Homemade Chicken Stock

by Joanna Gaines
Total 8 hours and 45 minutes | Active 15 minutes
Makes 8 cups

"An easy way to gather vegetables for this recipe is to keep a baggie in the freezer and whenever you have leftover vegetables you can just toss them in. That way, as soon as you cook a recipe that leaves you with chicken bones, you have what you need to make the stock—you can just put it all in a large pot on the stove and let it simmer. I always try to make as much of this stock as possible so that I can freeze at least half the batch. There is satisfaction in using every last bit of food you can, and knowing that nothing is going to waste." – Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Table, Volume 3

TIP: Store vegetable trimmings—such as onions, celery, and carrots—all month long in a baggie in the freezer, then pull them out when it's time to make chicken stock. Note: The carcass of a roasted chicken is ideal for this. Used to flavor stocks and stews, an herb bundle (also known as a bouquet garni) consists of fresh herbs tied together with twine. You can use whatever herbs you like; I often use sage, dill, thyme, and rosemary.

Ingredients

  • Two 2-pound cooked chicken carcasses (see Note)
  • 4 cups raw vegetable trimmings (see Tip)
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Herb bundle (see Note)
  • 12 cups filtered water

Directions

  1. Add the chicken carcasses, vegetable trimmings, vinegar, salt, and herb bundle to a large Dutch oven or stockpot and top with the filtered water.
  2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 4 to 8 hours.
  3. Line a strainer with cheesecloth and set over a large bowl. Strain the liquid, discarding the solids. Let the stock cool for 30 minutes. If you like, refrigerate the cooled stock overnight. The next morning remove the white solidified fat collected at the top of the liquid.
  4. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days, or freeze for 4 to 6 weeks (leave 2 inches at the top of the container for the stock to expand when it freezes).

    5. "Magnolia Table, Volume 3" copyright © 2023 by Joanna Gaines. All rights reserved.
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