Make Ahead

60-minute Chicken Stock

by:
March  1, 2010
4.5
2 Ratings
60-minute Chicken Stock
  • Serves about 6 cups
Author Notes

Like many home cooks, I use the leftover chicken carcass to make stock. Every now and then, though, you need stock and have no leftover roast chicken. The secret to quick, flavorful stock was so easy, yet I needed Jenny Linford, author of From My Mother's Kitchen, to point it out: brown the chicken first to add a depth of flavor. I used her base technique with a few changes. The two major ones being I used chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken for more flavor and less money at the market, and went one step further and also sauteed the vegetables to coax more flavor than simply simmering them in water would. Linford used thyme in her stock, but I prefer the more traditional tastes of parsley and bay leaf, and while I love leeks, regular yellow onions are less expensive. Guess you can say this is a thrifty woman's version of her recipe, but you'd ever know from the rich flavor. —Jennifer Perillo

Test Kitchen Notes

This recipe was simple to make and I followed it to the letter, using organic vegetables, parsley from the garden and good quality chicken. It produced a rich stock with a minimum of time and effort. Although I skimmed the fat as directed, I would just store it in the fridge, scraping off the solidified fat later. I will make this again for my own use. Browning the meat seems key to the success of this recipe. I give it 4 "E"s -- easy, economical, excellent and definitely editor's choice. - Lizthechef —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on, chicken thighs,
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, quartered
  • 4 carrots, peeled & sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
  • handful of flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
  • 1 dried bayleaf
Directions
  1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot. Season chicken with salt and pepper and brown in small batches, being careful not to overcrowd pan. Transfer browned chicken to a deep bowl or dish.
  2. Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and saute over medium-high heat, until lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken back to the pot, along with the parsley and bay leaf. Pour in 6 cups of cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for one hour.
  3. Skim fat from surface of stock. Using tongs or a large slotted spoon, remove chicken from the pot and set aside. Pour stock through a fine strainer, and discard vegetables and herbs. Let chicken cool, then remove meat from bones to use for soup or chicken salad if using stock for a later use; store chicken in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Divide stock in to smaller containers and let cool completely before covering and storing in refrigerator or freezer.
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Jennifer Perillo
Jennifer Perillo is the Consulting Food Editor at Working Mother magazine, and a regular a contributor to Relish Magazine and FoodNetwork.com. She shares stories about food, family and life at her blog In Jennie's Kitchen and in her debut cookbook, Homemade with Love: Simple Scratch Cooking from In Jennie's Kitchen (Running Press 2013).

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7 Reviews

coffeefoodwrite
coffeefoodwrite March 18, 2010
This is a great recipe for when you don't have that whole chicken carcass and need stock. Thanks JP -- I'm sure I will be using this recipe many times in the future!
 
Jennifer P.
Jennifer P. March 17, 2010
Wow, you both brought such a fun, enthusiastic energy to this little 'ol recipe for stock. I'm so glad you were both happy with the final taste test. Thank you so very much for such lovely, well-thought and detailed comments.
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames March 17, 2010
I didn't need stock, but I had a package of backs and necks in the freezer from my last visit to the butcher, and could not help myself. (I have a condition, OCD (obsessive cooking disorder) with which you may be familar.) I made this while preparing supper, letting it simmer while we ate, then cooled it in a bath of ice-cold tap water from the Sierras (our water source, which at this time of year is all snow runoff, and needs no ice!!). This stock is excellent. I forgot to put in the bay leaf, and except for that, and using the backs instead of thighs, I closely followed your instructions. This recipe is simple and straightforward; I will make stock again this way, for sure. Two thumbs up. ;o)
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames March 16, 2010
I like this recipe because you sweat the aromatics first. I would never put a raw onion into a pot of water. Ever. Even when cooked for several hours, it gives a hard edge to the finished product. I also like that you don't use peppercorns, which make any stock taste bitter. And I really like that the stove-top simmering time is only an hour. I'm going to continue to make stock the way I always do, but if I am ever in a jam without stock in the freezer but needing some in a hurry, I will do it this way! ;o)
 
Lizthechef
Lizthechef March 15, 2010
I arrived home from LA and needed a quick supper. Hadn't checked your stock overnight in the fridge.Shaved off layer of fat and had this beautiful, jellied stock. Made veggie risotto (lamb chops for husband) plus sauteed baby Swiss chard greens from market.
 
Lizthechef
Lizthechef March 13, 2010
Jennifer, I was lucky enough to grab your recipe to test. A reply email from food52 encourages feedback - mine was 4 'E" s - easy, economical, excellent and a push for Editors' Pick. It was my pleasure - came at the end of a long day when I really didn't want to cook but had this "to do". It's a keeper. As I said in my review, I stuck to your recipe, used organic veggies and parsely from the garden before the gophers get it. Brava!
 
Lizthechef
Lizthechef March 1, 2010
I'm into using chicken thighs but never thought to brown them - thanks for a great tip. The more I hang around food52 the more I learn!