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Homemade Chicken Stock

Budget Cooking· DIY/Condiments/Sauces· Instant Pot· Popular Posts· Real Food

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Homemade Chicken Stock is easy to make at home with these step by step instructions on how to make homemade chicken stock on the stove or in the Slow Cooker. This rich chicken stock is made with chicken bones, herbs, and vegetables scraps for a tasty broth that is healthier and richer than store bought chicken broth. 

Jars of Homemade Chicken Stock with text overlay that reads Making Homemade Chicken Stock for Pennies using kitchen scraps

I am about to CHANGE YOUR LIFE with my recipe for Chicken Stock.

Okay, maybe not CHANGE your life, but I am going to save you money AND make your recipes taste better with my homemade chicken stock.

You are about to learn how to make homemade chicken stock with kitchen scraps.

YES–things you would normally throw away!

Homemade Chicken Stock

Making chicken stock takes hardly any hand on time at all and uses ingredients you already have.

Not to mention YOU get to control the quality of ingredients and level of sodium in this chicken stock recipe.

PLEASE stop wasting your money and make your own chicken stock.

This easy chicken stock only needs two essential ingredients:

  • Chicken Bones
  • Kitchen Scraps

Trust me, I have not gone off the deep end with this one, the very things the majority of people toss into the trash, is all you need for a rich and flavorful stock.

What are Kitchen Scraps?

When I am talking about kitchen scraps, I am referring to vegetable peels, herbs that have lost their vibrant color, or vegetables that you will not be using.

The BEST vegetable scraps for Chicken Stock

  • Carrot Peels
  • Onion Peels
  • Celery Leaves
  • Garlic Cloves
  • Rosemary, Thyme, & Parsley

Using Vegetable Peels for Chicken Stock

  • Get a gallon size bag that is freezer safe.
  • Every time you chop an onion, peel a carrot, or chop celery place the scraps and skins in this freezer bag.
  • Just add to it as you collect more scraps and store in the freezer.
  • Chopping herbs? Toss the ends or wilted pieces into your scrap bag.
  • Dicing veggie for a vegetable platter? Toss in the ends of the veggies.

How to make Chicken Stock

Once you have roasted chicken with bones, be it a whole chicken or bone-in chicken breasts or bone-in chicken thighs, you are ready make chicken stock.

  1. Place all your scraps and bones into the pan of your choice. You can see that for this batch of stock, I had carrot peels, onion peels, pepper pits, bay leaves, bones and rosemary to make this stock.
  2. Cover with cold water.
  3. Add 3-4 tablespoons kosher salt and 1 tablespoon pepper. I like to toss in a bay leaf or two as well.
  4. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and allow to cook for at least 3 hours or longer.
  5. Strain out the solids.
  6. Cool the broth and store in the fridge overnight.
  7. Skim off any fat that has risen to the top with a slotted spoon (this step is not necessary, but I prefer to remove the tiny bit of solid fat.)
  8. Store in 2-4 cup freezer safe containers or glass jars.

PRO-TIP: I like to use my large 8 quart pan with a colander/steamer insert, which makes straining out the solids extremely easy.

Using vegetable scraps and chicken bones to make homemade chicken stock

Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

  1. Place all your scraps and bones into the crock pot.
  2. Cover with cold water.
  3. Add 3-4 tablespoons kosher salt and 1 tablespoon pepper. I like to toss in a bay leaf or two as well.
  4. Cook on low for 8-12 hours.
  5. Strain out the solids.
  6. Cool the broth and store in the fridge overnight.
  7. Skim off any fat that has risen to the top with a slotted spoon (this step is not necessary, but I prefer to remove the tiny bit of solid fat.)
  8. Store in 2-4 cup freezer safe containers or glass jars.

PRO-TIP: A time saving hack, is to let your chicken stock cook overnight in the slow cooker. 

Jar of Homemade Chicken Stock with carrots and onions in background

Storing Chicken Stock

  • Once the stock has cooled completely, measure out the chicken stock into several 2 and/or 4 cup containers.
  • Chicken Stock will last 5 days in refrigerator and 3 months in freezer.

To Freeze Chicken Stock

  • Once stock has cooled completely, pour chicken stock into freezer safe quart size bags or 4 cup freezer safe containers.
  • Be careful to not over-fill your bags/containers as liquids expand when frozen.
  • Place in freezer (if using freezer bags to store chicken stock, lie them flat to take up less room in freezer.)
  • Store in freezer for up to 3 months for best flavor.
  • Defrost chicken stock in fridge overnight, or speed up defrosting, by placing frozen container of chicken stock into a bowl of cold water in the fridge.

What is the difference between Chicken Stock and Chicken Broth?

  • Chicken Stock is made with the BONES or the chicken.
  • Chicken Broth is made with the MEAT of the chicken.
  • Chicken Stock is RICHER than chicken stock.

