Easy Chicken Stock

With cooler weather moving in throughout much of the country, it’s safe to say soup dinners are not far off, along with all the other delicious comfort foods we reach for when the days grow shorter and colder. In our house, fall cooking means we’ll go through an absurd amount of chicken stock between now and New Year’s. We use it in soups, grains, sauces, roasts, stews— you name it.

Because of my kiddo’s food allergies, we make all our stock at home, as storebought stock all contains carrots, one of his allergens. We of course don’t use carrots in ours, and before he was cleared to have celery I didn’t use that either, but if you can use them and have them, both are great to include. When I make stock, it’s not the way you might find a fine-dining restaurant doing it, but I think this way works the best for a home setup when you’re not looking to make too big of a fuss of the whole thing.

At first it felt deeply overwhelming to me not to be able to just run to the store and get a carton of stock for a quick dinner, but over time I’ve come to enjoy the process and the reality that homemade stock is just far superior in texture and flavor to even the best storebought options.

Not to mention it’s a fantastic way to use up all sorts of leftover odds and ends that would normally go into the garbage or straight to the compost— chicken bones and scraps left over from roast chicken, vegetable odds and ends, herbs that are a bit past their prime. I keep a container in my freezer that I toss these things into as I come by them, so that when I’m ready to make stock, I’m well…stocked. Sorry, I had to.

Recipe

Ingredients

2 pounds of combined chicken bones and/or wings, plus any chicken scraps you have

1 large yellow onion

3 large celery stalks, or what you have in your freezer container, optional

1 large carrot, or what you have in your freezer container, optional

4 stems rosemary

4 stems sage

8 stems thyme

Kosher salt to taste

Water to cover, approximately 3 quarts

Directions

If you’re using any raw chicken wings or bones (you can often get these from the butcher counter at your local grocery store), you’ll want to roast them first to intensify the flavor of the stock. 

Preheat your oven to 400F. Arrange the chicken bones and wings on a baking sheet (with foil if you like, but not necessary), then sprinkle with kosher salt and olive oil. Roast for approximately 35 minutes or until well browned and cooked through. 

While the chicken is roasting, prep your vegetables. Halve the onion by slicing through the root, peel off the paper layer, and trim the very end of the root from each half. Peeling the onion is not strictly necessary, but I usually do. Same with trimming the end of the root; it’s not necessary, but I like to do it so as not to cloud the stock. 

If using carrot, wash it and trim just the very end where the greens are attached to the carrot. If your carrot has greens, you can save them to make carrot top pesto or for another use. No need to peel the carrot, but you can cut it in half cross-wise if it is too large to fit into your stockpot.

If using celery, wash it well and trim any ends that are squished or browned, but no need to trim much as long as you’ve washed it well.

In an 8-quart stockpot, combine the chicken, vegetables, and herbs and cover with water.

Bring the water to a boil, then turn the heat down until the water is gently simmering. Cover and allow to simmer for approximately 3 hours.

Uncover the pot, then allow to simmer until the liquid reduces by about 25 percent, approximately 1-2 hours. Check the stock periodically for flavor. You want it to be very concentrated and flavorful, although keep in mind that it hasn’t been salted yet. It’s important to wait until the liquid has reduced to salt the stock so that it doesn’t become too salty.

When the stock is done, strain it through a large fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Press down gently on the solids to release any of the liquid that is trapped. 

Salt the stock to taste, allow to cool, and divide into containers. I typically store mine in 1- and 2-cup Ball jars with freezer lids so that I can just grab the exact quantity I need for a recipe. 

The stock will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge, or several months in the freezer.

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