Homemade Chicken Stock (Stovetop or Pressure Cooker)
It's like liquid gold! Nothing really compares to homemade chicken stock and it's so easy to make yourself! Just takes some time on the stovetop or less time in your pressure cooker! Use your homemade chicken stock in recipes or make a delicious pot of homemade chicken soup!
1-2chicken carcass (or about 2-3 pounds chicken parts)leftover from roasted chicken
1teaspoonsaltI use coarse kosher
1teaspoonblack peppercorns
1small bundlefresh flat-leaf parsley4-5 stems
1 small bundlefresh thyme4-5 stems
2bay leaves
1medium/largeonion, quartered I leave inner-peel on
2clovesgarlic, peeledoptional
2-3carrots, cut into 2" piecescleaned - don't have to peel
2-3stalkscelery, cut into 2" pieces
12-16cupswater - enough to cover chicken
Instructions
Stock Pot/Stovetop Directions
Combine all ingredients in large pot - add enough cold water to cover chicken.
Simmer (don't boil) for 4-6 hours - partially covered. Skim any foamy ("scum" - ugh hate that word)
I like to cook it at least until the chicken carcass falls apart.
When done, take off heat. Use tongs, large slotted spoon or hand-held strainer to remove all solid pieces. These you can discard.
Pour stock through a fine mesh strainer - you can line this with a few layers of cheesecloth if you wish. Sometimes I discard the last half-cup or so if there's a lot of sediment in the bottom of the pot.
Let cool, refrigerate for several hours or overnight. The fat will rise to the top and become solid. You can scoop this off to discard (or use in recipes calling for chicken fat!) Then go ahead use the stock in your recipe or pack into freezer containers. Keeps for at least 6 months.
Pressure Cooker Directions:
Combine all ingredients in your pressure cooker - add enough cold water to cover chicken. (but don't go over the max fill line of your pressure cooker.)
Lock lid onto pressure cooker and bring to high pressure.
Pressure cook for 45 minutes. (I use a stovetop pressure cooker and bring to high perssure over med.- high heat, then reduce heat to maintain a little steam constantly coming from the valve.)
Turn off heat and allow to cool/release pressure. (Can take around 15 minutes.)
When done, take off heat. Use tongs, large slotted spoon or hand-held strainer to remove all solid pieces. These you can discard - they've done their work by adding lots of flavor!
Pour stock through a fine mesh strainer - you can line this with a few layers of cheesecloth if you wish. Sometimes I discard the last half-cup or so if there's a lot of sediment in the bottom of the pot.
Let cool, refrigerate for several hours or overnight. The fat will rise to the top and become solid. You can scoop this off to discard (or use in recipes calling for chicken fat!). Then go ahead use the stock in your recipe or pack into freezer containers. Keeps for at least 6 months.
Notes
Chicken:
In the recipe I say 1-2 chicken carcasses. This will somewhat depend upon how large your carcass is and how much room you have in your pot. The more carcass - the richer the stock. I usually make my stock a day or so after having roasted chicken for dinner. You can if you want - freeze the carcass and make the stock at a later date. You want to start with a carcass or chicken bones from a chicken that was previously cooked. Otherwise impurities can come out into your stock - and you won't have that nice clear stock. Some folks who start with raw bones - boil, then drain them first.
Pressure Cooker:
I use a stovetop pressure cooker - (which comes to a little higher pressure point - so cooks a little faster when compared to an electric pressure cooker.) But in comparing recipes that use electric pressure cookers such as the Instapot - the timing in this recipe should work well for either a stovetop or an electric pressure cooker.
Chicken Stock - Chicken Broth - Bone Broth:
From what I've read - and there are many differing points of view out there:Chicken broth is generally made with chicken meat and vegetables. It's a thinner texture and is generally not simmered as long as stock or bone broth. Chicken stock is made with the addition of bones and cooked for a longer period of time than broth. It has a richer taste and more full-bodied texture. The bones (depending how many you use) contribute gelatin/collagen to the stock - you'll see when chilled it has a more gelatinous texture. Bone broth is made with more bones and cooked longer to extract more collagen. The more bones you add, the more collagen rich broth you'll have.
Nutrition (approx. data estimated via online nutritional calculator.)