Basic Chicken Stock Recipe

Four clear plastic containers filled with golden-brown basic chicken stock are arranged on a white surface, with one lid placed beside a container. The background features a light-colored, speckled pattern.

This Basic Chicken Stock recipe is a great way to use leftover chicken carcasses while loading up your freezer with delicious chicken broth you can use to make soups, stews, and pasta dishes.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 20

Servings Quarts

Author Heather

Equipment

Ingredients

2 chicken carcasses or whole raw chickens
4 large carrots halved
2 large yellow onions halved
4 celery stalks halved
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 head garlic halved
8 quarts water
kosher salt to taste
1 bunch parsley or other herbs like thyme, optional

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Instructions

Add all ingredients to a large stock pot and bring to a boil.
Skim any scum off the top, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 3-4 hours.
Strain the solids. Season with salt, if desired and ladle the chicken stock into large deli containers or mason jars and cool on the counter before freezing.

Notes

Tips for Storing

Refrigerate stock in airtight containers for up to 5 days. The fat will solidify on the surface as it chills -- leave it in place until you're ready to use the stock, then lift it off in one piece. That fat is flavor.
Freeze for up to 3 months in quart deli containers or freezer-safe mason jars. Leave an inch of headspace so the liquid has room to expand.
Freeze in ice cube trays first if you often need small amounts for deglazing or finishing sauces. Pop the frozen cubes into a zip freezer bag and grab what you need.
Label everything with the date before it goes in the freezer. Chicken stock and other stocks look identical once frozen.
Cool stock quickly before refrigerating or freezing. Divide into smaller containers and set them in an ice bath rather than putting a large hot pot directly into the refrigerator.
Do not store stock in glass jars in the freezer if you fill them to the top. Liquid expands as it freezes and will crack the jar.

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