How to Make Homemade Chicken Stock

If you happen to have any leftover chicken bones or wilted vegetables in your refrigerator, why not combine them and create your own homemade chicken stock? The process is quite simple and requires only a pot, a few essential ingredients, and a bit of time. It's as easy as can be!

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A pot of simmering chicken stock will fill your kitchen with a delicious aroma that's good for just about anything. Whether you want to make a sauce, enhance the flavor of your rice or use it as the base for a nourishing soup like this Chicken Corn Soup, the possibilities are endless. It's the kitchen multitasker you didn't know you needed — versatile, fuss-free and bound to make you feel like a culinary pro.

Jump to:

• What Is The Difference Between Chicken Stock And Chicken Broth?
• Recipe Highlights
• Ingredients And Equipment for Chicken Stock
• How To Make Chicken Stock
• Customize the stock
• Recipes Using Chicken Stock
• Want To Store For Later, Here's How
• The Benefits Of Homemade Chicken Stock
• Hungry For More Delicious Recipes? Try these
• Recipe

Ingredients And Equipment for Chicken Stock

To make your own tasty homemade chicken stock, first things first: grab chicken bones, some aromatic veggies, a big ol' stockpot, and don't forget a fine-mesh strainer.

• Chicken parts: You can use the meat, skin and bones from a chicken carcass, bones from chicken pieces, or a combination. Once this roasted chicken has been carved, I freeze the bones for later. Chicken wings are also a good option.
• If you have pieces of cut chicken, freeze them to add to the stock later.
• Vegetables: These are an essential component for flavor. Onions, carrots and celery are staples in stock, but you can also use a variety of other vegetables.
• Aromatics: Garlic, herbs and spices are needed for flavoring. For great flavor, try using whole peppercorns and anise seeds.
• Water: Use plenty of water to submerge the stock ingredients.
• Stockpot or slow cooker: Use a large enough pot to hold the water and ingredients. 
• Strainer: This is necessary for straining out the solid ingredients.

"Simplicity is key when making homemade chicken broth. I like to place chicken bones or a leftover carcass into my crockpot and add onions, carrots, celery and a handful of fragrant herbs such as thyme and parsley. Then, I let the slow cooker do its work. The broth is a staple in my home for making soup, rice and gravy.”

— Jessica Haggard,

How To Make Chicken Stock

In making your homemade chicken stock, follow these seven simple steps for a delicious and versatile addition to your kitchen. You'll love the amazing smell of the broth as it simmers in your pot.

1. Add the chicken pieces, vegetables and herbs to a stockpot.
2. Cover the ingredients with cold water.
3. Bring the water to a boil, turn the heat to low and simmer uncovered for three to four hours. The longer you let the broth simmer on the stove, the better the flavor you will have.
4. Stir the pot occasionally to distribute the ingredients, and add extra water if necessary to submerge everything.
5. Let the broth cool, then carefully remove the chicken bones from the liquid.  Strain the stock to capture the vegetables and remaining bits, leaving you with a clear, golden stock.
6. Taste the stock to determine if any additional seasonings are required. However, keep in mind that this stock will likely be used in other recipes that will also require seasoning. 
7. Allow the stock to cool completely, then transfer it to storage containers and refrigerate. You can also pour it into freezer bags to put in the freezer, which will last several months. 

This is your broth after hours of simmering. It's deliciously rich and savory, and it smells so good.

Since we used the remnants of a chicken, it does render grease. Once I strain the broth, I will put the bowl in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to harden the grease, and then I can easily remove it.

You can see here that the grease has risen to the top of the bowl. In this case, it isn't really much, so I didn't remove it. If there are large pieces of cold grease, then, by all means, remove them.

Customize the stock

Homemade chicken stock is incredibly versatile. Feel free to use different herbs, spices, and veggies to match your taste, and use what you have in the fridge. I've even made flavored broths, adding jalapeno for a spicy broth and basil for Italian-flavored broth. It's flexible and fun to play around with flavors.

Learn how to freeze your vegetable scraps. When preparing herbs and vegetables, such as carrots and onions, save the peels, ends of tomatoes and peppers and stems of herbs in a freezer bag. These scraps can be stored in the freezer and used later for making broth.

“I always save scraps from chopping vegetables to use for making chicken broth. It’s so easy to save the ends of carrots, celery, onions and more in the freezer! It saves me a lot of time during the day, adds flavor and reduces food waste. An all-around win!”

— Megan Myers, Stetted

Recipes Using Chicken Stock

• Turkey and Rice Casserole - Use two cups of stock for flavor and cook the rice.
• Crockpot Ham and Potato Soup - Use chicken stock for this creamy soup that cooks up thick and hearty.
• Cheesy Mexican Corn and Bean Soup - Make a creamy broth that starts with plenty of chicken stock for this hearty soup.
• Creamy Tomato Basil Soup - This classic recipe mixes chicken stock and tomatoes for a flavorful soup.

Want To Store For Later, Here's How

Homemade chicken stock can typically be stored in the refrigerator for about 4 to 5 days. To prevent bacterial growth, it's essential to ensure the stock is cooled to at least 70 degrees F. before placing it in the refrigerator.

If you want to freeze chicken stock, pour it into freezer bags once it has cooled and freeze flat. You can also freeze the stock in food prep trays.

Hungry For More Delicious Recipes? Try these

“I love to use homemade chicken broth to infuse flavor and nutrition into simple foods. I use broth as the cooking liquid for rice, most grains and potatoes.”

—  Michelle Goth, Blackberry Babe

Recipe

First published: Jan. 7, 2024. Last updated: Aug. 12, 2024 for better readability.

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About Jere'                             

Jere Cassidy is the writer and recipe developer behind the blog One Hot Oven. A passion for all things food-related led her to culinary school to expand on her baking skills and now to sharing easy recipes for all home cooks and bakers of all skill levels. When not in the kitchen, Jere’ likes to travel far and wide to find delicious food.

This article originally appeared on Food Drink Life.