Homemade Chicken Stock

This Homemade Chicken Stock is guaranteed to elevate any dish! This tutorial will teach you how to make chicken stock easily on the stove top or in the slow cooker with a few simple ingredients. It has a fresh flavor and silky mouthfeel that you’ll never get from store bought, and it’s freezer friendly!

There’s no better way to elevate a dish than with this Homemade Chicken Stock recipe.  When I was in cooking school, we always used homemade stocks in our recipes, and every single dish that we prepared was restaurant quality.

It may sound fancy or hard to prepare, but making chicken stock couldn’t be easier. Chicken bones (or raw parts) are gently simmered with vegetables, herbs and peppercorns in water for a few hours to extract the flavor from the bones.

Why make homemade stock when you can just as easily buy it at the store? The collagen and flavor from the bones is extracted during the cooking process, which translates to a fresh flavor and silky mouthfeel that you just can’t get from store bought stock.

It’s also extremely cost effective as you can use chicken parts or a chicken carcass that you would otherwise simply throw away.

The phrase homemade is always best truly applies here! It’s so easy and delicious that you may never buy it again.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Homemade chicken stock is packed with fresh flavor and collagen from chicken bones that lends a silky mouthfeel that you’ll never get from store bought chicken stock.
• Making chicken stock from scratch is extremely affordable as you’re using chicken parts or a roasted chicken carcass that you would otherwise throw away.
• This homemade chicken stock recipe will elevate any dish! It’s flavor and texture boosts soups, sauces, stews, risotto, rice dishes, and even mashed potatoes.
• Stock may be frozen in handy portion sizes and used for up to 3 months.

Chicken stock ingredients

There are only a few simple ingredients required for this chicken stock recipe, and the choice is yours whether you prepare it with raw chicken parts for a white stock or roasted bones for a brown stock.

Ingredient notes

• Chicken parts. The chicken parts/bones are the foundation of the stock. Chicken bones, especially backs, wings, and neck, release collagen and minerals during simmering, contributing to the stock’s texture and flavor. I always freeze the backbones and neck when I prepare spatchcock chicken, and the roasted bones from my roasted chicken or rotisserie chicken to make stock at a later time. See my post how to cut a whole chicken for information on how to use chicken parts for stock as well!
• Vegetables. Carrots, onion, and celery (also known as a mirepoix), lend sweetness and earthy notes to the chicken stock.
• Aromatics. Herbs and spices like bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley, and thyme add complexity to the flavor of the stock. They can be tossed in loose, or wrapped in a bouquet garni which makes it easier to remove from the stock when it has finished cooking.

How to make a bouquet garni

A bouquet garni (or “garnished bouquet” in French) is a bundle of herbs and spices traditionally used in French cuisine to add depth and complexity of flavor to soups, stews, stocks, and braises.

The bouquet garni for this chicken stock recipe includes the parsley, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns. While wrapping the herbs and spices in a bundle isn’t necessary, it provides an easy alternative to remove them from the stock when it has finished cooking.

If you wish you to make a bouquet garni, simply cut a double square of cheesecloth and place the herbs and spices in the middle. Fold over all of the edges, and tie it up with kitchen twine to hold it together.

How to make chicken stock

Homemade chicken stock may sound fancy or difficult to prepare, but it’s so easy to make with a few refrigerator and pantry staples.

You can choose to make chicken stock the traditional way on the stove top, or see the recipe card notes for instructions to make slow cooker chicken stock.

Pro tip: Raw chicken parts such as backbones, wings, etc. create a delicious white stock, just be sure to skin the scum from the top as it simmers to keep the fat from emulsifying with the stock. From there, cool the stock to room temperature and remove any additional fat from the top before storing.

See the recipe card below for full instructions.

1. Remove excess fat from chicken pieces or carcass as necessary. Place ingredients in a large stock pot and add enough water to cover the ingredients by 2″.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil and immediately reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer uncovered for about 4 hours, skimming any scum off the top occasionally.
3. Remove the pot from heat and carefully strain into a large bowl using a fine mesh strainer and cool completely.
4. Store chicken stock in the refrigerator or portion and freeze in air tight containers.

FAQs

How to use chicken stock

Using homemade chicken stock in your recipes will add exceptional flavor and rich mouthfeel to an abundance of recipes.

• Use it as a base for Greek lemon chicken soup or chicken stew.
• It’s guaranteed to elevate short rib risotto.
• It adds great flavor to almond rice pilaf or farfalle pasta.
• It makes a great pan sauce in recipes like pork chops with creamy mushroom sauce.
• It’s essential in making this homemade chicken gravy by Tastes Better From Scratch next level.

Recipe Notes

• Pro tip: Raw chicken parts such as backbones from spatchcock chicken, wings, etc. create a delicious white stock, just be sure to skin the scum from the top as it simmers to keep the fat from emulsifying with the stock. From there, cool the stock to room temperature and remove any additional fat from the top before storing.
• Use the carcass from roasted chicken or a rotisserie chicken to make brown stock, which is even richer in flavor.  If you’re not ready to make stock right away, simply freeze the roasted chicken carcass in a zip top bag for up to 3 months. 
• See my post how to cut a whole chicken for information on how to use chicken parts for stock as well!
• Homemade chicken stock can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• How to make slow cooker chicken stock: Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours. This can be done overnight while you sleep! Strain and allow to cool at room temperature, then skim the fat from the top and refrigerate or freeze.

More chicken recipes you’ll love

• Chicken vegetable soup
• Instant Pot chicken and rice
• Instant Pot shredded chicken
• Mexican rice casserole
• Slow cooker chicken tortilla soup

Did you try this recipe?  If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram

**This post was originally published in February 2017. The recipe has been updated as a stove top version with slow cooker instructions, and the photos and text have been modified to reflect this change.

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