• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Simple Supper

  • View All Recipes
  • Diet Type
    • Whole30
    • Gluten-Free
    • Dairy-Free
    • Vegetarian
    • Sugar-Free
    • 30 Minutes or Less
  • Course
    • Breakfast
    • Dinner
    • Sides
    • Soup
    • Salads
    • Desserts
  • How To’s
    • Basics
    • Whole30 FAQs
  • About Me
    • Contact Me
    • Disclosures
You are here: Home / Cooking FAQs / How To's / Homemade Chicken Stock | Made 3 Ways!

Homemade Chicken Stock | Made 3 Ways!

April 23, 2018 by Hayley 12 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
pot with vegetables and jars with chicken stock

Looking for ways to be less wasteful, healthier, and more budget friendly? Then making your own homemade chicken stock should be at the top of your list. This very simple recipe will help you eliminate food waste in your kitchen and enhance the flavors of anything you make involving chicken stock or broth!

blue pot with carrots, mushrooms, onion, celery and pepper in water.

I began making my own stock about a year ago when my husband gifted me an instant pot and I’ve never looked back. It’s so easy and requires very little hands on time. While I typically choose to make mine in my instant pot, I know that not everyone has one. That’s why I have included instructions for making homemade chicken stock in a crock-pot and on the stove top too!

If you’re on the fence about purchasing an instant pot, I would totally encourage you to go for it. Don’t do it for the make an entire meal in 12 minutes gimmicks though. I found that those types of recipes never worked well for me. But it is excellent for making stock, beans, rice, lentils, roasts, and chicken for shredding. Let me know if you have any particular questions and I would be happy to help!

The best part about making your own stock is that you really don’t have to go out and buy ingredients for it. I keep two large Ziploc bags in my freezer to collect my ingredients. One bag is for all of the vegetable scraps and the other is for any chicken bones, skin, or giblets. I just pull them out when I’m done de-boning some chicken thighs or chopping some veggies and sweep everything in. 

You can even freeze the leftover bones from making my Roast Chicken with Herbs and Citrus. Just pop the whole thing in your freezer bag and you haven’t wasted a single thing! Don’t forget to put the giblets that come with the chicken in the bag too. It feels amazing to cook a meal and then be able to re-purpose every bit of scraps.

I like to pour my stock into mason jars and then just pop it in the freezer to use whenever I need it. It will keep for at least 6 months, but mine only lasts a few weeks at most. If you’re tight on freezer space you can pour it into freezer Ziploc bags and lay them down flat. 

stock in glass jar sitting on wooden cutting board with vegetables

What goes in homemade chicken stock?

  • Basic Ingredients: Bones, onions, celery, carrots, salt, and lots of water.
  • Optional Ingredients: Garlic, bell pepper, stems from leafy greens, broccoli stems, mushrooms (highly recommended), parsley, thyme, or bay leaves.
  • Don’t Include: I wouldn’t advise using any squash remains, potatoes, eggplant, or fruit scraps in your stock. Some of these things can get very bitter if over cooked.

Tips for making great chicken stock:

  • Do give it plenty of time to cook. The longer the better! This allows the gelatin to cook out of the bones giving you a nice, flavorful base for future recipes.
  • Don’t put it in the fridge/freezer before it has cooled. If you are storing it in glass, this could cause it to break. If you are storing it in Ziploc bags this could cause it to stay too warm for too long and allow bacteria to grow. You can cool it down by putting your containers in a bath of cool water in the sink for a few minutes. 
  • Do use it in everything! Not only can you use it in recipes calling for stock/broth. You can also use it when making grains/beans in place of the water to add more flavor to the dish. Just use the same amount that the water called for in the original recipe or instructions.
Print
stock in glass jar sitting on wooden cutting board with vegetables

Homemade Chicken Stock

Rich and flavorful this homemade chicken stock will bring a savory element to any dish you use it in. Simple and versatile any can make this recipe no matter their level of experience. With instructions for how to make it three different ways there is no reason to not make this pantry staple yourself!

Course Soup
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Servings 8 Cups
Calories 400 kcal

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

  • 1 Whole Chicken Bones
  • 10 Cups Water
  • 1 Onion With skin, cut into quarters
  • 2 Carrots Broken into 4 pieces
  • 2 Stalks Celery Broken into 4 pieces
  • 2 Tsp Salt

Optional Ingredients

  • 1 Clove Garlic With skin, cut in half
  • 1 Bell Pepper
  • 4 Shiitake Mushrooms Dried or Fresh
  • 2 Sprigs Thyme Fresh

Instructions

  1. Roughly chop all ingredients besides bones leaving the skins and seeds. Add along with water, bones, salt, and thyme to stock pot/crock-pot/instant pot.

  2. Stock Pot: Bring water to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover with lid and let simmer for 3 hours.

     Crock-pot: Add all ingredients and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

     Instant-pot: Add all ingredients and seal lid. Set on manual high pressure for 60 minutes. Allow a natural release.

