How to Make Homemade Chicken Bone Stock (2024)

Chicken Stock made from a whole chicken, chicken backs, wing tips and leftover roasted chicken carcasses, all saved up in the freezer.

Making a homemade chicken stock is a breeze, whether it's from a whole cut up chicken, chicken backs, pieces and parts, or just a leftover carcass. No bones go into the garbage around here - they are either turned into a stock or bagged and put into the freezer to make a stock later.

How to Make Homemade Chicken Bone Stock (3)

Here's how to make it.


Recipe: How to Make Homemade Chicken Bone Stock

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 2 hours

Yield: About 4 quarts

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 to 4 pounds) whole raw chicken
  • 2 to 3 pounds of chicken backs, leftover chicken carcasses, or other parts that you've saved
  • Water to cover, plus two inches
  • 2 whole celery ribs with leaves, rinsed and cut into large chunks
  • 2 large carrots, unpeeled, rinsed and cut into large chunks
  • 1 large onion, unpeeled and quartered
  • 4 sprigs of fresh parsley
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon of whole peppercorns
Instructions

Split up the whole chicken into quarters and break up any other parts. If using a carcass, clean the chicken of most of the meat and set aside the meat to use or freeze for later. Place the cut up chicken or bones into a tall 10 quart or larger stockpot, add enough fresh cool water to cover the chicken plus about two inches, about 4 quarts. Cover pot and bring to a boil, reduce heat, remove the lid and low simmer (do not boil!!) uncovered, skimming off any foam that accumulates. When foam subsides, add the celery, carrot, onion, parsley, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Cook, uncovered, at a steady but low simmer for about 2 hours, or longer.

Strain stock into another container. Discard the vegetables. Set the stock aside to cool, then refrigerate or freeze.

Cook's Notes: This recipe also applies to a turkey carcass. Make this in a half batch by using a Dutch oven and only the 3 pounds of chicken carcasses, bones, and other extra parts that you have reserved in the freezer - wings, thighs, backs, whatever you have on hand. Never throw these parts away - they make a wonderful stock. Reduce vegetables and seasonings by half and add enough water to cover plus two inches. You can also use a mixture of water and commercial chicken broth for richer flavor. This should yield about 2 quarts.

Tips: Take care when you strain the final product be sure to strain into another container. Don't pour it down the sink after all that work - yes, I've actually done that before. If you are making this ahead and have time, let the broth cool and refrigerate. Once well chilled, the fat will rise to the surface and harden and you can easily skim off most or part of it to reduce fat in the stock. I like to freeze stock in quart sized zipper freezer bags because they lay flat.

Slow Cooker: Add carcass/bones and water to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Add remaining ingredients, cover and continue cooking on low for 2 hours.

Instant Pot: To bring out the most flavor, roast bones, tossed with a little olive oil, on a rimmed sheet pan at 425 degrees F for about 30 to 45 minutes. Transfer bones and remaining ingredients into a 6 quart pot. Add water, stock or a combination to the fill line, seal and set for a total of 2 hours, in increments as needed. Let pressure release naturally, then strain and finish as above. A long pressure cook is necessary to break down the bone gelatin. For basic stock, 45 minutes is about right.

Source: http://deepsouthdish.com

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How to Make Homemade Chicken Bone Stock (2024)

FAQs

What is the ratio of chicken bones to water for stock? ›

That minimum ratio—a pound of chicken per quart of water—was sufficient to extract enough gelatin from the wings to give me the loosely gelled stock above. If you can pack in even more chicken and aromatics, your stock will only get richer and more gelatinous.

What 3 things must you do to prepare bones for a stock? ›

How to Make Bone Broth
  1. Step 1: Blanch and Roast or Cook the Bones. The key to getting the best flavor from any bones from any animal is to make sure they are roasted or cooked first. ...
  2. Step 2: Add aromatics, apple cider vinegar, and water. Soak. ...
  3. Step 3: Cook the broth. ...
  4. Step 4: Strain and store.

What is the key to good bone broth? ›

Bones by themselves aren't enough to make a perfect bone broth. If you really want to amp up the nutritional value of your broth, adding vegetables to simmer is a must. Not only will the vegetables add valuable nutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals, they'll also add flavor to your broth.

How long to boil bones for stock? ›

Cook for at least 10-12 hours, or until reduced by 1/3 or 1/2, leaving you with 6-8 cups of bone broth. The more it reduces, the more intense the flavor becomes and the more collagen is extracted. We find 12 hours to be the perfect cook time. Strain and use or store.

