This homemade chicken stock is made with chicken bones, vegetables, and simple herbs. I used bone-heavy curry-cut chicken instead of a hard-to-find carcass. This recipe is easy, beginner-friendly, and hard to mess up, made on the stovetop, and adds instant flavour to soups, stews, gravies, and rice dishes.
This chicken stock recipe gets its flavour from chicken bones, vegetables, and herbs. I use curry-cut chicken with more bone pieces instead of the carcass, and trim off extra meat to use in another recipe before adding it to the stock pot. Basically, you need bones, not the meat.
When I make chicken stock at home, I always add onion, garlic, carrot, celery, pepper, and thyme. These are the basic ingredients that give a good, balanced flavour to any chicken stock.
But there is no strict rule when making this chicken stock. Use what you have at home. I always make homemade chicken stock and freeze it in small portions. It saves time and adds instant flavor to dishes like chicken manchow soup & Greek lemon chicken and rice.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Made with curry-cut chicken: Chicken carcass is hard to find at many places, especially where I live. Curry-cut chicken is easily available, budget-friendly, and works perfectly to make this chicken stock. All you need to do is trim off the excess meat.
- Easy, beginner-friendly, and hard to mess up: Add everything to a pot and let it simmer. Very easy to make.
- No strict recipe to follow: Add what you like or have and skip what you don't. This stock is very forgiving.
- Great way to use leftovers: Perfect for using vegetable scraps, herb stems, and leftover chicken pieces or bones from a whole roast chicken.
- Adds instant flavor to recipes: Makes soups, rice, gravies, and stews taste much better. Better than store-bought stock
- Freezer-friendly: Make a big batch of this chicken stock and freeze in portions for later use.
Quick Look: Homemade Chicken Stock Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Calories: ~20 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- Key ingredients: Chicken bones or carcass, onion, celery, carrots, thyme, and black peppercorns.
- Cook Method: Add chicken bones (or curry-cut chicken), vegetables, herbs, and water to a pot → bring to a gentle boil → reduce heat and simmer → skim foam while cooking → strain the stock → cool and store or freeze.
- Spice Level: Mild (not spicy)
- Flavor Profile: Savory, rich, and aromatic
- Difficulty: Easy, beginner-friendly, perfect for everyday cooking
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS RECIPE ON
Disclaimer: AI summaries may contain errors. Please check the original Homemade Chicken Stock recipe for accurate steps and details.
Jump to:
Ingredients Needed
See the recipe card at the end of the post for full ingredients, quantities, and a printable version.
- Chicken carcass: If you can find a chicken carcass, that works best for making stock. I usually use curry-cut chicken because it is easily available and has more bones with less meat. Just ask for bone-heavy pieces from your local butcher, or use leftover rotisserie chicken bones. Bones are what give the chicken stock its best flavor.
- Fresh thyme: Fresh herbs give a lovely aroma. If fresh is not available, use 1 teaspoon dried thyme. I also added fresh rosemary and coriander stems I had in my fridge. Optional, but adds more flavor to the stock.
- Celery, onion, and carrot: These three vegetables form the base of any good stock and soups, like chicken manchow soup. You can also add leek or mushroom stems if you have them.
- Garlic: I love the mild garlic flavor in my stock. You can skip it or replace it with ginger if you prefer.
- Bay leaves: Bay leaves add a light fragrance without overpowering the stock.
- Peppercorns: They add a mild peppery warmth. You can skip them if you don't like pepper in your stock.
How to make homemade chicken stock?
Step 1: Place the chicken pieces, including bones and any leftover meat, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, coriander stems, peppercorns, and 9 cups of cold water into a large stock pot or Dutch oven.
Step 2: Turn the heat to medium and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low so the stock simmers gently. Cook for about 2 hours. During simmering, foam or impurities will rise to the surface. Skim them off with a spoon regularly for a cleaner, clearer stock.
Step 3: After simmering the stock for 2 hours, remove from the heat. You can simmer the stock longer if you want a deeper, richer flavor, or cook it for less than 2 hours for a lighter stock. After making this many times, I find that 2 hours gives the best balance of flavor.
Step 4: Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl and pour the stock slowly through it. If you don't have a fine sieve, line it with cheesecloth for a clear stock. Next, let the stock cool to room temperature, then cover and transfer to the fridge overnight.
Step 5: After resting in the refrigerator overnight, a solid layer of fat will form on top of the chicken stock. This is completely normal. Use a ladle or spoon to gently remove the fat layer. You can also strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve. I find it's easier to remove fat with a sieve. The fat will stay behind while the stock passes through.
Step 6: Pour the stock into clean glass jars and freeze for later use. It stays good for 3 months.
How to use chicken stock?
Chicken stock can be used in many everyday recipes to add flavor. Here are the most common ways to use homemade chicken stock:
- Soups and stews: Use chicken stock instead of water for richer soups and stews, like Mediterranean chicken stew.