Recipes using Chicken Stock

Chicken Stock Recipe

Jar of Chicken Stock
5 from 3 votes
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Chicken Stock

A rich and flavorful homemade chicken stock is made with chicken bones and vegetable scraps. Can be made in slow cooker or on stove top. 

Course Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword Chicken Stock
Prep Time 3 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 3 minutes
Servings 16
Calories 15 kcal

Ingredients

  • chicken bones from one whole chicken or 3 pounds chicken thighs or chicken breasts
  • 3 cups vegetable scraps carrot peels, celery stalks, onions, wilted herbs, etc
  • 3-4 tablespoons kosher salt
  • bay leaf
  • 1 tablespoon pepper
  • 12-16 cups cold water

Instructions

Stove Top Chicken Stock

  1. Place vegetable and herb scraps and bones into the pan of your choice. 

  2. Cover with cold water.

  3. Add 3-4 tablespoons kosher salt and 1 tablespoon pepper. Add in bay if desired. 

  4. Bring chicken stock to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and allow stock to cook for at least 3 hours or longer.

  5. Strain out the solids.
  6. Cool the broth and store in the fridge overnight.
  7. Skim off any fat that has risen to the top with a slotted spoon (this step is not necessary, but I prefer to remove the tiny bit of solid fat.)
  8. Store in 2-4 cup freezer safe containers or glass jars.

Crock Pot Chicken Stock

  1. Place bones, scraps and seasonings into slow cooker and cover with water. 

  2. Cook on low for 8-12 hours. 

  3. Strain out solid and cool stock for 20-30 minutes before storing in 2-4 cup containers in fridge or freezer. 

Recipe Notes

  • Use the bones from 1 whole chicken or 2-3 large chicken breasts or 5-6 chicken thighs. Chicken wing bones and chicken leg bones can be used as well.
  • Use any vegetable scraps you like for this Homemade Stock. I recommend carrot and onion peels, celery leaves, and rosemary, thyme and parsley. 
Nutrition Facts
Chicken Stock
Amount Per Serving
Calories 15
% Daily Value*
Sodium 200mg 8%
Potassium 79mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 3g 1%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Calcium 4%
Iron 3.2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Comments

  1. That’s exactly how I make my chicken stock. I save all my bones and kitchen scraps in the freezer and simmer. I do simmer for a longer time though- if you let it simmer even longer you get more gelatin out of the bones, which is super good for you. I usually do 24 hours in the crockpot or 12 hours on the stove.

    Reply

  2. Yes! This is exactly what I need to start doing and freezing in 2 or 4 cup containers! This will definitely help me cook healthier and cheaper soon. I love cooking things in broth and too often end up just using bullion.
    Also, thanks for coming by the Retro Re-pin Party. This has been pinned to our party board.

    Reply

  4. I love how you showed what you actually used. It makes me more comfortable to use scraps if I know (and can actually see) someone else doing it. I will definitely be giving this a try soon!

    Reply

  5. I love homemade chicken stock and this recipe looks very good. Hope you are having a great day and thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

    Reply

  6. Thank you so much for sharing your versatile homemade chicken soup recipe with us at the Healthy, Happy, Green and Natural Party Blog Hop. I appreciate it!

    Reply

    • I love Ziploc freezer containers–they work well and they are inexpensive when they go on sale. I also will use freezer bags (any brand) to save space at time as well.

      Reply

      • Does the chicken need to have been cooked or can you start with raw. I have done removed from thighs

        Reply

        • Hi Mike, there is no need to first cook the chicken for safety reasons, as you cook the chicken stock for long enough to kill salmonella. I use bones from pre-cooked chicken for convenience (because I am already baking/cooking chicken) and I will say roasted bones do add more flavor to your stock.

          Reply

          • Hi Mary! You can use any chicken bones you like. The only thing I caution when using a store-bought rotisserie chicken is that if you have a lot of meat left, you may need to decrease the overall salt content, as they tend to be really high in salt. Enjoy!!

  11. What do you do with the bones and scraps afterward? All my scraps would usually go into the compost, but now they’re contaminated with meat oils. I’d hate to just throw them out!

    Reply

    • Hi Kassie, for these vegetable scraps, I would probably throw away–or I do know some people place in bokashi bin that is safe for meat, fish and dairy. It’s a closed bin so it doesn’t smell and after about 2 weeks the bin contents can be mixed in on your compost heap. But I do not have experience with these.

      Reply


  12. I make stock and broth often; and while I was aware of the possibility to use my vegetable scraps, I was hesitant. Many volunteer hands at my church and a start up commercial business was where I learned about this method. After seeing your post, I decided to save my scraps and give it a go! My biggest concern was the dirt that’s in the crevices of the onion ends, celery ends, etc. But I gave this a try, buying cheese cloth to help with the straining of fine particles at the end of the stock. Now mine tastes as good as the start up chef’s, and I am thrilled! Thanks so much for just discussing this. I’m saving, and I’m making.

    Reply

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