When you read the words Home Made Chicken Stock you might find yourself glazing over because you have put this in the “too much work” folder in your mind. If you are bothering to cook at all, trust chicken stock is one of the easier jobs but also one of the most important. If you are already lost take a deep breath you’ve got this, it’s chicken stock no one will get hurt! Once you make a meal with this liquid gold you will absolutely taste the difference and find yourself on a new culinary high. While chicken stock won’t magically turn you into the Barefoot Contessa, it will certainly get you one step closer to a Jeffery of your own.

Why is homemade chicken stock important?

There are an infinite number of recipes that rely on some sort of stock weather it is chicken, beef, vegetable, fish even mushroom. Risotto for example gets almost all of its flavor from stock otherwise it’s just shallots and wine with bland rice, boring! When you make stock yourself you are controlling the flavor and creating something that simply cannot be bought. The term “homemade” sold in a store is a lie, it’s only home made if it happened in your house, sorry to burst your bubble doll.

Can I use kitchen scraps?

Making stock gives you a way to save all of those kitchen trimmings from things like onions, carrot, celery, mushroom that would otherwise end up in the trash. Put these along with chicken bones in a freezer bag labeled “stock” with the date you started it and keep adding to it as you cook. Once you get into the habit of making stock regularly this will become second nature. It just makes sense to save things that can be useful to you in another form, and actually use them! As the bag gets full you will know that it’s time to make stock again and you can put those scraps to good use in your next batch.

What do I need?

Gather what the French call Mirepoix (aromatic vegetables) onions, carrots, celery. Along with those beauties grab some peppercorns, parsley, thyme bay leaf & garlic. Food safe containers that freeze well will also be helpful to store this liquid gold you are about to make. Fair warning simmering chicken stock on the stove has been known to bring people out of the woodwork so you might want to brush your hair and put on a lip!

Chicken Stock Step By Step:

Step 1:

Start by adding the chicken backs to the stock pot and fill with cold water (leave enough room for the veggies you will be adding later).

Step 2:

Bring the water to a simmer and using the ladle skim off the foam (you are doing this to create a much clearer and cleaner tasting stock)

Step 3:

Roughly chop the aromatic vegetables. Once the foam has subsided add the vegetables, herbs and spices.  

Step 4:

Continue simmering for 1.5-2 hours. (This is when your house starts to smell amazing and make even your neighbors hungry) Skim fat off of the top every 30 minutes.

Step 5:

Strain the stock into a large bowl using the fine mesh strainer (or a colander with cheese cloth draped inside) If you just pour it all in at once the stock will get cloudy. Fill food safe containers with stock up to one inch from the top, and let cool with the lids off. Label your stock and refrigerate overnight. Use within 5 days or  freeze the refrigerated stock and use within 3-6 months.