Easy Homemade Chicken Stock

Making homemade chicken stock on the stovetop or in the slow cooker is an easy and resourceful way to use up chicken bones and vegetable scraps. Freeze for later to use in soups, stews, and pan sauces all year long.

Most chicken stock is made from bones and random scraps of vegetables, and my recipe follows suit. I’ve shared my recipe for both stove-top and slow-cooker chicken stock below so you can make the most of your time.

In my home, I usually add celery, onion and carrots, along with a few herbs and spices for good measure. But truthfully, there are no rules when it comes to what one can add to a pot of chicken bones. Add roasted garlic if you want it sweeter and caramelized, add ginger if you want a little bite, or fennel for a hint of anise. 

Like homemade Vegetable Broth, making homemade chicken stock is an easy way to save money, use up what you have on hand and create something healthy and delicious while you’re at it.

Chicken Stock Ingredients 

Basic chicken stock is really just bones and water, but dressing it up with a few herbs and vegetables increases the flavor and complexity of the stock. When I’m cooking other dishes, I often save the scraps from chopping vegetables and put them in the freezer. When I’m ready to make stock, most of the ingredients are already there.

• Chicken carcass: I roast a chicken about once a week, but you can also use a rotisserie chicken you pick up from the store. 
• Celery, carrots, onion: This is a pretty classic chicken stock combination used to impart flavor and the base of many soups. 
• Garlic: Technically, garlic is optional; use as much or as little as you’d like.
• Fresh thyme: I like fresh thyme because it’s easier to strain from the chicken broth, and I think it leaves a fresher-tasting stock. You could also use 1 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves, just not powdered thyme. It will give the stock a muddy color. 
• Bay leaves: Bay leaves lend a floral sweetness to the stock. 
• Parsley stems: I use the stems because they have more oils than the leaves, and stock is a great way to use them up.  
• 10 peppercorns (optional): I like a little spice, and I always have whole peppercorns on hand. If you have them, use them. If you don’t, that’s OK.  

How to Make Chicken Stock 

Place chicken bones, vegetables, herbs, and spices into a large pot. Cover with cold water, then simmer for about 3 hours. Let it cool, then skim the fat. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

• Strip the chicken carcass of meat: This is hardly delicate work. You have to be willing to get your hands dirty to pull and peel the meat off the bones. Don’t forget to flip the bird over and pull the meat from the underside. There is plenty there. Transfer the meat to a container and keep in the fridge. Use it in soup, chicken salad, or to top a bed of greens. Now to address the bones.
• Make the stock: Into a large stock pot or Dutch oven add the chicken carcass – bones, skin, and any random bits. Add the chopped celery, carrots, onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, parsley stems, and peppercorns if using. 
• Cover with cold water and simmer: Pour 10 cups of cold water over the ingredients in the stockpot and turn the heat to medium, just until you see a low boil, then reduce to medium-low (or whatever temp you need to keep the stove at for a gentle simmer). Do not let the stock boil. Cover with a lid.
• Skim the stock: Simmer on medium-low for the next 3 hours. Check every 45 minutes or so and use a spoon to skim any foam that may form off the surface. This is not an exact science. If you lose track of time, and it simmers for 4 hours, that’s Ok. You’ll just have a more concentrated stock and might need to add water. If you’re short on time and you only have 2 hours then you’ll just have a lighter stock. That’s Ok too. There is no room for perfectionists in stock making!  
• Strain the stock: Layer a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth. Set it over a large bowl, then ladle the stock into the lined strainer. Press on the solids to release any additional liquid. When it’s done you should have between 5 and 6 cups of stock, depending upon how much it has reduced. 

How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Stock 

• Add all of the ingredients to your slow cooker.
• Cover with 6 cups of water and turn to high. If you’re going to be around in an hour to reduce it to low, if not, then just set it low. You don’t need as much water when making it in a slow cooker because you don’t have as much evaporation. 
• Secure the lid and let it bubble away all day while you’re at work or overnight while you’re sleeping.
• When ready, pour the stock through a fine mesh strainer.
• Let it cool completely, then store it in the fridge or freeze it. 

What is the Difference Between Chicken Stock and Chicken Broth? 

Chicken stock is made from bones, and chicken broth is made from meat. Clever marketing campaigns using phrases like, “Bone Broth” (our love of alliteration is strong) can cause confusion, but if it’s made from bones, it’s actually stock. 

If you read chefy books or manuals, you will also see a reference to salt or no salt being a defining factor in stock vs. broth. This is because technically one is used for soup, and the other is meant to be reduced for pan sauces, but most home cooks don’t care. I skip the salt when making stock or broth and just salt the recipe I’m using it in.

Tips for Making Homemade Chicken Stock 

I’m not too persnickety when it comes to making homemade chicken stock, but there are a few basic tips to help make your chicken stock the best it can be.

• Don’t Boil Stock: It’s best to make sure stock doesn’t boil for any length of time. Bring it up to a low boil, then quickly bring it down to a simmer. Extensive boiling will cause the fat and proteins to emulsify leaving your stock dingy with a greasy mouthfeel.
• Skip the Salt: Homemade chicken stock is a base recipe you can build into other recipes like soups, stews, and pan sauces. For that reason, you want to leave it unsalted. Should you reduce the stock or use it in other recipes with salt, then you run the risk of the dish being too salty. 
• Use Cold Water to Start: Cold water helps to extract more flavor from the vegetables. Hot water causes the starch in the vegetables to expand and gel, limiting the amount of flavor that can be extracted. This is a little chefy, I will admit, and the average person probably doesn’t notice, but as my mom would say, “Any job worth doing is worth doing well.”
• Cool Completely: Once you’ve strained the stock, transfer it to small containers and let it cool completely. Cover and place in the fridge. Skim the fat off the top, then store for another 4 days or place in the freezer for up to six months. 

Ways to Use Stock

• Broth-based soups like Pastina, Avgolemono,  White Bean and Kale Soup, Ratatouille, Chicken Gnocchi Soup, or Italian Wedding Soup are all great places to use your homemade stock.
• Sip on a cup of warm chicken broth when you’re feeling under the weather.
• Freeze stock in an ice cube tray to use in pan sauces like in this Skillet Onion Chicken recipe. 

How to Store Chicken Stock

• To Store: Transfer the stock to small containers so it cools down faster. Let it cool completely, then cover and transfer to the fridge.
• In the Fridge: Once the stock sits in the fridge for a few hours or overnight, a fat layer will form on the top. Go ahead and remove that fat layer. The stock will be gelatinous and wobbly when cold. That’s a good thing. Use within 5 days.
• To Freeze: Once cold, transfer the stock to the freezer. It will keep for up to 6 months.

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*This post has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit.