Stove-Top Homemade Chicken Stock

How do you make a gallon of homemade, super rich chicken stock for just pennies? Start with the leftover carcasses of two roasted chickens - skin, bones, pan dripping - the works! If you have neck bones and giblets, use them too, but no livers (they impart an off flavor). Rotisserie chickens work wonderfully as well. I'll spare you a photo of the carcasses, but put all the parts in a really big stock pot; I like a 12-quart, heavy duty stockpot.

Additionally, you'll need 3 peeled carrots, the leafy top 2 inches of a bunch of celery, 2 jumbo onions, 1 head of garlic (yes a whole head), 15-ish peppercorns (no salt yet), 2 large bay leaves (Turkish please, California bay is way too strong), and a good palm full of dried parsley; like 2 tablespoons (or a bunch of fresh parsley stems if you happen to have them). I'll also add the following if I have them on hand - mushroom stems, a few sun-dried tomatoes, scallion trimmings, parsnips, leek trimmings, etc.

Okay, time to prep the veg - chop the onions into big chunks, leaving the skins on (they add wonderful color). Cut the head of garlic right in half - skin and all. Use the top 2 inches of the celery bunch and the white inside stalks and leaves (lots of yummy flavor there). Peel and trim the carrots and chop into 1-inch piece.

Now throw everybody into the stock pot and cover with water. Crank up the heat and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to barely simmering (if you're making this with raw chicken bones, you may want to skim the scum off the surface after 15 or 20 minutes). Simmer, uncovered, for at least 2 hours, but you can let it go for as long as 10 or 12 hours; add more water if you need to, but if you're simmering on a low enough heat, and you're using good heavy stock pot, you shouldn't need to.  Warning:  Your house is going to smell amazing!

Note: Since the time I originally published this stove-top recipe, I’ve started making smaller batches in an Instant Pot, which is much faster. You can check it out here - Instant Pot Chicken Stock.

Mmmmm... see how the onion skins have turned almost a mahogany color? That color equals tons of flavor. Yum!

Now strain all the bones and veggies out of this rich, nutritious, delicious liquid gold (I spared you the photo of that step - you’re welcome). Now, here’s the most important part - if you’re going to use the stock right away, you must add salt to taste. I find adding 1 teaspoon of kosher salt per quart of unsalted chicken stock is just about perfect. Use within a week or freeze for up to a year. I like to freeze my stock unsalted - it just works out to be more flexible ingredient for me that way. Alrighty, that’s all there is to it - super easy and well worth the small time investment it takes to make.

Update: To save room in my freezer, I reduce the strained, unsalted stock to 1/4 the original volume before freezing. To use, just add 3 parts water to 1 part reduced stock.

You can easily cut this recipe in half, but why make a little when you can make a lot. Did I mention it costs mere pennies to make a gallon of this stuff? Literally, this huge batch of stock cost me less than a buck. You can't even think about buying a vastly inferior can of the grocery store stuff for less than a buck, forget about 8 cans. Stock your freezer, and you'll never have to settle for less again! Stay tuned for my quick and easy chicken noodle soup.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• 12 quart heavy bottom stockpot https://amzn.to/3V4TreY

• deli containers https://amzn.to/3jbvpSd

• santoku knife https://amzn.to/3FXWW2A

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Homemade Chicken Stock

makes 16 cups (1 gallon)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• leftover skin and bones from 2 roasted chickens (rotisserie chickens work very well)

• 3 large carrots, roughly chopped

• leafy trimmings and inner leaves from a bunch of celery (or two ribs), roughly chopped

• 2 large onions, roughly chopped (no need to peel)

• 1 head of garlic, cut in half (no need to peel)

• 15 whole peppercorns

• 2-3 large bay leaves

• a bunch of fresh parsley stems (or 2-3 tablespoons dried parsley flakes)

• optional: mushroom stems, scallion trimmings, leek trimmings, etc.

Directions

1. Place everything in a 12-quart or larger stock pot and cover with cold water.

2. Bring to a gentle bubble, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer for at least 2 hours, but up to 12 if you like (skim and discard any scum that forms on the surface).

3. Carefully strain all the solids from the stock and cool well before transferring to airtight storage containers (refrigerate for 7 days or freeze up to a year).

4. Add salt to taste before using (1 teaspoon kosher salt per quart of stock, or half if using table salt).

Notes

• Once you’ve strained all the solids out of the finished chicken stock, you can store the stock (unsalted) in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or freezer for longer storage. To save space in the freezer, I like to reduce the stock down from 1 cup to 1/4 cup. To use, just add 3 parts water to 1 part reduced stock (or see notes below to use for a beef stock substitution).

