Homemade Chicken Stock

Name: Homemade Chicken Stock
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 260 min
Ingredients: 6 pounds chicken bones (with meat on); 3 large carrots; 3 large celery sticks; 2 medium brown onions; 5 large garlic cloves; 1 Tbsp dried oregano; 1 Tbsp dried parsley; 1 Tbsp dried thyme; 1 Tbsp black peppercorns (whole); 1 tsp sea salt; 2 bay leaves (whole); 12 cups water; 1 inch fresh ginger root

This homemade chicken stock recipe has flavours that are subtle yet delicious. Then there is the multitude of health benefits that go with stock, sometimes called broth, made from bones.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Jars of chicken broth, a kitchen staple, are prepared for storage

How to make the best homemade chicken stock

Dining on a meal made with homemade chicken stock is satisfying. The hearty, rich chicken flavours are subtle yet tasty.
Then there is the multitude of health benefits that go with stock, sometimes called broth, made from bones.

Making this homemade chicken stock recipe is also a great way to get even more from your roast chicken leftovers while using up excess vegetables.
Once you have a handy supply of chicken stock in your fridge or freezer, you’ll be looking for even more recipes!
I love boiling rice in stock for extra goodness and flavour.

For best results, if possible use a large, deep stockpot for this recipe.
If you do not have one, use a large (at least 6-quart) Dutch oven, or a similar-sized double-handed pot.
Ideally, you need as much chicken as possible submerged in water.

TIP: if you’re really stuck, break the chicken carcass into smaller pieces and use your crockpot.

When making stock, you are essentially boiling out the nutrients and collagen from the bones, fat, muscle and tendons.
I always add the chicken skin as it has the most collagen and is what makes the stock turn jelly-like once it has cooled down.

Why I like this recipe

This recipe is flexible and by that I mean, if you only have 1 onion and 2 carrots in your kitchen, your stock will still turn out great!
What’s really important is that you have enough chicken carcass.
Once everything is in the pot and you’ve got the simmering temperature just right, it’s easy to set the timer and leave the kitchen.
This is the best way to use up vegetables that are turning soft.
If your onions or garlic bulbs have sprouted, include the green shoots too.

For peace of mind, I’ve been known to transfer everything over to my slow cooker mid-way through cooking, if I needed to pop out.

The recipe: Homemade Chicken Stock

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 3½ – 4 hours
Yields: 10 cups of chicken stock

Equipment

Large stockpot
Long wooden stirring spoon
8″ chef’s knife
Chopping board
Vegetable peeler
Measuring spoons
Measuring cup
Oven mitts
Colander or a professional strainer
Large bowl (that holds at least 10 cups of liquid)
Freezer-safe containers, jars, or resealable bags
Labels or permanent marker

Optional:
~ tongs
~ large sieve

Ingredients

1 5-6 pound roasted leftover chicken carcass, including skin and giblets
3 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
3 large celery stalks, roughly chopped
2 medium yellow or brown onions, peeled and roughly chopped
4-5 large cloves garlic, peeled.
1 T. dried oregano
1 T. dried parsley
1 T. dried thyme
1 T. whole black peppercorns (or ½ t. ground pepper)
1 t. coarse sea salt
2 whole bay leaves
12 c. water

Steps

Place chicken carcass, skin and giblets into a large stockpot, then arrange the carrots, celery, onions, and garlic around the chicken.
Sprinkle oregano, parsley, thyme, peppercorns, salt, and bay leaves on top.
Add water and bring to a rapid boil over HIGH heat, then reduce the heat to MEDIUM-LOW.
Simmer with a lid on the pot for 3 1/2 – 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
When the meat falls from the bone and the bones have separated, remove from heat. Place colander over a large bowl. Remove all large pieces with tongs and place in colander.
Carefully pour the remaining contents into the colander to separate the solids from the liquid.
Reserve the liquid and either discard the chicken meat or freeze it for soups later.
Discard the remaining vegetable solids. (Do not compost because of the animal fats).
Cover the stock and allow to cool before keeping it in the fridge to solidify.
Skim off any solid fats that are on the surface before transferring broth to airtight, freezer-safe containers.
Date and freeze stock for long-term storage or store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Tips:

To reduce excess splashing, I remove all larger pieces of vegetable and chicken with tongs first.
Then, I strain the liquid.

If you are using a colander and too many small pieces pass through, re-strain the liquid through a large-sized sieve.
Because a professional strainer has smaller holes, you won’t need to do this.

Want to make a vegetarian stock as well?

Essential equipment

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you plan on making broth more than once, here’s what I use and like.
This 5 quart stainless steel pot is the ideal size for boiling 12 cups of water including a whole chicken carcass.
I’ve had bigger stockpots before and they become too heavy to safely pour liquids out.
This stockpot is a little more pricey, but the handles are low profile and you get the quality guarantee.
If you are looking at stockpots, make sure to consider the two-handled pots as one pot is too hard on the wrists to pour that much weight.

Until I picked up a long-handled wooden spoon I almost always had my stirring spoon slip down the sides of the pot and fall into the stock. If you prefer having less cleanup, skip the colander and sieve system described above. Instead, go straight to the professional strainer which holds back big and small pieces in your stock at the same time. Many smaller holes make draining time even faster which is handy in the kitchen

Spectacular soup bowl ideas

As an Etsy Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases.

I am a big fan of Etsy as they support small businesses and have interesting products.
These handmade cotton soup bowl holders are a fantastic, practical design for carrying ice cream too!
Designed for use in the microwave they make handling a hot bowl that much easier.
They’re also perfect and a creative way for small hands to help carry bowls to the table.

Ramen bowls are elegant and low-profile which they make a modern change to the traditional soup bowl.

And for an earthy look, these lightly speckled ceramic handmade soup bowls make any colour of soup look delicious.

Etsy has so many more soup bowl ideas that it was hard to choose just a few.