- Bones from one whole chicken or turkey
- Giblets and neck if you saved them
- 1 onion, skin on, cut in half
- 1 head garlic, skin on, cut in half horizontally
- 2-3 carrots, cut into chunks
- 2-3 celery stalks, including any leaves, cut into chunks
- Leftover ends of other veggies, if desired, such as leeks, mushrooms, kale stems, etc.
- 1-2 teaspoons whole peppercorns
- Several sprigs fresh parsley and/or thyme or 2 teaspoons each, dried
- 2-3 bay leaves
Homemade Chicken or Turkey Stock
Yield: ~4 quarts
In the notes section, I mention using cheesecloth when straining the stock. My new favorite option to cheesecloth is an old, thin (clean) t-shirt. I cut the back and sides off to get the biggest square possible and line the strainer with this. You can squeeze out every last drop of stock, discard the contents, wash and use again. It works beautifully!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Put all of the above ingredients in a very large, heavy-bottomed pot. Cover with water, bring to a boil, and immediately reduce heat to low. Keep at barely a simmer (uncovered) for three hours. The stock will be better if you do not keep it at a rolling boil. Add water as necessary to cover the bones and vegetables.
- After three hours, remove from heat and allow to cool to a point that the stock won’t burn you. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer (see notes) into another large pot and cool completely in the refrigerator. Any fat will rise to the top once cooled and may be easily skimmed off the surface before transferring to containers for storage.
Notes
•If you do not have a fine-mesh strainer, simply line your strainer/colander with cheese cloth. Then you can squeeze the cheese cloth to extract every last bit of stock. I also have someone hold the strainer so it doesn’t slip.
•I like to freeze in quart or pint-size deli containers. Freezer bags also work well and can be frozen flat and thawed quickly. The bags with the stand-up bottom will make getting the stock in much easier.
•Date the containers and mark the amount of stock (i.e., one cup, two cups) so you can thaw the amount you need for any given recipe.