What is the correct ratio for chicken stock? ›

The key to flavorful chicken stock is in the proportion of chicken bones to vegetables, or aromatics. The aromatics should comprise only 15-20% of total weight of bones. That's a 4:1 ratio of bones to vegetables, maximum.

How many cups of water do you need for bone broth? ›

Don't worry, you will scoop all this stuff out afterwards anyways! Next, add about 4-6 cups of filtered water depending on the size of your Instant Pot, Stock Pot or Slow cooker. I recommend not adding too much over 6 cups of water, unless adding additional bones, as it will water down the broth.

What should you not put in bone broth? ›

However, do not add onions, carrots, celery or herbs to your initial pot of simmering bone broth. Instead, enjoy the pure, rich flavor that comes from just the bones, fat, connective tissue and any small amount of meat that may still be on the bones; it is not something that needs or wants amending.

Can you simmer chicken stock too long? ›

If you've added vegetables to the broth, it is possible to overcook chicken broth. Carrots, celery and onion add wonderful flavor, but if they're left to simmer too long, they can leave a strong, bitter flavor that takes over the broth.

What is the downside of bone broth? ›

While bone broth is generally considered safe to consume, there are some potential risks to be aware of. Lead contamination. Some studies show elevated levels of lead in bone broths, which can be harmful to health if consumed in large amounts. Bacterial contamination.

What can I add to chicken bone broth to make it taste better? ›

Add Herbs and Spices to Your Bone Broth
  1. Salt.
  2. White or black pepper.
  3. Garlic powder.
  4. Onion powder or dried, minced onion.
  5. Lemon juice.
  6. Lemon zest.
  7. Hot sauce.
  8. Vinegar (apple cider vinegar is my favorite)
Aug 7, 2023

How to make a bone broth fast? ›

Quite simply, it's a fast that involves drinking bone broth throughout the day instead of eating food. According to one of our incredible practitioners, Ali Miller RD, LD, CDE, "A bone broth fast is a type of modified intermittent fast that entails consuming bone broth several times per day as a replacement for meals."

Do you add hot or cold water to bone broth? ›

A simple bone broth can be a versatile thing and can be made with any leftover roast carcass and vegetables and herbs of your choice. Simply cover with cold water, bring to the boil, season, and simmer for a couple of hours before straining.

Is 2 hours enough for chicken stock? ›

I've found that two hours is a good amount of time for simmering chicken stock. A good amount of flavor is extracted from the chicken, but it's not an all-day affair. Just make sure you taste the stock, as it may need a little more time to get it to where you want it.

How do you know when bone broth is done? ›

The broth is done when it is a rich golden-brown and the bones are falling apart at the joints. Strain the bone broth. When the broth is finished, strain and cool the bone broth as quickly as possible. Set a strainer over a large pot or even a stand mixer bowl and line it with cheesecloth if desired.

Why add apple cider vinegar to bone broth? ›

But another indispensable bone broth ingredient comes in the form of vinegar, typically apple cider vinegar. You need this, not only for its slight acidic bite, but also to help extract the collagen and nutrients from the bones which give bone broth its richness and depth of flavor.

How many chicken bones do I need for broth? ›

You'll need about 3 pounds of chicken bones. Make sure at least half of that is collagen-rich, like chicken backs or wings. The rest can include everything from bone-in thighs to last night's roast chicken bones. Bone broth needs to cook for a minimum of 24 hours, but ideally 48 on low heat.

What is the ratio of meat to water in stock? ›

However, a common and widely used ratio is:
  1. 1 pound (450 grams) of chicken parts (such as bones, carcass, or a combination of bones and meat)
  2. To approximately 4-6 cups (950 ml to 1.4 liters) of water.
Jul 20, 2023

How many hours is recommended to simmer chicken bones for stocks? ›

Add hot water as needed to keep bones and vegetables submerged. Simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 hours. Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer into another large stockpot or heatproof container discarding the solids.

How much is 2 cups of chicken stock? ›

Conversions: U.S. Standard to Metric
U.S. StandardMetric (1 Tbsp = 15 ml)
2 cups475 ml
2 1/4 cups500 ml and 2 Tbsp
2 1/3 cups550 ml
2 1/2 cups600 ml
31 more rows

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