How To Make Chicken Stock

There are so many uses for chicken stock like soups, casseroles, and gravy. Making your own is not hard and you will be rewarded with restaurant-quality flavor. I’ll show you how easy it is to make chicken stock from a rotisserie chicken carcass and skin.

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When we are in the mood for an easy, fast dinner, a rotisserie chicken is a perfect solution. The store-bought roasted chicken is generally pretty inexpensive. 

And, we can usually get 3 meals out of one chicken. So it’s a bonus to also make about 3 quarts of chicken stock from the leftovers.

What Is The Difference Between Stock And Broth

Stock and broth get used interchangeably but there is a bit of a difference.

A stock is made with bones and therefore contains the gelatin from the collagen in bones. The more it gets boiled down, the thicker the gelatin gets. It makes for a darker-colored liquid.

A broth is lighter in color and is made from meat and vegetables. It is more used in light soups like chicken noodle soup or oriental pho.

This recipe is more of a quick stock because it only gets boiled for one and a half to two hours. Lots of recipes call for simmering for 3 to 6 hours. 

I generally make my stock after dinner in the evening, so a quicker method is my preference. The stock is still really good and tasty.

Why Make Your Own Chicken Stock?

1. The stock has so many uses. Countless recipes call for chicken stock. Hearty soups, risotto, and casseroles come to mind. I also sometimes just boil rice in stock for more flavor.
2. Most quality restaurants make their own stock to get serious flavor. This is why food in a restaurant usually tastes pretty dang good. And, much better than store-bought.
3. Because it is economical. We generally buy rotisserie chickens from one of the big member stores. Our local Sam’s still sells chickens for $5.00. The two of us can make 3 meals out of one and make about 3 quarts of stock. Now that is a bargain.
4. It is not that hard to prepare. You are going to finish eating the chicken anyway, so you might as well save the bones and carcass and make some quick stock. Just coarse chop a few vegetables, add them to the chicken parts, and get it boiling.
5. Stock freezes well so you can always have some on hand. Once the stock cools, we measure out one or two cup portions and put them into individual zip-lock freezer bags. It should keep for 6 months and the pre-measured stock can be quickly thawed and used.

How To Make Chicken Stock From A Rotisserie Chicken

The first meal from the chicken gets carved and eaten leaving plenty of meat left on the carcass. Allow the chicken to cool so the remaining meat can easily pull off the bones. 

We find it easiest to put the chicken into a 9″ by 13″ baking dish along with any juices from the original container. 

The bare bones and the leftover skin are put into a large stock pot. The one used here is a 5-quart stainless pot.

The good leftover meat is placed into another bowl or like MaryJo is doing here, into the lid of the chicken container.

We then weigh the remaining chicken and put it into containers for the next use.

The rest of the drippings and miscellaneous chicken parts in the baking dish are added to the pot. The baking dish is then rinsed with water and that is added.

We use filtered water for our stock because the water in our area is quite hard. A Brita filtering pitcher, (*ad), is used. 

Added Vegetables and Spices

Vegetables and spices are added for extra flavor. The French mirepoix of onion, celery, and carrots is great for flavoring. The veggies are coarsely chopped. A few sprigs of fresh parsley are also added.

Then I add 25 or 30 black peppercorns. I don’t add extra salt since the carcass and skin contain some residual salt and spices. A dried bay leaf could also be added if desired.

Boiling The Stock

Once the chicken parts and vegetables are in the pot, add 3 quarts of water. That should totally cover all the ingredients in the stock pot.

Place the pot on your stove burner, cover it with a lid, and bring the water to a boil over high heat.

Once boiling, turn the heat way down so that the water is just gently simmering. Keep the cover on the pot and simmer/slow boil the chicken for 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours. 

Some stock making methods call for boiling the chicken longer and it would be okay to do that. This quick method of making stock provides great flavor so this has been the way we do it. 

The longer cook time is usually done if you are using raw chicken, like backs, legs, or wings. Since these have become pretty expensive, using pre-cooked chicken is the way to go.

Once refrigerated, the stock will gel from the collagen in the bones and have plenty of savory taste.

When done cooking, place the pot in your sink so that any spills and drips are easy to clean up. Use a kitchen spider or large slotted utensil to remove as much of the solids as you can.

 

After as much of the veggies and chicken parts are removed, set a large jar or bowl in the sink with a fine strainer over it. Pour the stock into the strainer to filter out the remaining bits of chicken.

Allow the stock to cool then place it in a sealable container and refrigerate or freeze.

Freezing Tip

We freeze individual packets of the stock in freezer bags. One or two cup portions are measured out, sealed, and put into the freezer.  

One-cup portions are perfect for a quick individual soup made with leftover vegetables or pasta. Two-cup portions are perfect for making delicious chicken gravy.

The stock is easy to thaw in hot tap water or take it out of the freezer and refrigerate until it is thawed.

Now that you know how to make chicken stock from a rotisserie chicken, here are some recipes that you can use the stock in.

• Slow cooker chicken with orzo and kalamata olives
• Creamy tomato bisque recipe
• Shrimp and sausage stew recipe
• Chicken and drop biscuits

Making your own chicken stock is not only economical, it also provides “restaurant-quality” results. I hope you give it a try.