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Elevate Your Soup this Soup Season with Homemade Chicken Stock!
Soup season is BACK baby! To ensure my soups taste as fresh as possible and use the most wholesome ingredients, I’m making my own batches of chicken stock this year, and you can, too! Chicken stock seems intimidating – and it’s so easy to buy at the store. Why bother making it at home?
I’m glad you asked! Chicken stock is extremely easy to make at home and uses a handful of wholesome ingredients. This recipe is packed with flavor from fresh vegetables, chicken, and a few herbs and spices, too. Carton stock often contains additional sugars and oils, so making it from scratch will yield the most wholesome result (and tastes so much better!).
Why I Love Making My Own Stock
I love soup season – and for anyone else in the same boat, you know a good stock is the base of a delicious soup! I didn’t realize how easy it was to make stock until attending a cooking program in Italy, where I learned many invaluable lessons about making kitchen staples from scratch! Stock was one of the staples that I now make regularly at home to have on hand when I want to make a delicious soup, like my dairy-free Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup!
Some store-bought stocks are pure, but others contain additional oils and sugars (usually the more affordable stocks). I am on a journey to build my culinary lifestyle around anti-inflammatory ingredients and dishes, so I like to know exactly what’s going into my food and the ingredients I use daily. I also don’t want to break the bank on buying high-quality stock when I can make much more at home for a fraction of the cost!
How to Make Chicken Stock
Homemade Chicken Stock will take your soup to the next level this #soupseason! It’s so easy to make – you’ll never opt for box stock again! (Plus, it’s the perfect excuse to have rotisserie chicken one night and then soup with homemade stock the next!). Here’s how to make chicken stock from scratch:
Roughly Chop Your Vegetables: Roughly chop your celery stocks, carrots, onions, and garlic cloves. Add them to a stock pot or Dutch Oven.
Add Your Chicken and Some Spices to the Pot: Add your chicken carcass, bay leaves, peppercorns, and fresh thyme sprigs to your pot, and then add in fresh water until all ingredients are submerged – it should be about 9 cups of water.
Heat Your Pot: Bring your stock to a slight boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover your pot with its lid and let simmer for 3-4 hours, checking it every hour to ensure your ingredients remain submerged (and pushing them down with a spoon or ladle if they’re not).
Add Salt (Optional): Once your stock is done cooking, taste it and add salt if desired. *If you are going for an unsalted stock, skip this step.
Strain Your Ingredients: Using a fine mesh sieve, strain your stock from the other ingredients. You may need to do this twice or use a cheesecloth to separate the smaller pieces from the stock.
Cool and Store: Allow your stock to cool and then transfer it to containers and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze your stock for up to 6 months.
Enjoy your homemade chicken stock! For a visual tutorial, check out my YouTube video below and follow @dinneratallis on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for more recipes:
Ingredients:
- Chicken Carcass (I used one from a rotisserie chicken)
- Celery
- Carrots
- Sweet Onion
- Fresh Garlic
- Fresh Thyme
- Bay Leaves
- Peppercorns
- Salt
Homemade Chicken Stock Recipe:
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Chicken Stock
- Yield: 4–5 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 1 Chicken Carcass (I used one from a rotisserie chicken)
- 3 Celery Stalks (roughly chopped)
- 2 Large Carrots (roughly chopped)
- 1/2 Sweet Onion (roughly chopped)
- 3 Garlic Cloves (roughly chopped)
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 4 Springs of Fresh Rosemary
- 1/4 tsp Peppercorns
- 9 cups of Water
- 1–2 tsp Salt (optional)
Instructions
- Roughly Chop Vegetables: Roughly chop your celery, carrots, onion, and garlic and add to your stock pot or Dutch Oven.
- Combine Chicken and Some Spices: On top of your veggies, add your chicken carcass, bay leaves, peppercorns, and thyme.
- Cover with Water: Pour your water into the pot until the veggies and chicken are submerged (about 9 cups of filtered water)
- Heat Your Pot: Over medium heat, bring your mixture to a light boil, and then turn down the heat to a simmer and cover your pot. Let the pot simmer for 3-4 hours, checking it every hour to make sure your ingredients stay submerged.
- Optional – Add Salt: Once your stock is finished, taste the liquid with a spoon and add salt if desired.
- Strain your Stock: Using a fine mesh sieve, strain your stock from the rest of your ingredients. You may need to do this twice or use a cheesecloth or nut bag to separate the smaller pieces from the liquid.
- Cool and Store: Allow your stock to completely cool, and then transfer it into containers to keep in the fridge. The stock will last up to 5 days or can be frozen for up to 6 months.
For more recipes like this one, follow me on social media at @dinneratallis!