about a half. That’s why you need a large stock pot!
Cool and strain – After the liquid is done simmering let it cool for an hour or so. Once the liquid is cooled, strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer into another pot or large bowl. Now, divide the stock up into jars or containers and allow the liquid to cool completely before freezing. You’re done! Now enjoy for months to come in a variety of dishes!
Easy Homemade Chicken Stock
Equipment
- Large Stock Pot
- Storage containers such as quart size soup containers
Ingredients
- 1 Chicken Carcass or Whole Chicken
- 2 Carrots
- 2 Celery Stocks
- 1 Onion, left whole
- 1 tbsp Black peppercorns
- 1 bunch Parsley
- 4 sprigs Thyme
- 4 sprigs Rosemary
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 Parmesan cheese rind
- 1 Garlic, whole
- 1 Lemon This is optional
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in the largest stock pot you can find. Make sure you cover the chicken, all the veggies and herbs with water. I use about 16 quarts of water. You want everything to be well submerged so the water gets infused with all that flavor.
- Turn the heat on medium-high and bring the water to a rapid boil. If scum or foam starts to appear at the top, continually scoop it away.
- After the water comes to a boil, turn the heat to low-medium and simmer the liquid for a minimum of three hours. The liquid will reduce to about a half. That's why you need a large stock pot!
- After the liquid is done simmering let it cool for an hour or so. Once the liquid is cooled, strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer into another pot or large bowl. Now, divide the stock up into jars or containers and allow the liquid to cool completely before freezing. You're done! Now enjoy for months to come in a variety of dishes!
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