How to craft a rich, flavorful chicken stock with leftover roasted chicken! This rich, savory bone broth is a nutrient-dense foundation for homemade soups and stews.
Why You’ll Love Homemade Chicken Stock
This Chicken stock recipe can be made from rotisserie chicken or leftover roast chicken! Use your chicken for a meal, then save all the bones for a delicious, nutritious bone broth to use in soups and stews.
Easy and simple! Combine the leftover carcass with vegetables, herbs, and water in a pot on the stove, instant pot, or slow cooker, and simmer.
Strain the liquid for a rich, flavorful homemade chicken bone broth. Remember to keep all the pan drippings and skin for extra flavor. It’s easy to remove the fat from the broth after it refrigerates.
What’s In Chicken Stock (Bone Broth)
- Chicken carcass: Use a chicken carcass from a roasted chicken. You can also add 2-3 chicken feet and a chicken neck if you’d like! They are rich in collagen and other nutrients and give the broth a silky feel.
- Celery stalks, carrots, and onion: These savory veggies keep the broth neutral in flavor and add depth and aroma. You could also add garlic cloves or ginger root.
- Apple cider vinegar: Extracts minerals and nutrients from the bones.
- Spices and herbs: Whole black peppercorns (allows for infusion of pepper flavor without adding visible flecks), bay leaf, salt, and fresh parsley (including stems). Dried or fresh thyme and rosemary are other great additions, if desired.
How to Make Chicken Stock
1. Smash the bones. This step is optional, but smashed chicken bones release more gelatin and flavor, resulting in a very rich and robust stock. To do this, simply use a mallet to pound the bones just enough to crack them. Alternatively, squeezing the bones with pilers works great too.
2. Simmer the broth. Add water, chicken carcass (including feet and neck, if using), apple cider vinegar, peppercorns, and bay leaf to a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for at least 3 hours, or up to 12 hours. Skim any foam off the top and discard. Add more water as needed.
3. Add veggies. Add the celery, carrots, large yellow onions, and fresh herbs. Simmer for an additional 1 – 1 1/2 hours. Cool, then strain using a colander to get the preliminary solids removed, then use a fine mesh sieve. You can even use a cheesecloth for an ultra pure bone broth.
4. Store. Store in glass jars.
Chicken stock Variations
Instant Pot Chicken Stock
To make chicken broth in the Instant Pot, place the chicken parts into the pot, add vegetables and seasonings. Pour in enough water to cover the ingredients, usually around 8-10 cups. Secure the lid, seal the valve, and cook on high pressure for about 1.5 hours. Allow natural pressure release (this will take about 30 minutes).
Slow Cooker Chicken Stock
To make chicken stock in a slow cooker, follow the method for the stovetop. Set the crockpot on low and cook for 10-12 hours. (Add veggies in the last 2 hours of cooking.)
Chef’s Tips for the Best Bone Broth
- Why smash chicken bones: Smashing chicken bones when making chicken stock helps release more gelatin and flavor, resulting in a richer and more robust stock.
- Why add apple cider vinegar: Add apple cider vinegar to chicken broth to extract minerals and nutrients from the bones. The acidity of the vinegar aids in breaking down the collagen and connective tissues in the bones, resulting in a richer and more flavorful broth.
- Flavor: Keep the veggies and aromatics neutral to let the taste of the chicken broth lend itself to many different applications.
- For clear broth: To keep the broth ultra clear do not boil, keep at a very low simmer at all times.
- When to add the veggies: Add the vegetables in the last 1 1/2 hours of simmering. If cooked too long, they can develop a stronger, unpleasant metallic flavor and make the stock cloudy.
- Fat: Leave the fat on top of the jar until you use it. It helps create a seal and will preserve the broth longer, especially when stored in the fridge. Scrape off fat and use it to saute veggies or meat!
Storing your Bone Broth
Store in jars in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If you have a thick layer of fat on the top of the jars, the stock will last up to two weeks.
You can also freeze the broth. Store in the freezer in wide-mouth glass canning jars, leaving an inch of space at the top of the jar for expansion (very important so your jar does not crack!). Make sure the broth is cooled completely before freezing it in plastic containers.
Ways to use homemade Chicken Stock
This nourishing stock can be used in any soup recipe, or you can even sip on it when you are feeling under the weather. Stock isn’t just reserved for soups and stews—use this recipe for cooking rice or risotto, too!
Here are some of our favorite soups for using chicken stock!
- Feel Better Chicken Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chicken Kale Soup
- 15 Minute Wonton Soup
- Moroccan Chicken Lentil Soup
Plus, check out our 20+ Broth-Based Soup Recipes!
Chicken Stock FAQs
Yes you can certainly use raw chicken. Roasting is going to give more flavor. Feel free to do some of both!
