If you knew how easy it is to make your Chicken Stock (Bone Broth), you would never use the store-bought version again. Not only it is easy to make homemade stock, but it is also healthier and cheaper. If you want to learn how to make your stock, you are at the right place!
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Chicken stock or Chicken Bone Broth is the secret ingredient of many good chefs or home cooks. It is very easy to make and doesn’t require too much effort from you. It keeps fresh for up to a week in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer when stored in airtight containers.
Good chicken stock should have a mild savory flavor that enhances the sauces, risottos, soups, or stews you make with it, with no strong flavors that would dominate the dish. The basic white chicken stock is made with water, chicken pieces or a whole chicken, diced mirepoix (aromatic vegetables like onions, carrots, celery, leek, and garlic), herbs like bay leaves, thyme, or parsley, and a few peppercorns. I sometimes add mushroom stems or even tomato peels to my stock if I have them around.
Chicken Stock vs Chicken Broth
Although they both are very similar and you can substitute stock for broth or vice versa, they have a few key differences:
Chicken Stock is
- Made with bones and mirepoix.
- Thicker, gelatinous and has a collagen-rich consistency.
- Doesn't contain salt, neutral flavoured.
- Cooked for longer, simmered for 3 hours.
- Higher in calories and fat but has more vitamins and minerals.
- Darker and cloudier.
Chicken Broth is
- Made with chicken meat.
- Thinner and more flavoursome, can be drinken as it is.
- Contains salt which makes it more flavoursome.
- Cooked for less, no longer than one hour.
- Lower in calories and fat, contains very little protein.
- Lighter and clearer.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Chicken bones - The main ingredient is bones and the reason for simmering them for a few hours is to extract the collagen and break them down into gelatin. You can use any type of chicken bones, whole carcass or wings. Make sure there are some pieces of meat on the bones for a deeper flavour, or just add a piece of meat if the bones are bare. You can buy chicken bones from your butcher.
- Mirepoix - It is a mixture of onions, celery and carrots. Some recipes suggest putting them whole in the stock but diced ones give the best results.
- Aromatic herbs - You can get creative here and use your preferred aromatics. I usually put some bay leaves, thyme and parsley stalks and peppercorns. Mushroom stalks or peelings and tomato peelings are also great for adding extra flavour to your stock.
- Water -Start your stock with cold water. Use the double amount of the chicken, this recipe requires 2 litres of water for 1 kilo of chicken bones.
Step by Step Instructions
Making chicken stock at home is very easy and to achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple steps:
- Cut your chicken bones in chunks and then place them in a large pot. Add the diced vegetables, aromatic herbs and peppercorns.
- Fill the pan with cold water, the amount of water should be double the amount of the chicken.
- Bring it to a boil on medium heat and then let it simmer on very low heat for 3 hours. For a clear stock, let it simmer, not boil! Boiling the stock emulsifies the fat and creates a cloudy, flat taste.
- Skim off the scums and foams from the surface throughout cooking.
- Let it cool down for 10 minutes before passing through a fine sieve to avoid burning with splashes of boiling liquid. Store them refrigerated in glass jars or airtight containers.
It is a great base for stews and soups as well as for making rice or bulgur. Kuru Fasulye, Potato Boulangere, Turkish Bulgur Pilaf with Lentils and Turkish Lentil Soup are some of the recipes you can make using chicken stock.
Let the chicken stock cool down to room temperature and pour it into plastic airtight containers. You can also use glass mason jars to freeze the chicken stock. Just make sure you don't fill the jar completely, leave at least 2 cm space at the top to avoid breakage.
Yes, you can use the chicken carcass from the leftover roast or rotisserie to make chicken stock. Follow the instructions as you are making the stock with raw chicken bones. The chicken stock from the cooked carcass will be slightly less flavorsome but still will make a great base for delicious soups and stews.
Related Recipes
Top Tip From the Chef
Let the fat settle in a layer on top of the stock as it cools. This way, the fat will create a protective layer over the stock and it will last a bit longer in the refrigerator.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this Chicken Stock as much as you enjoy using it in your cooking! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!
Easy Chicken Stock (Bone Broth)
Equipment
- 1 Peeler
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken carcass, wings or bones (cut in chunks)
- 1 large onion (roughly chopped)
- 1 large carrot (roughly chopped)
- 2 celery sticks (roughly chopped)
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 sprigs thyme
- 6 black peppercorns
- 2 litres water
- few parsley stalks (optional)
- few mushroom stems (optional)
Instructions
- Place the chicken pieces in a large pot.
- Roughly chop the onions, carrots and celery sticks and add them to the pan.
- Add the aromatics such as bay leaves, thyme, peppercorns, parsley stalks(optional) and mushroom stems(optional).
- Fill the pot with cold water and put on high heat until it boils.
- Turn the heat down and let it simmer for 1.5 hours on very low heat, don’t let it boil.
- Remove from the heat and let it cool down for 10 minutes before straining.
- When cooled down a bit, strain through a fine sieve and pour in the jars.
- Store in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
FOOD SAFETY
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
Kristin
Homemade stock is easy to make and your recipe looks so good!