Making Proper Chicken Stock
Good stock is the foundation of a kitchen. It requires nothing more than the scraps you might otherwise throw away and the patience to let time do the heavy lifting.
Manage your scraps
Save your onion skins, carrot peels, and parsley stems in a bag in the freezer throughout the week. When the bag is full, you are ready to make stock.
- large stockpot
- fine-mesh strainer
- ladle
What goes in.
- 4 lbchicken carcasses, wings, or necks
- 2yellow onions, skin on and quartered
- 3carrots, roughly chopped
- 3celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 1 headgarlic, halved crosswise
- 1 bunchfresh thyme or parsley
- 1 tbspblack peppercorns
- 4 qtcold water
Keep it still
Never let the stock reach a vigorous boil. A rolling boil emulsifies the fats into the water, turning the stock opaque and greasy.
The method.
Roast the bones
Place bones on a sheet pan at 400°F for 40 minutes until deeply browned. This step provides the color and depth that simple boiled bones lack.
Combine
Place the roasted bones and all remaining ingredients into the stockpot. Cover with cold water by two inches.
Simmer
Bring the pot to a bare simmer over medium heat. Once you see the first bubble rise, turn the heat to the lowest setting.
Skim
Use a wide spoon to remove any grey foam or excess fat that rises to the surface during the first 30 minutes.
Strain
After 4 hours, set a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl. Ladle the liquid through, discarding the solids.
Cool
Cool the stock rapidly by placing the container in an ice bath before moving it to the refrigerator.
Other turns to take.
Roasted Vegetable Stock
Omit the chicken and double the amount of root vegetables, roasting them until caramelized before simmering.
Asian-Style Base
Add a two-inch piece of smashed ginger and a star anise to the pot during the final hour of simmering.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Always start with cold water; it helps extract the proteins slowly for a clearer liquid.
Do not salt your stock while it cooks. It is easier to season the final soup or sauce later.
If you have a layer of fat on top after the stock chills, leave it intact; it acts as a seal to keep the stock fresh longer.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use cooked chicken leftovers?
Yes, but roasted raw bones yield a much richer, more gelatinous result than meat already stripped from a rotisserie chicken.
How long will this stay good?
It will keep for 4 days in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.
How real cooks make it.
No one’s shared their version yet. Be the first to put your kitchen on the map.
Cook this your way?
Share your version — your steps, your story. We’ll feature it right here.
Add your recipe