Put that chicken carcass to good use and make homemade chicken stock! You just need a little time, chicken bones, carrots, celery, and onion. Before you know it, that golden elixir is ready for soups, stews, or pan sauces. Learning how to make chicken stock is easier than you think!.
When I had a little more time and peace and quiet, I would make chicken stock while my kids slept and write my book or come up with recipes for websites and magazines. This was less a desire and more a need to be resourceful and pinch pennies while eating well. Since then, making homemade chicken stock to use in soup recipes has become a regular part of my life, like breathing or dropping my kids off at school. Most chicken stock is made from bones and random scraps of vegetables and this recipe follows suit. It can be cooked on the stove in a stock pot or in a slow cooker (more on that here).
In my home I usually add celery, onion and carrots, along with a few herbs and spices for good measure. But truthfully, there are no rules when it comes to what one can add to a pot of chicken bones. Add roasted garlic if you want it sweeter and caramelized, add ginger if you want a little bite, or fennel for a hint of anise. Like homemade Vegetable Broth, making homemade chicken stock is an easy way to save money, use up what you have on hand and create something healthy and delicious while you’re at it. Use it in soups like Pastina, Avgolemono, White Bean and Kale Soup, Ratatouille, Chicken Gnocchi Soup, or Italian Wedding Soup. Sip on a cup of warm stock when you’re feeling under the weather or freeze it in an ice cube tray to use in pan sauces like in this Skillet Onion Chicken recipe.
Making your own chicken broth is the key to making soups, stews, risotto, and sauces taste even better. When you simmer chicken bones for a long time, they release flavorful substances and healthy nutrients like collagen, gelatin, minerals, and amino acids into the water. This makes a delicious and healthy liquid gold. But how long should you boil those bones for to get the most out of them? Here’s everything you need to know to make the perfect broth.
What Happens When You Boil Chicken Bones?
Chicken bones are more than just the framework that the bird is built on. They have marrow, collagen, and cartilage inside that add a lot of flavor and nutrients when cooked for a long time in liquid. By slowly cooking the bones, the connective tissues break down into gelatin, which mixes with the liquid around them. Minerals are released from the bones at the same time, and any meat or fat that is still attached adds to the flavors. A rich, healthy broth comes out of this low and slow process.
Key Factors That Influence Boil Time
There’s no universal formula for how long to boil chicken bones. The optimal time can vary based on several factors:
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Bone Type Bones with more collagen-rich cartilage like necks and feet release gelatin faster than denser leg bones
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Bone Size Smaller, chopped up bones will cook faster than big whole carcasses
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Cooking Method: Stovetop, slow cooker and pressure cooker require varied times.
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Ingredient Freshness: Fresher bones have more robust flavor to give.
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Personal Preference: Some enjoy lighter broths, while others prefer richer, more concentrated versions.
Stovetop Simmering Time
For stovetop broth, the sweet spot for simmering chicken bones falls between 8 to 24 hours. Anything less and you miss out on extracting the full potential. Much longer and the broth risks becoming too concentrated and mineral-y.
Within this window, check starting around the 8 hour mark. Once the broth has a developed color and rich aroma, begin tasting every few hours until preferred flavor intensity is reached. The bones should crumble easily when done.
Slow Cooker Time
For set-it-and-forget-it convenience, the slow cooker is ideal. Here, chicken bones only need 12 to 18 hours on low heat to make a robust broth. As with stovetop, you can check starting around hour 12 by ladling out a small sample to taste test for doneness.
Pressure Cooker Time
A pressure cooker like the Instant Pot significantly expedites broth making with chicken bones. Cook at high pressure for 2 to 3 hours, followed by a natural pressure release. While speedy, some claim the flavor is slightly less complex than slow simmered.
Maximizing Flavor
To get the most out of the chicken bones, add the spices in the last few hours of cooking. Onions, carrots, celery and garlic are classic. You can also put in fresh bay leaves, parsley, and thyme. Other options include ginger, peppercorns, apple cider vinegar or mushrooms. Don’t add salt until the very end, because reducing the broth can make it taste saltier.
Knowing When Broth is Ready
How do you know when the chicken bones have given their all? Here are some signs that the broth is ready:
- Deep golden color
- Rich, savory aroma
- Gelatinous texture when cooled
- Depleted bones crumbling easily
- Concentrated, developed flavor
Trust your tastebuds – they’ll tell you when your broth has reached its full potential. Then simply strain, cool, and store for later use. With the proper boil time, chicken bones transform into liquid gold!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I boil chicken bones too long?
Yes, overcooking can make broth bitter or muddy. For stovetop, limit to 24 hours max. Check and taste frequently once passing 8 hours.
Do I need to roast the bones first?
Roasting is optional but adds deeper flavor. Bake at 400°F for 30-45 minutes before boiling.
What bones work best?
A mix is ideal. Backs, necks and feet offer lots of collagen. Carcasses from a roasted chicken also excellent.
How do I store broth?
Let cool completely before refrigerating up to 1 week. Freeze in airtight containers for up to 6 months.
Can I reuse the bones?
You can, but flavor and nutrients diminish with each reuse. Best to use fresh bones each time.
How can I tell if it’s high in collagen?
A jelly-like consistency when chilled indicates abundant collagen was extracted from the bones.
With the proper technique, boiling chicken bones rewards you with a nutritious, mineral-rich broth that provides a foundation of flavor. Experiment with your prep time until you discover your ideal boil time. Soon you’ll be enhancing everything from risottos to gravies with the magic of liquid gold homemade broth.
What’s in Chicken Stock?
Basic chicken stock is really just bones and water, but dressing it up with a few herbs and vegetables just increases the flavor and complexity of the stock. I often put the vegetable scraps I save from chopping them in the freezer while I’m making other meals. When I’m ready to make stock, most of the ingredients are already there.
- Chicken body: I roast a chicken once a week, but you can buy a rotisserie chicken and use that instead.
- Celery, carrots, and onion make a pretty classic chicken stock that is used to add flavor and as the base for many soups.
- Garlic: Garlic isn’t required, so use as much or as little as you like.
- When I use fresh thyme, it’s easier to strain out of the broth, and I think the stock tastes better because of it. You could also use 1 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves instead of thyme powder. It will give the stock a muddy color.
- Bay leaves: The stock tastes sweet and flowery with bay leaves.
- Sage stems: The stems have more oil than the leaves, so I use them instead of the leaves. Making stock is a great way to use them up.
- Ten peppercorns, if you want them. I like a little heat, and I always have whole peppercorns on hand. If you have them, use them. If you don’t, that’s OK.
What is the Difference Between Chicken Stock and Chicken Broth?
Chicken stock is made from bones and chicken broth is made from meat. Clever marketing campaigns using phrases like, “Bone Broth” (our love of alliteration is strong), can cause confusion, but if it’s made from bones it’s actually stock.
If you read chefy books or manuals you will also see a reference to salt or no salt being a defining factor in stock vs. broth. This is because one is meant to be used for soup and the other to be reduced for pan sauces, but most home cooks don’t care. I skip the salt when making stock or broth and just salt the recipe I’m using it in.