Making Chicken Stock from Scraps
The best stock isn't made from a store-bought list; it is a ledger of your week's cooking. By saving the structural remnants of your meals, you build a liquid foundation that has more depth than anything you can buy.
A rolling freezer inventory
Avoid adding brassicas like broccoli, cauliflower, or cabbage to your scrap bag, as they turn the stock bitter during long boils. Keep it to onions, carrots, celery, leeks, and parsley stems.
- Large 8-quart stockpot
- Fine-mesh sieve
- Large freezer-safe bag
- Cheesecloth
What goes in.
- Full gallon bagfrozen chicken bones and vegetable trimmings
- 1whole onion, unpeeled and halved
- 2garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 tspwhole black peppercorns
- 2fresh bay leaves
- 3 qtcold water
Gentle extraction
Keep the heat low enough that the surface merely shivers. A rolling boil emulsifies the fat and debris, which leaves you with a cloudy, murky stock.
The method.
Empty the scrap bag
Place all frozen bones and vegetable remnants into the stockpot. If the bones are raw, roast them at 400°F for 20 minutes first for a darker, richer color.
Add aromatics and water
Tuck the onion, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaves among the scraps. Pour in the cold water until everything is submerged by an inch.
Bring to a ghost simmer
Set the pot over medium-high heat until you see bubbles starting to form. Immediately turn the heat to low. You want a constant, gentle movement, not a bubbling turbulence.
Simmer undisturbed
Let the stock cook for at least 4 hours. Skim off any gray foam that rises to the surface during the first 30 minutes.
Strain
Place the sieve over a large bowl, ideally lined with damp cheesecloth. Pour the pot contents through, pressing lightly on the solids to release the final drops.
Chill quickly
Transfer the liquid to smaller containers and set them in an ice-water bath before refrigerating to ensure it cools rapidly.
Other turns to take.
Roasted Stock
Roast the bones and vegetable scraps in a shallow pan until deep brown before adding water for a robust, dark stock.
Herbal infusion
Add woody herb stems like thyme or rosemary during the final hour of simmering.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Always start with cold water; it draws out proteins and flavors more effectively than hot water.
Salt the dish you eventually make with the stock, not the stock itself, so you have control over the seasoning later.
If you have extra freezer space, freeze the finished stock in ice cube trays for easy portioning.
The ones that keep coming up.
How long does this keep in the fridge?
It will last about 4 to 5 days in a sealed container. If you need it to last longer, freeze it.
What if my stock is jelly-like when cold?
That is a sign of a good, gelatinous stock. It means you had plenty of connective tissue from the chicken bones.
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