No, chicken stock is made from bones, whereas chicken broth is made from meat.
Not quite! Water is simmered with chicken bones, along with savory, aromatic veggies, spices, and herbs for deep, robust flavor.
Our stovetop method simmers the broth for 3-12 hours, plus an additional 1 – 1 1/2 hours for the veggies. The longer you simmer, the more nutrients will be released from the bones creating a more nutritious bone broth.
Hope you enjoy this easy Chicken Stock recipe! Once you get the hang of it, you’ll never buy store-bought again!
Let us know how you use it. 🙂
More Favorite Recipes!
Chicken Stock Recipe (Bone Broth)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: up to 12 hours
- Total Time: 5 to 13 hours
- Yield: 10 cups
- Category: soup, basics, chicken recipes
- Method: Stove top, instant pot, slow cooker
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
How to craft a rich, flavorful chicken stock with leftover roasted chicken! This rich, savory bone broth is a nutrient-dense foundation for homemade soups and stews.
Ingredients
- 15 cups of cold water
- 1 1/2– 2 pounds chicken carcass from a roasted chicken *see notes
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
—
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 large onion
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, stems included
Optional additions: 2-3 chicken feet and a chicken neck, both rich in collagen and nutrients will also give the broth a silky feel.
You can add ingredients such as: garlic, ginger, thyme, and rosemary based on what you plan to make with your broth.
Instructions
- Optional step- Pound the bones with a mallet just enough to crack them. (Alternatively, squeezing the bones with pilers works great too.) Smashing chicken bones when making chicken stock helps release more gelatin and flavor, resulting in a richer and more robust stock.
- Stove top method: Place water, chicken carcass, (chicken feet and neck if using), apple cider vinegar, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil and then cook on a low simmer for 3 hours and up to 12 hours. Skim any foam and discard. Add more water if needed.
- Add celery, carrots, onion and parsley. Simmer for another 1 to 1 & 1/2 hours. Cool and strain. Strain through a colander first to get the preliminary chunks and then switch to a fine mesh strainer. (Use a cheese cloth for ultra pure.)
- Store in glass jars and seal with an airtight lid.
Notes
Remember to keep all the pan drippings from your chicken carcass and the skin for extra flavor. It’s easy to remove the fat from the broth after it refrigerates.
Add veggies in the last 1 1/2 hours of simmering. If cooked too long, they can develop a stronger unpleasant metallic flavor and make the stock cloudy.
Keep the veggies and aromatics neutral to let the flavor of the chicken broth lend itself to many different applications, unless you have a specific flavor profile you are using it for.
Adding apple cider vinegar to chicken broth extracts minerals and nutrients from the bones. The acidity of the vinegar aids in breaking down the collagen and connective tissues in the bones, resulting in a richer and more flavorful bone broth.
Store in the refrigerator for 4 days. If you have a thick solid layer of fat on the top of the jar it will last up to two weeks.
Place in the freezer in wide mouth glass canning jars, leaving an inch of space at the top of the jar for expansion (very important so your jar does not crack make you very sad!)
You can certainly use raw chicken. Roasting is going to give more flavor. Roast raw bones at 400° for 30 minutes. Feel free to do some of both!
To make chicken broth in the Instant Pot, place the chicken parts into the pot, add vegetables and seasonings. Pour in enough water to cover the ingredients, usually around 8-10 cups. Secure the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for about 1.5 hours. Allow to natural pressure release (this will take about 30 minutes).
To make chicken stock in a slow cooker, follow method for the stove top. Set the crockpot on low and cook for 8- 12 hours. (Add veggies in the last 2 hours of cooking.)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 82
- Sugar: 2.1 g
- Sodium: 300.1 mg
- Fat: 1.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.6 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 12.1 g
- Cholesterol: 37.2 mg
Thanks for all these tips! How much does it matter if there is still (cooked) meat on the bones? I love making broth, but some batches seem to turn out much better than others, and I haven’t figured out my variables yet! Also — is anyone else bothered by the smell as the broth cooks? My husband can’t stand it, but we both love the end result!
Meat on the bones is going to add more flavor!
Does using the instant pot make for a less tasty stock? Curious as its nice and quick
It works great! Pressure cooking works fast to extract flavor and nutrients from the bones.
Is Balsamic or wine vinegar okay or will only apple cider vinegar do? I save all my chicken bones in a bone bag in the fridge and then when it’s full, make stock. I didn’t know the temperature affects how clear the broth becomes and that smashing the bones and using the skin adds more nutrients. I typically throw away the skin and gristle, but maybe they add more collagen?
Yes, all those chicken parts have collagen! You can use wine vinegar.
such helpful information, never would have known about cracking chicken bones to release more nutrients nor the apple cider vinegar. Thank you
So glad it was helpful!