Chicken Stock

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Show: Good EatsEpisode: True Brew IV: Take Stock

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (47)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(47)

Cook Time:
6 hr 0 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
5 quarts

Times:

Prep: 30 min
Inactive Prep: 8 hr 0 min
Cook: 6 hr 0 min
Total:: 14 hr 30 min

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Ingredients

4 pounds chicken carcasses, including necks and backs
1 large onion, quartered
4 carrots, peeled and cut in 1/2
4 ribs celery, cut in 1/2
1 leek, white part only, cut in 1/2 lengthwise
10 sprigs fresh thyme
10 sprigs fresh parsley with stems
2 bay leaves
8 to 10 peppercorns
2 whole cloves garlic, peeled
2 gallons cold water

Directions

Place chicken, vegetables, and herbs and spices in 12-quart stockpot. Set opened steamer basket directly on ingredients in pot and pour over water. Cook on high heat until you begin to see bubbles break through the surface of the liquid. Turn heat down to medium low so that stock maintains low, gentle simmer. Skim the scum from the stock with a spoon or fine mesh strainer every 10 to 15 minutes for the first hour of cooking and twice each hour for the next 2 hours. Add hot water as needed to keep bones and vegetables submerged. Simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 hours.

Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer into another large stockpot or heatproof container discarding the solids. Cool immediately in large cooler of ice or a sink full of ice water to below 40 degrees. Place in refrigerator overnight. Remove solidified fat from surface of liquid and store in container with lid in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or in freezer for up to 3 months. Prior to use, bring to boil for 2 minutes. Use as a base for soups and sauces.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Chicken Stock
Melanie Anytown, CO 02-07-2010
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Totally flavorless and odorless.
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

On a snowy day I looked forward to filling my kitchen with the scent of cooking stock. No such luck. No taste, no smell, no... nothing. Maybe my chicken parts were too old. Next time I'm going to use wings and brown them first. Read more
recipe Chicken Stock
Elaine Palmdale, CA 11-28-2009
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Great with all birds!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Last year my husband and I tackled a turducken, so we had one each of a turkey, duck and hen. Then we had a little... Thanskgiving dinner with friends where we had another turkey carcass. We put all of that in one big stockpot and doubled the other ingredients and the water (when I put one gallon in the pot I couldn't even see the waterline!). It smelled incredible and it tasted wonderful. I put three cups each in quart bags and popped them in the freezer. The stock lasted me six months! It was so rich and well-rounded from all the different birds! To cook with it, I'd just cut the quart bag off of the frozen stock with scissors, then put it in a pot on low until it melted. If I had any left over I would sip it--so warm and good for body and soul!Read more
recipe Chicken Stock
Lisa Columbia, SC 11-19-2009
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Did not like it at all.
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

I would've rated this a 1 star, but the smell of it was fantastic. The taste on the other hand wasn't great. I'm not sure... what caused it, but my stock came out very sweet. Maybe it was from the carrots or the onion, or both. It had an extremely sweet flavor to it that was very strange and just didn't taste right to me.Read more
recipe Chicken Stock
Susan Charles Town, WV 11-10-2009
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Great Stock
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this today and it is wonderful!! I just used the chicken backs that I had in the freezer. Turned out Great!! Nice and... rich too. Freezes well. Thanks for such a wonderful recipe. The store bought can get very pricey.Read more
recipe Chicken Stock
Amy Riverside, RI 11-08-2009
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Amazing, flavorful stock
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This recipe is well worth the time, and as other reviewers have pointed out it's really a minimal amount of "active" time to... prepare. Just leave it simmering on the stove for an afternoon, and it makes the kitchen smell wonderful! In addition to using 1 chicken carcass leftover in my freezer, I roasted about 6 chicken leg quarters the night before I started the stock. In the morning, I discarded the skin and pulled the meat off the leg quarters, setting the meat aside for chicken soup and using the bones and some meat scraps for the stock. It turned out amazing, super flavorful and rich.Read more
recipe Chicken Stock
Christopher Concord, NC 10-17-2009
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WOw..
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Darlene I have no idea what happened, maybe you forgot something, this recipe is nowhere near "flavorless". I do like to add... 2 whole cloves to my stock as well for added flavor. Thanks AB!Read more