How To Make Homemade Chicken Stock

Chicken stock has so many great uses - from braising meats, making pasta sauces, as a soup base, and a personal favorite, risotto. It also saves you from having to buy store bought stock, so you’re saving money!

Course Soup

Cuisine French

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 6

Servings quarts

Calories 33kcal

Author Kylie Mazon-Chambers

Equipment

Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot

Ingredients

3 to 4 pounds chicken bones (any combination of bones, especially wings and backbones)
½ medium yellow onion, skin on
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
1 head garlic, top ¼” trimmed
5 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Arrange the chicken bones in an even single layer on a baking sheet. Roast the bones until browned, about 1 hour.
Add the bones to a large stock pot or large Dutch oven. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Cover with cool water (about 4 quarts / 3.8L of water) and add the parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns.
Bring to a boil over medium heat then lower the temperature and simmer, using a spoon to skim off any scum that rises to the surface and discard it.
Continue to keep at a gentle simmer (just a few small bubbles) for about 6 hours, until reduced by about half. Add additional cold water as needed, continuing to skim impurities.
Once the stock is done, remove from heat and let cool. Use tongs to remove any large bones, then strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, discarding any solids.
Let cool for about an hour then transfer the broth to storage containers or resealable plastic bags and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

Video

Notes

Tips for the Best Chicken Stock

Don’t rush the simmer — gentle, slow simmering draws out maximum flavor and yields a clearer stock without cloudy bits.
Chop the vegetables in the stock in large pieces — small pieces can disintegrate into the stock.
Don't press down on the vegetables when straining, it can cause the broth to become cloudy.
Adding cold water helps to bring impurities to the surface.

Nutrition