About this Recipe

By: Rachel

A wise teacher once told me that I couldn’t expect to get through life by taking any shortcuts. Anything worth doing, was worth doing the right way; that is, the way of diligence, hard work, and determination.

So that’s turned out to be kind of true? I mean, definitely, mostly true. For example, I’ve certainly learned that:

If your English teacher assigns the entire class to read Bleak House in June and have it read by the first day of school, you should not start the night before.
If Google Maps says it takes twenty minutes to drive somewhere, there is no world in which it actually takes ten minutes.*
If you are asked to make ice cream for a friend’s birthday party, and your ice cream maker says “freezer component must freeze for a minimum of 24 hours before making ice cream,” it turns out that sticking it in there for four or five hours will not, in fact, “probably be good enough.”

On the other hand, though:

It doesn’t matter how many days or weeks you have been given to generate an essay; with enough coffee, you can absolutely write something outstanding in less than eight hours.
*Except for sometimes, like when you completely avoid all of the traffic backed up on Hennepin Avenue down to I-94 by cutting through Mount Curve and getting on through Groveland: ten rush hour minutes saved.

In the kitchen, as in life, there are places to make compromises, and places not to. Stock, in my opinion, is not a place to make compromises. Convenient though they may be, there is no can or carton of broth that will truly stand up to the complex, robust flavor of homemade stock. If you can add just one thing to your “from scratch” repertoire to deepen the flavor and raise the quality of your dishes, I would recommend taking the time to make your own stock.

Not only is it delicious, it is much more economical than buying stock at the market. Each time I make a batch of chicken stock, it yields about 15 quarts from $20 worth of chicken bones, and a bag of vegetable scraps I keep in my freezer. That works out to about .75¢/quart… compared to $3-$6/quart at the supermarket, and it tastes much better, too!

So, how do you make it?

First, you will need bones. I use any combination of backs, wings, necks, and feet. You can get packages of chicken feet at Asian specialty markets—if you aren’t familiar with them, they are fantastic for soups thanks to their high cartilage content, but are not necessary. You can also use the leftover carcass from roast chicken or turkey.

You will also need vegetables. I keep freezer bags full of vegetable scraps in the freezer— onion and shallot skins, and the trimmed ends of carrots, celery, and leeks. Getting into this habit helps cut down on food waste, and is also a great way to obtain a rich-tasting stock. However, you can always use the entire vegetable, cut into chunks. In my opinion, including onion skins is essential.

Rich, Delicious, and Worth-It Chicken Stock

Although it takes time, the labor of love to create your own flavorful, delicious stock is more than worth it. I fill up every stock pot I have, and fill my freezer with several months’ worth of stock at a time.

Print Recipe

Meal Type Soup, Stocks & Sauces

Good For Anytime

Ingredients

Chicken or turkey bones (backs, wings, necks, and feet), and/or leftover bones from a whole roasted bird
Vegetable scraps, or onions (skins included), unpeeled carrots, celery, and leek, all cut into chunks (per 2 pounds (1 kilo) chicken, roughly: 2 medium carrots, 3-4 stalks celery, 1 medium onion or shallot, and 1 medium leek)
1-1 ½ quarts (1-1 ½ liters) water per pound of poultry, or enough water to cover your bones and vegetables in a large stockpot
Kosher salt

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

It is best to begin this project either in the morning or in the evening, so that the stock has either all day or all night to cook and cool down before portioning and storing.

Step 2

If you are using raw bones (rather than a leftover carcass), you have the option of first roasting them, which adds a rich, deep flavor to your stock. When I do this, I add the bones to my largest Dutch oven, throw it in the oven at 400ºF or 200ºC, and roast the bones for about 45 minutes. Then, I make the stock directly in that pot, adding the water and the vegetables to the roasted bones and bringing the pot to a gentle simmer on the stovetop.
If you do not wish to roast the bones, simply add the bones and vegetable scraps or vegetables to a large stockpot, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat (watching carefully – you do not want the stockpot to stay at a boil).

Step 3

As soon as the water begins to boil, turn the heat down so that the liquid is just barely simmering and watch for a few minutes, adjusting as needed, to ensure that the stock remains at a gentle simmer while uncovered.

Step 4

After 6-8 hours, your stock will be a beautiful, dark brown color. Strain, and discard the bones and vegetables. Season with kosher salt to taste.

Step 5

To cool the stock down, decant it into an unused pot, and set it in your sink. Fill your sink about halfway with ice water. You can refrigerate it directly; I like to store stock in quart-size freezer bags (there are several gadgets out there to hold the bags open for you while you fill them). I store them in the freezer in stacks, lying flat with a piece of parchment between them to prevent sticking. I make this stock 2-3 times a year, and always have some on hand.

Optional: This is a great broth to use in my Grown-Up, Really Craveable Ramen.