- Cooking rice: Cook Greek lemon chicken and rice, jeera rice, or pulao with chicken stock for a better taste.
- Gravies and curries: Add chicken stock to chicken, vegetable, or egg gravies for depth.
- Stir-fries: A small splash of stock keeps stir-fried dishes moist and flavorful, like black pepper chicken stir-fry.
- Sauces and pasta: Use stock to thin sauces while adding natural flavor, like spicy Italian chicken pasta.
- Slow cooking: Chicken stock works well for braised or slow-cooked dishes.
- Drinking warm: Heat and sip chicken stock with salt and pepper as a light soup.
Recipe Tips
- You can customize your stock: add leek, mushroom stems, or ginger for extra flavor.
- Slow simmering and regular skimming are the key to a clear, flavorful stock. Hard boiling makes the stock cloudy.
- Homemade stock is healthier and tastier than store-bought, and freezing small portions saves time on busy days.
- For a deeper brown color and richer flavor, roast the chicken bones in the oven for 30 minutes or until they turn golden, before making the stock.
Recipe FAQs
Chicken stock is made mostly from bones, sometimes with a little meat, and is simmered for a long time to release collagen, giving it a slightly thicker, richer texture. Broth is usually made with more meat than bones, cooks for a shorter time, and has a lighter flavor.
For a flavorful chicken stock, I usually simmer it for 2 hours on low heat. Gentle simmering extracts the natural gelatin from bones and keeps the stock clear. If you prefer an even deeper flavor, you can simmer for up to 4 hours, but 2 hours is enough for most home recipes. Remember to skim off foam regularly to keep the stock clear and golden.
After cooking, let the stock cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. Homemade chicken stock keeps up to 3 days in the fridge. For longer storage, freeze it in portions (ice cube trays or small containers work well). Frozen stock lasts up to 6 months, and it's an easy way to add homemade flavor to any recipe whenever you need it.
Yes, you can use leftover roasted chicken bones or carcass. Just remove any large chunks of meat for another recipe, add vegetables and herbs, and simmer gently. It's a great way to reduce waste while making flavorful homemade chicken stock.
Recipe Card
Homemade Chicken Stock Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Large stock pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken bones or chicken carcass (refer notes for more details)
- 1 onion, quartered
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, slightly crushed
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped
- 4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (optional)
- 12 peppercorns slightly crushed
- 9 cups of water
Instructions
- Place the chicken pieces, including bones and any leftover meat, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, coriander stems, and peppercorns into a large stock pot or Dutch oven.1 kg chicken bones or chicken carcass, 1 onion, quartered, 2 carrots, roughly chopped, 4 garlic cloves, slightly crushed, 2 stalks of celery, chopped, 4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme, 2 bay leaves, 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 12 peppercorns
- Pour cold water over the ingredients. Turn the heat to medium and bring to a gentle boil.9 cups of water
- Reduce the heat to low so the stock simmers gently. Cook for about 2 hours. This slow cooking extracts flavor, keeps the stock clear, and allows the collagen from bones to thicken it slightly. I always keep it at a gentle simmer. Boiling on high heat can make the stock cloudy.
- During simmering, foam or impurities will rise to the surface. Skim them off with a spoon regularly for a cleaner, clearer stock.
- Once done, remove from heat. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl and pour the stock slowly through it. If you don't have a fine sieve, line it with cheesecloth for a clear stock. Don't worry, even if the stock looks slightly cloudy, it will still taste rich and flavorful.
- Let the stock cool to room temperature, then cover and transfer to the fridge. After a few hours or overnight, a layer of fat will form on top. Remove it.
- The stock will become slightly thick and gelatinous when cold. Use refrigerated stock within 3 days, or freeze in portions for up to 6 months.
Notes
- I used curry-cut chicken, as they have more bones than meat. Still, you have to trim off the meat from the bones at home. You only need bones to make the stock.
- I don't add salt while making the stock, so I can control the seasoning later when using it in recipes.
- For a deeper brown color and richer flavor, roast the chicken bones in the oven for a few minutes before making the stock. Preheat the oven to 450°F (220°C). Spread the chicken bones in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for about 30 minutes or until the bones turn nicely brown.
- You can simmer the stock longer if you want a deeper, richer flavor, or cook it for less than 2 hours for a lighter stock. After making this many times, I find that 2 hours gives the best balance of flavor.
- I always ask the butcher for more bone pieces and less meat when using curry-cut chicken.
- You can customize your stock: add leek, mushroom stems, coriander or parsley stems, or ginger for extra flavor.
- Slow simmering and regular skimming are the key to a clear, flavorful stock.
- Hard boiling makes the stock cloudy.
- Homemade stock is healthier and tastier than store-bought, and freezing small portions saves time on busy days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Share your thoughts