I make roasted chicken almost every single week. It is one of my go to meals for the family and I have gotten really good at it over the years. But for a long time after I would debone the chicken and get everything cleaned up I would look at that pile of bones sitting on the counter and just… throw them away. Every single week. And every single week I would feel this little pang of guilt like,  there has to be something I can do with these.

So I started researching. And of course the very first thing that came up was chicken bone broth and chicken stock. Now let me tell you,  I went down a rabbit hole because the difference between bone broth and chicken stock is actually a whole science. Like people are very serious about this and the details are wild. But today we are keeping it simple and we are making chicken stock. The short version of the difference is that bone broth cooks for a much longer time to pull out even more collagen and nutrients from the bones. Chicken stock is our shorter version and it is still absolutely incredible and incredibly useful.

Now here is the part I really want you to hear because this is the hack that changed my whole weekly kitchen routine. As you cook throughout the week, or even throughout two weeks,  I want you to save your vegetable scraps. The papery heads of onions. Garlic cloves and their skins. Celery ends. Carrot peels. Any vegetable scraps that would otherwise go straight into the trash. Just toss them into a freezer bag and let them accumulate. Then when you have your chicken bones ready to go, you already have everything you need for a rich, wholesome, deeply flavorful stock. Nothing wasted. Everything used. That is the goal in this kitchen.

I use an onion and garlic in almost everything I cook so those scraps add up fast. Within a week or two that freezer bag is full and I am ready to make a batch. And if I am not ready to make stock right away I save my chicken bones in the freezer too until I have enough for a really big batch. Sometimes I wait until I have bones from two or three chickens so I can make a massive pot and stock my freezer for months. If you know you know.

Let’s Make It

Get your biggest pot out and add everything in, your chicken bones, all your vegetables and scraps, your seasonings, and then fill the pot with water all the way up to about an inch from the top. You want this pot full and generous.

Bring everything to a full rolling boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for at least 2 hours. You can absolutely go longer and the longer it simmers the more flavor and nutrients you pull out of those bones. Two hours is your minimum but three or four hours is even better if you have the time.

As it simmers your kitchen is going to smell absolutely incredible. Rich, savory, warm,  like comfort in the air. After two or more hours your stock will be a beautiful rich golden yellow color and it will smell deeply fragrant and delicious. That is how you know it is ready.

Let it cool down and then strain it through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth, discarding all the bones and vegetable scraps. Pour your beautiful finished stock into glass mason jars or containers for storing.

The Gelatin Moment,

This Is a Good Thing

Here is something I want to prepare you for because the first time it happened to me I genuinely was not sure if I had done something wrong. When your stock cools completely in the refrigerator it may turn into a thick jiggly gelatin. Like actual jello consistency. And I need you to know, that means you absolutely nailed it. That gelatin comes directly from the collagen in the chicken bones and it is a sign that your stock is rich and full of nutrients and deeply flavorful. When you heat it back up it will go right back to liquid and it will be the most gorgeous stock you have ever used.

If your stock does not gel that is also completely fine. You still made a delicious flavorful stock. The gel just depends on how long you simmered those bones and how collagen rich they were. Either way you won.

Tips From Your Bestie

Start saving scraps now. Seriously, go put a freezer bag in your freezer right now and start tossing vegetable scraps in it today. Onion skins, garlic skins, celery ends, carrot peels,  all of it. You will be amazed how fast it adds up and how much flavor those scraps add to your stock.

Save your bones in the freezer too. If you are not ready to make stock right away just throw the bones in a freezer bag and save them. Wait until you have bones from two or three chickens and make a really big batch all at once.

Freeze it in ice cube trays. This is my favorite storage hack. Pour your cooled stock into ice cube trays and freeze until solid, then transfer the cubes to a freezer zip bag. Now you can grab exactly as many cubes as a recipe calls for without thawing a whole jar. Game changing for soups, sauces, rice, risotto, anything that needs a little liquid and a lot of flavor.

Glass mason jars are perfect for storing. Keep some in the fridge for the week ahead and freeze the rest. Stock keeps in the fridge for about 5 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Season lightly or not at all. I add basic seasonings to mine but if you plan to use this stock in a lot of different recipes you might want to keep it unseasoned so you have more control over the flavor later. Totally your call.

What to do with the leftover bones and vegetables after straining. Honestly,  the trash is completely fine. You have pulled all the goodness out of them at this point and they have done their job beautifully. If you want to get extra resourceful you can grind them down for compost or other uses but truly they have given you everything they had and you can let them go with a grateful heart. 

Ways to use your homemade chicken stock:

• Soups and stews, this is the obvious one and it is incredible
• Cooking rice or grains instead of water for so much more flavor
• Risotto base
• Sauces and gravies
• Braising liquid for meats
• Adding depth to pasta sauces
• Sipping it warm in a mug on a cold day, do not knock it until you try it

I used to throw those bones away every single week and now I cannot imagine doing that. A little bit of time, a pot of water, and the scraps you were already going to toss. and you end up with something so nourishing and so useful that you will find yourself reaching for it in almost everything you cook. That feels like a win every single time.

…and that’s all we did today. 

Cyndi 

No video as of right now

Item’s Used

• Rubber Spatula
• Wooden Utensil Set
• 6pc Non Stick Pot Set
• Measuring  Cups
• Immersion Blender
• Ball Mason Jars

Homemade Chicken Stock

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

What You’ll Need

• Bones from at least one roasted chicken more is better
• Onion and onion scraps
• Celery and celery ends
• Carrots
• Garlic cloves and skins
• Any other vegetable scraps you have saved
• Salt pepper, garlic powder, onion powder to taste, or no seasonings at all if you prefer to flavor it later
• Water

Method

 

1. Add chicken bones, vegetable scraps, seasonings, and water to a large pot.
2. Bring to a full boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 2 hours, or longer for deeper flavor.
4. Allow stock to cool slightly.
5. Strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
6. Discard bones and vegetables.
7. Pour stock into jars or freezer-safe containers.
8. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

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