  3. Once cooked, strain stock using a mesh strainer or colander into a large bowl or measuring cup. Then pour into whatever container you will be storing it in. If using a jar allow 1/2" at the top for the liquid to expand. 

  4. Fill your sink or a large bowl with cold water and set the sealed container in the water bath. This will allow the temperature to come down more quickly and prevent it from staying warm too long in the fridge/freezer.

Recipe Notes

Depending on the size of your pot you may need more or less water. Aim to have all ingredients covered by 1" of water. Be sure to allow some room at the top of the pot so that the water does not spill over with cooking.

While you can use a colander it will not catch all of the small pieces as well. I would highly recommend purchasing a mesh strainer.

Helpful Tools to Make Homemade Chicken Stock:

The following are affiliate links which means that at no cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and purchase. I only recommend products I have used myself or that I believe are highly reliable. You can learn more about this here.

  • Fine Mesh Strainer
  • Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1
  • Crock-pot
  • Mason Jars
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin

Filed Under: Basics, Cooking FAQs, Crockpot, Gluten-Free, How To's, Other, recipe, Sugar-Free, Whole30 Tagged With: basics, broth, chicken, stock, whole 30

Want more healthy recipes?

zucchini soup garnished with parsley, oil, and pecans.
Deviled eggs with everything seasoning on a white stand with a white background.
Grilled pork chops on a white plate with mango salsa.
Turkey, tomatoes, green beans in a cast iron skillet with a wooden spoon.
Previous Post: « KitchenAid Mixer Giveaway!
Next Post: Savory Cheddar Dill and Apple Pie »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kendra B.

    April 23, 2018 at 12:47 pm

    5 stars
    i have never made home made chicken stock before. Im the lazy girl that stops in the broth aisle in Walmart. I suck. Pinned for later because I definitely want to try this!! 🙂

    Reply
    • Hayley

      April 23, 2018 at 1:05 pm

      Seriously soooo easy and it lasts for so long in the freezer! The worst part is saving chicken bones lol.

      Reply
  2. ThrifDeeDubai

    April 23, 2018 at 1:09 pm

    5 stars
    I use chicken stock for just about everything, even cook rice in it lol, will definetly be giving this a go, would much rather know what’s in my chicken stock & have a healthier option! Very beneficial post, thanks for sharing!!

    Reply
    • Hayley

      April 23, 2018 at 1:27 pm

      Thanks Dee! And yes, I love being able to control how much salt goes in and knowing that there is no sugar/gluten/soy or anything else weird added.

      Reply
  3. Lauren

    April 23, 2018 at 1:55 pm

    5 stars
    This looks great! I have to admit, I have never made stock before! But I have been experimenting with making more things at home. Bread etc so maybe stock is next!

    Reply
  4. Shelley

    April 23, 2018 at 2:10 pm

    YUM, these look awesome. I use stock a lot but never thought of making it myself. Totally want to try it!

    Reply
    • Hayley

      April 23, 2018 at 2:15 pm

      Let me know how it goes if you make it Shelley!

      Reply
  5. The Mindful MD Mom

    April 23, 2018 at 2:22 pm

    I’ve been searching for an easy and delicious recipe. This one looks great! Looking forward to try it out!

    Reply
    • Hayley

      April 23, 2018 at 2:23 pm

      Let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  6. Mirlene

    April 25, 2018 at 4:52 am

    5 stars

    Your chicken stock looks great. Very easy and simple to make. I’ll attempt to make it. I have always been intimidated to make my own stock. Also, the tips are great! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Hayley

      April 27, 2018 at 10:39 am

      Thanks Mirlene! It’s not as hard as it looks. Let me know how it goes if you try it!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




I accept that my given data and my IP address is sent to a server in the USA only for the purpose of spam prevention through the Akismet program.More information on Akismet and GDPR.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Welcome!

Hello! I'm Hayley the author, recipe developer, and taste tester for this blog. I love creating simple, healthy recipes that everyday people can enjoy. I share recipes and the tips and tricks I have learned on my journey. I'm excited to share my meals with you! Read More…

Subscribe for more healthy recipes!

Recent Recipes

Angled photo of a Thanksgiving turkey on a white platter.

How to cook the perfect turkey!

Easy Whole30 Gravy | Gluten Free

Turkey

Roasted Garlic & Glazed Turkey | Paleo

Close up of ham and bean soup in a blue bowl.

Classic Ham and Bean Soup | Slow Cooker

Korean bbq chicken with sesame seeds and chives on a white platter.

Korean BBQ Grilled Chicken Thighs

Poblano peppers stuffed with chorizo filling on a white platter, garnished with cilantro.

Easy Chorizo Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Paleo vegetable platter with peppers, carrots, celery, tomatoes, grapes, strawberries on a white platter.

How to Make a Paleo Charcuterie Board

Four different chicken dishes with text overlay.

17 Delicious Whole30 Chicken Recipes

Copyright © 2023 The Simple Supper on the Foodie Pro Theme