Making your own chicken stock and soup is easy and a great way to use what you have. Every time I make a whole roast chicken I freeze the carcass to be used for stock. You can buy pre-made stock, but when you make your own it is more economical flavorful and filled with health benefits.
There is nothing quite as satisfying and comforting as the smell of a rich, simmering broth. Making your own stock is the secret to delicious, quick soups and stews. My family rarely gets colds or the flu, I think my chicken soup that is made from the broth that simmers for an entire day has a lot to do with that.
Save your chicken bones and carcasses and start making your own broth to help you stay healthy and eat better.
Chicken Stock Master Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 chicken carcasses left over from roast chicken broken into pieces
- 1 1/2 gallons filtered water
- 2 carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 stalks celery and their greens chopped
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 large leek sliced in half rinsed and chopped
- 1 tsp. whole black peppercorns
- 1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp. Dried thyme
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley and stems
Instructions
- Place the chicken carcasses in a large stock pot and cover with the water.
- Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
- Add all other ingredients and simmer for 4-6 hours.
- Let fully cool and strain.
- Stocks keeps for a week covered in the refrigerator, or for 4 months in the freezer.
Recipe Notes
Recipe can be cut in half and made with a single chicken carcass.
Kristen’s Cure All Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- Parmesan rind - I save the rinds from my parmesan cheese to add complexity to my soup
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 medium onions peeled and diced
- 2 leeks cleaned and sliced
- 4 carrots peeled and sliced into rounds
- 4 celery stalks washed and sliced into 1/2”pieces
- 2 boneless chicken breasts or left over meat from a roast chicken
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 3/4 cup instant farrow rinsed
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in bottom of heavy stock pot.
- Add onions, leeks, carrots and celery to pot and sprinkle with salt and a few cracks of fresh pepper. Cook gently for 10 minutes.
- Add stock to vegetables and bring to a simmer.
- When simmering add chicken breasts and cook for 15 more minutes until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove chicken and add farrow to stock, continuing to simmer.
- Shred chicken and add back into pot.
- Continue to simmer until farrow is cooked.
- Adjust seasonings.
Kristen Coffield
I am the Founder of Active Grandparenting™ & The Culinary Cure™ and Author of Active Grandparenting. I am a passionate advocate for food as medicine, life navigator and culinary coach. This is my space for sharing what excites, inspires and motivates me to live my best life. It began as a recipe blog for nourishing, simple, weekday meals and has become something much bigger… a guide to resilient wellness. I am excited to share my knowledge of how daily habits can cumulatively help you to live like you mean it and age like you want to.