• When using for soup, I like to add about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to each quart (4 cups) of chicken stock (if using table salt, use 1/2 teaspoon per quart).

• To save room in my freezer, I like to reduce the stock down by simmering it util it’s 1/4 of its original volume. This concentrated stock can be used in its reduced form to make pan sauces, or to use in place of beef stock (1 cup of reduced chicken stock can replace 1 cup beef stock). The reduction can be restored to its original strength by adding 3 cups water to 1 cup reduced stock.

• Do not salt stock that you plan to reduce down to a concentrate - it will be way too salty.

The Juiciest Oven Roasted Chicken Ever!

Roasted Chicken is a favorite for this family of 6. I like to roast 2 birds at a time so I can have enough cooked chicken for 2 meals AND make a big batch of homemade chicken stock, which I value like gold! Stay tuned for a separate post on how to make the most wonderful Homemade Chicken Stock.

Okay, first let me say that I grew up eating roasted chicken.  We had it all the time and I loved it. Didn't think it could get any better... that is, until I discovered the wonderful world of brining. If you've never brined before, you MUST MUST MUST give it a try. I promise you will not be disappointed! Brining adds so much flavor and moisture. You'll truly be amazed.

Here's how I brined my two 5 1/2 pound chickens. I do everything in a huge 16-quart stockpot, but you can use a 5 gallon bucket, a large plastic storage container, a cooler... basically whatever you have that will hold 2 gallons of brine and 2 chickens.

(FYI - this stockpot is one of those cheap-o flimsy ones that is so light weight and thin that anything you cook in it burns (even boiled pasta - seriously). Not good for cooking, but great for brining or boiling large amounts of water.

Recipe can easily be halved, but here's what you'll need to make two chickens like I do:

• 2 gallons water (divided)

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup Morton’s kosher salt (or 1/4 cup table salt)

• 2 teaspoons of ground black pepper

Start by bringing 4 cups of water to a boil. Add salt and sugar; stir to dissolve.  Add enough cold water to equal 2 gallons (that's an additional 28 cups). Be sure your finished brine is COLD. Stir in the black pepper (my arms would fall off if I tried to grind all that pepper by hand, so I grind peppercorns in a coffee mill that I reserve for spices). Remove giblets/neck from the chickens (good for stock, minus the liver which can give a bitter taste).  Submerge the chickens in the brine - get that brine inside too! Cover the stockpot and refrigerate for 8-24. If you're brining in a cooler, keep brine temp below 40F using ice packs.

After the chickens are done lounging in their luxurious salt bath, remove them from the brine and pat them dry. I don't rinse, but you could if you wanted to. Discard the used brine. Let the birds sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, but you can skip this step if you're in a hurry. Pat birds dry again, and rub each with 1-2 tablespoons of softened butter. Yuck Warning - if the chickens aren't completely dry, the butter will stick to you instead of sticking to them!

Sprinkle liberally with ground black pepper only.  DO NOT sprinkle with salt at this point. Remember, these guys have been swimming in the dead sea for hours.

Oops, I forgot to get a photo of this step, but I stuff each chicken with half of an onion and some whole garlic cloves. I added some cut potatoes to the roasting pan. Click here for my Super Crunchy Oven Roasted Potatoes.

I like to tie the legs together for a nicer finished presentation. Believe me, they turn out much better looking this way, but you don't have to.

These babies are going to exude a lot of juice, so be sure to use a deep sided roasting pan. Roast the birds at 350F for about 20 minutes per pound (5.5 pounds x 20 minutes = 1 hour and 50 minutes), or until the internal temperature taken in the thickest part of the thigh registers about 165F. Remove the chickens from the oven and let them rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. Oops, you can see that I set the alarm on my roasting thermometer to go off at the wrong temp, but I'm not worried... I know brining these guys guarantees that they're still going to be super juicy and tender.

Mmmm - you are going to LOVE LOVE LOVE this chicken. Your family is going to Love Love Love this chicken... and your mother-in-law is going to hate hate hate you and be so jealous.  Err, uhh - just kidding... Hi Carol! Thank you for all the great kitchen toys you've given me over the years... your son sends his love... and so do your grandkids... and so do I... :).

Can you see the puddle of juice this chicken breast is oozing?  So succulent and delicious. Be prepared to hear praise from even your pickiest eater as this yummy chicken is being devoured.  You'll thank me later - Enjoy!