Food & Cooking Recipes Soups, Stews & Stocks Stock Recipes Basic Chicken Stock 5.0 (1) Martha's simple recipe for chicken stock is hard to beat. Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins Servings: 8 Yield: 2 to 2 1/2 quarts Jump to recipe Martha's chicken stock recipe will have you simmering pots of the flavorful, golden elixir at home in no time. It calls for five pounds of chicken parts, plus traditional additions like carrots, celery, and onions. You’ll need a large pot—about eight quarts capacity—for simmering, plus a fine-mesh sieve and some cheesecloth to strain it. The recipe makes about two quarts of stock, which you can stash in the fridge for a few days or freeze for a few months. Put it to use in soups and stews, use it to flavor sauces and risottos, or simply sip for a warming, nourishing tonic. There's no better way to learn how to make stock at home than with Martha's basic recipe. The Difference Between Broth and Stock and When to Use Each Credit: Jason Donnelly Key Components for Homemade Chicken Stock Chicken: Our recipe calls for 5 pounds of chicken parts. You can use any combination of wings, necks, backs, or even feet, so feel free to toss in whatever you have on hand. If needed, ask about buying bones (usually necks and backs) at your local butcher shop or grocery store. Should you want to add even more flavor to your stock, you can toss in up to 1 1/2 pounds of meat, like breasts or thighs. Vegetables: To flavor your stock, add a couple of carrots, a few celery stalks, and some onions. Use white or yellow onions—avoid sweet and red ones for this recipe. Leaving the skin on yellow onions is a good idea; it will give your stock an even deeper, more golden hue. Aromatics: In addition to the vegetables, we like adding a teaspoon of black peppercorns and two bay leaves to the pot. Be sure to leave the peppercorns whole; it will result in a more subtle flavor and be easier to strain them out at the end. Saving chicken for making stock: Freeze chicken carcasses, bones, and vegetable scraps leftover from other recipes in a resealable bag to toss into the pot whenever the need for stock strikes. Feel free to add other produce, like leek greens, parsnips, and herb stems, but avoid anything starchy—such as potatoes or squash—or strongly flavored like cabbage, broccoli, or radishes, which can impact the flavor and consistency of the finished stock. 3 Tips for Stock Success Use a large enough pot: To ensure you can add an adequate amount of water (about 3 quarts), choose a pot that comfortably fits all the ingredients with at least 3 inches of headspace. It'll also help keep the stock from bubbling over as it comes to a boil. Wait to add vegetables and aromatics: For a clear stock that's free of impurities, Martha prefers to boil just the chicken parts, then skim off any fat and foam before adding the other ingredients. (If you're in a rush and need to get the stock simmering, you can skip this step and toss it all in together.) Monitor your heat: Cooking the stock at a bare simmer allows the flavor from the bones and aromatics to gently infuse it without those ingredients breaking down too quickly. It also keeps any fat and impurities from emulsifying into the liquid, which can result in a cloudy stock. Directions Credit: Jason Donnelly Place chicken in stockpot, cover with water: Place chicken parts in a stockpot just large enough to hold them with about 3 inches of room above (an 8-quart pot should do) and add enough water to cover by 1 inch (about 3 quarts). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, using a ladle to skim impurities and fat that rise to the top. Credit: Jason Donnelly Add vegetables and spices and cook: Add vegetables, bay leaf, and peppercorns and reduce heat to a bare simmer (bubbles should just gently break the surface). Cook, skimming frequently, for at least 1 1/2 hours and up to 4 hours. Credit: Jason Donnelly Strain stock: Pass stock through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a large heatproof measuring cup or another bowl or pot; do not press on solids. Discard solids. Save any bits of meat for tossing into soups, turn it into chicken salad, or reserve it for an extra-special treat for pets. Credit: Jason Donnelly Skim off fat or let cool and transfer to containers: Skim off fat if using immediately, or let cool completely (in an ice-water bath, if desired) before transferring to airtight containers. Refrigerate at least 8 hours to allow the fat to accumulate at the top; lift off and discard fat before using or storing stock. Credit: Jason Donnelly How to Store Chicken Stock Stock can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Be sure to leave at least 1/2 inch of headspace at the top of each container to allow for liquid expansion when freezing. Thaw stock in the refrigerator overnight, in a large container of cool water (changing out the water every 30 minutes), or using the defrost function on your microwave. Using Chicken Stock at Home There are so many ways to put your homemade chicken stock to good use, including: In soups, like this hearty split-pea and barley recipe or our simple and satisfying chicken tortilla soup Added to stews like our four-ingredient chile verde or our one-pot chicken and dumplings When making gravies and pan sauces Stirred into risotto or used in place of water for extra-flavorful rice 5 More Stock Recipes to Try Brown Beef Stock Vegetable Stock Turkey Giblet Stock Easy Corn Stock Lobster Stock 101 The recipe is adapted from the decorvow's Cooking School cookbook. Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.