Homemade chicken stock
- Preparation 20 min
- Refrigeration 3 h
- Cooking 2 h 10 min
- Servings 8 cups (2 L)
- Freezing Absolutely
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🍲 My homemade chicken stock is a must
I use it for my soups, my rice, my sauces. In my kitchen, it’s a must, and when I run out, I taste it right away in the dish. It isn’t salted, on purpose: I salt afterwards, in the dish, once I know what I’m making. If you want, you can salt it a little.
🍗 BBQ chicken carcasses and your vegetable scraps
My carcasses come from a BBQ chicken, because there’s already a nice base of spices on it. A cooked BBQ chicken from the grocery store does the job really well too. A raw carcass works, but if you’re going to do it, grab a BBQ chicken.
For the vegetables, it’s usually carrots, celery and onions. I keep the carrot ends, the onion ends and skins, and the celery ends that would go in the compost, freeze them, and toss them in the stock. Tons of flavour, and nothing goes to waste.
⏱️ On the stove, not in the slow cooker
I caramelize the vegetables and deglaze with white wine before the water. It brings up the browned sugars stuck to the bottom of the pot, and it’s delicious. Then it simmers on the stove. Slow cooker or pressure cooker? Never. Why do this over 8 hours when you can do it in 2? Then freeze it in one-cup portions or as ice cubes.
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🍗 A BBQ chicken, not a raw carcass
A BBQ chicken already comes with a nice base of spices, so the stock starts out with flavour before you’ve done a thing. If you bought a cooked one at the grocery store, do what I do: eat the meat, keep the carcasses. They do the job really well. The day you only have a raw carcass, it works too, it’s just less flavourful. And if you can’t decide, roast an oven-roasted BBQ chicken.
🥕 Scraps go in the freezer
Carrot ends, onion ends and skins, celery ends: all of it would go in the compost. I put it in a bag in the freezer and toss it in the stock. There’s lots of flavour in there, and nothing goes to waste.
🔥 Caramelize before adding the water
It’s the step you’re tempted to skip, and it’s the one that changes the result the most. The vegetables caramelize in the oil, you deglaze with white wine, you scrape the bottom of the pot: that brings up the browned sugars stuck to the bottom, and it’s delicious. Add the water only after.
⏱️ Two hours is enough
Longer is better because it reduces, that’s true. But at two hours, it’s perfect. And no slow cooker or pressure cooker here: why do this over 8 hours when you can do it in 2?
🧊 Strain, chill, skim
A fine-mesh sieve does the job. No need for cheesecloth, let’s not go crazy. Put the stock back in the pot and leave it in the fridge, and the fat will set on top. Lift it off and throw it out. I don’t salt the stock, on purpose: I salt in the dish afterwards, depending on what I’m making. Once it’s cold, freeze it in one-cup portions or as ice cubes.
✅ What to use my homemade chicken stock in
In a chicken noodle soup or in my homemade wonton soup, it makes all the difference. It also goes in a mushroom risotto and in pork chops with creamy mushroom sauce. For me, it’s also the base of my rice, my couscous and my sauces.
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Ingredients
- 1 Spanish onion, finely chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil
- ¼ cup (60 ml) white wine
- 2 BBQ chicken carcasses
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- A small handful of fresh parsley
- 2 large bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) black peppercorns
- About 10 cups (2.5 L) cold water
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Preparation
- In a very large pot over medium-high heat, add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and olive oil. Cook, stirring, for 8 to 10 minutes to caramelize everything. Add more oil if needed.
- Deglaze with the white wine and scrape the bottom well to pick up all the flavour. Keep cooking for 1 minute, stirring.
- Add the carcasses, thyme, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns, then cover with water, about 10 cups (2.5 L).
- Bring to a boil, reduce to low heat and cover. Simmer for 2 hours, stirring from time to time.
- Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to get a clear stock. Return to the pot and refrigerate for 3 hours. The fat will rise to the top: lift it off easily and throw it out.
Yes, it works. But if you’re going to do it, grab a BBQ chicken: there’s already a nice base of spices on it. A cooked BBQ chicken from the grocery store does the job really well too.
I never make it that way. Why do this over 8 hours when you can do it in 2? On the stove, after caramelizing the vegetables and deglazing with white wine, two hours is enough. Longer is better because it reduces, but at two hours, it’s perfect.
Yes. Let it cool, then freeze it in one-cup portions or as ice cubes. Ice cubes are handy for a sauce or to boost a pot of rice: you take out only what you need.
3 to 5 days in a closed container. After that, freeze it instead.
It’s on purpose. I keep it unsalted and salt afterwards in the dish, depending on what I’m making: soup, rice, sauce. If you prefer, you can salt it a little.
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