Chicken Stock

I use Chicken Stock in cooking almost as much as I use onions. Making it from scratch is so much better than what you can buy at the grocery store. A lot of times stocks from the grocery store are bland and lack body. Stocks should be rich in flavor and have a nice body that adds to your dishes.

I have been making my own stock for several years now. This is something I learned how to do in Culinary School. I was not happy with the quality of stocks at the grocery store, or the price. It makes more sense for me to make my own because of the amount I use in my cooking. Plus, it is EXTREMELY easy to make stock. Probably a lot easier than you think.

What is Chicken Stock

Chicken Stock is made by simmering chicken bones, vegetables and aromatics in water for several hours. The liquid is then strained and what you are left with is the Chicken Stock. It is packed full of flavor and nutrients. You will see Chicken Stock and Chicken Broth used interchangeably. The difference is that stock is made with bones and broth is made with more meat. Both are delicious and can be used the same way.

How do you use Chicken Stock

Chicken stock is used in a variety of ways. We all know that Chicken Stock is great to use for a base in soups. It is also great to use in making sauces, glazes and gravies. You will see a lot of sauce making with Chicken Stock in my recipes on this blog. Stock can also be used to sip when you are feeling ill. It is packed full of collagen, vitamins and minerals that are great for your body.

Making Chicken Stock

Making chicken stock is extremely easy. For years I stuck to the book and made it the way I was taught. Which is a great way. However, the past few years I have learned to make it a little differently. In stock making you use bones, onions, carrots, celery and aromatics.

Bones are easy to come by, ask your local butcher or meat department at the grocery store, they are usually willing to give them to you for a small fee. Or you can save up bones from your own cooking. I use chicken a lot and when I break one down, I put the carcass in a freezer bag and store it until I have enough to make stock. I will even use the bones from roasted chicken.

I also save the "scraps" from my onions, carrots and celery, and store them the same way. I clean them first, of course. By doing this I am utilizing what I would normally throw away. I wait until I have a few gallon freezer bags full of chicken bones and vegetables then I will make stock. You can use freshly cut vegetables if you prefer. The aromatics used in chicken stock are fresh herbs like thyme, parsley, whole peppercorns, bay leaves and garlic cloves.

All of the ingredients are placed in a large stock pot filled with water and left to simmer for at least 12 hours. I have recently been using my roaster oven for this. It is a fantastic way to make chicken stock! This leaves my stove open for cooking while I am making stock. By the way, your house will smell amazing while your stock is cooking!

Once the stock is done, allow it to cool. You can then skim off any fat from the surface, strain and place your stock in containers.

I do not follow a recipe, or direct measurements, for making stock. I just add all of my saved chicken bones and vegetables scraps to my roaster oven, fill all the way with water, cover and cook for several hours. However, I have provided a recipe for this blog.

Storing Stock

You can store your chicken stock two ways. The first is putting it in containers and freezing it. This is a great way to store your stock. If you are making and using a lot of stock, then you may want to store it the second way. Pressure canning your stock. This will allow you to free up freezer space and store your stock in your pantry. I froze my stock in quart containers for years and while it was great to have fresh chicken stock, it took up a lot of freezer space.

I finally starting pressure canning it and I am extremely happy with this method. If you do choose to pressure can your chicken stock just follow your Pressure Canners instructions on canning stock or use the Ball fresh preserving website or book to safely pressure can stock.

Here are a few recipes you might like that use Chicken Stock.