This easy recipe for homemade chicken stock uses leftover rotisserie or roast chicken and simple vegetables and seasonings. This is the best way to fully enhance homemade soups, stews, sauces, and more!
The best part about homemade chicken stock? Enjoying Ina Garten’s perfect roast chicken recipe first!
It’s no big deal, I’ve only been meaning to put a homemade chicken stock recipe on the blog for like… 5 years now.
Welp, better late than never, folks!
I can’t stress enough how much better your soups, stews, sauces, and basically any recipe will taste when you use homemade chicken stock instead of the boxed or canned stuff.
Let’s get into some of the info you need to know!
Chicken Broth vs. Chicken Stock
These terms are often used interchangeably, but there are some differences between the two:
Chicken Broth:
- Made from simmering the meaty parts of the chicken/turkey for a shorter amount of time.
Chicken Stock:
- Made from simmering the bones (vs. meaty parts), for longer periods of time, (up to 24 hours.)
Chicken Stock tends to have a greater depth of flavor, as long-simmered bones release gelatin into the stock.
Best Vegetables for Chicken Stock
- Carrots, Onions, and Celery are the most common vegetables used for making homemade chicken stock and are a great way to clean out your salad crisper!
- The white part of a leek may also be used.
- Certain vegetables such as beets should not be used as it will discolor the stock. Additionally, vegetables such as brussels sprouts or broccoli can overpower the flavor of the stock and are not ideal.
Seasonings for Chicken Stock
This recipe calls for fresh parsley, thyme, and bay leaves, however you can also add rosemary and peppercorns.
Fresh seasonings bring out the best flavor, however dry can be used if needed.
Can you Freeze a Chicken Carcass to Make Stock Later?
- Yes! Wrap all of the leftover carcass, bones, and any meat in foil and place it in a labeled freezer bag to make stock another time!
- No need to defrost the chicken prior to making the stock, it will defrost perfectly as it simmers.
Storage
- Chicken stock can be store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to 9 months.
Tools for This Recipe
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Homemade Chicken Stock
Ingredients
- 1 leftover (cooked) chicken carcass, including any additional leftovers
- 2 large carrots, or 10-12 baby carrots
- 1 yellow onion, sliced into chunks, skins left on if desired
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 celery head with the stalks sliced off
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 bunch parsley, including stems
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt/Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place the chicken carcass in a large stock pot and add all vegetables and seasonings.
- Cover with enough water so that it rises 1-2 inches above the ingredients.
- Bring the water to a boil.
- Immediately decrease the heat to bring the pot to a very low simmer. Cover, and let it gently simmer for at least 4 hours. (Or longer for a higher concentrated broth.)
- Use a Skimmer Spoon (or a Slotted Spoon) to lift out the vegetables and bones.
- Pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a new pot.
- Allow the liquid to cool completely and pour into labeled soup containers or canning jars for freezing, leaving a little extra room for expansion.
- Use for homemade soups, sauces, or any recipe that calls for chicken stock. It will make your recipes taste so much better!
Instead of just the carcass could I cook a whole chicken using this method? Or is there a reason not to?
No you totally could!!! So much flavor! And you can save the meat for soup! (Or anything!) ❤️
If you used canning jars how long would the the shelf life be?
Hi Bobbie-Jo! Unfortunately I don’t have experience canning this chicken stock and wouldn’t want to pass along incorrect information on what the shelf life would be. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help on this!
Can I use chicken Boulton instead of chicken stock?
I have acquired a couple chicken frames (raw) and want to make stock. Is the procedure the same?
Absolutely!
I have a quick question. Recipes says 1 celery rib and 2 stalks celery. What is the difference?
Hi Debi! I’m sorry it took me a day to get back to you on this- I actually meant to say 1 celery head (with the stalks cut off), and then 2 celery stalks. I fixed that in the recipe and apologize for the confusion, although I appreciate you catching that, thank you!
Hi, just a quick question. You don’t mention anything about skimming the fat. I still do this step, correct?
Hi Lorie!! Feel free to do that, yes!!
This is my family’s favorite. I added some allspice berries & black peppercorns & increased to 4 cloves of garlic (they’re small). Absolutely delicious!
I’m so happy that you and your family like it Stacey! Thanks for sharing your modifications and for taking the time to leave a rating, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie
This is a very good recipe for chicken stock. I would definitely recommend it!
However, in the recipe notes where it suggests adding Better Than Bouillon for additional flavor I would caution against this. The ingredients in this product are questionable at best and potentially harmful. Please see https://www.foodrenegade.com/decoding-labels-better-than-bouillon/ for more information.
Stephanie’s recipe is perfect the way it is without any added flavorings!
HI Tamara!!! I agree with you. I took the bouillon notation out! Thank you for your feedback!! -Stephanie