This chicken stock will take any soup, stew, risotto, or gravy to the next level. So easy and so delicious!

This is one recipe that every “made from scratch” cook and homesteader needs in their arsenal. This stock is so easy, so yummy, and so economical. How cool is that! It will take a simple soup recipe and turn it into something really special. I mean who doesn’t like a nice pot of yummy soup on a cold winter’s day. And lord knows we’ve had a lot of those really cold days this year.
We have been very fortunate living here in central Florida. But we have had some cold spurts and some mornings I really didn’t want to go outside. I sure do admire those of you who do it on a regular basis on such frigid mornings. Burrrrr!
However, when it is cold like that, there’s just nothing better than a big pot of soup to warm you from the inside out. Throw in a nice crusty slice of sourdough bread on the side and oh my!
This chicken stock is packed with flavor and creates the perfect base to any recipe calling for stock. It turns an ordinary pot of anything into something simply divine.
Ingredients:
- 10 qts water
- 2 chicken carcasses
- 3 carrots cut into thirds
- 2 large yellow onions unpeeled and cut in half
- 3 parsnips cut into thirds
- 2 garlic cloves unpeeled and cut in half
- 3 celery stalks with leaves cut into thirds
- 15 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 10 sprigs fresh dill
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1-1/2 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp whole black peppercorn
Instructions:
Wash and prep the vegetables. Place 10 quarts of water in a 16 quart stock pot. Add chicken carcasses, vegetables, herbs, salt, and peppercorn. Stir to mix and bring to a boil. Once the liquid has begun to boil, turn the temperature down and let it simmer. Do NOT cover. Simmer for 4 hours.
Set the pot aside and allow to cool until able to handle. In the meantime, place the strainer in the bowl and cover well with cheese cloth. Pour stock over the cheesecloth being careful not to overfill the bowl. Fill containers with stock leaving 1” headspace. Seal well with lid and place in the refrigerator to cool overnight.
After about 8 hours in the refrigerator, it’s ready to be moved to the freezer.
Yield: 5 quarts
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TIPS:
- Save chicken bones, chicken carcasses, or chicken necks in a freezer bag and storing them in the freezer until you are ready to make stock.
- When it comes to stock, you don’t have to use any specific vegetables. Use what you love or what you have available. Unsure of how it’ll turn out? Try a small pot using just your choice of vegetables and see how you like it. You may just discover this fabulous recipe and that everyone will be dying to get.
- Do you have vegetables that are beginning to go bad but no time to make stock right now? Store them away in freezer bags and freeze until you are ready. The scraps don’t always have to go to the compost and it makes things super quick and easy later.
- You can always half or double this recipe to suit your family’s needs.
- Be sure to use containers that are made for the freezer. Do NOT use glass jars. I’d really hate to see all of that delicious stock go to waste over a broken jar.
Find More Helpful Links Below:
- How to Create a Garden AND Happy Chickens
- The Best Meat Chicken to Raise
- Easy & Rich Country Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
- How to Homestead with Only an Acre of Land
- How to Make Delicious Cream Corn from Scratch
Happy Homesteading!
Marian
If you ever have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. I love hearing from you!
Best Chicken Stock Ever
Equipment
- 16 qt. stock pot
- strainer
- large bowl
- cheese cloth
- ladle
- qt. freezer containers
Ingredients
- 10 qts water
- 2 chicken carcasses
- 3 carrots cut into thirds
- 2 large yellow onions unpeeled and cut in half
- 3 parsnips cut into thirds
- 2 garlic cloves unpeeled and cut in half
- 3 celery stalks with leaves cut into thirds
- 15 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 10 sprigs fresh dill
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1-1/2 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp whole black peppercorn
Instructions
- Wash and prep the vegetables. Place 10 quarts of water in a 16 quart stock pot. Add chicken carcasses, vegetables, herbs, salt, and peppercorn. Stir to mix and bring to a boil. Once the liquid has begun to boil, turn the temperature down to simmer and let it go. Do NOT cover. Let simmer for 4 hours.
- Set the pot aside and let cool until it is cool enough to handle. Seal well with lid and place in the refrigerator to cool overnight.
- While it’s cooling, get your strainer, large bowl, ladle and cheesecloth ready. Place your strainer in the bowl and cover well with the cheese cloth.
- Pour stock carefully over the cheesecloth being very careful not to overfill the bowl. Fill containers with stock leaving 1” headspace.
- After about 8 hours in the refrigerator it’s ready to be moved to the freezer.
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