Chicken Stock

Homemade chicken stock (also known as bone broth) is nourishing and delicious. Because it is made from bones, stock contains a lot of natural gelatin (which is good for the digestive system) and lots of minerals, as well.

You can buy chicken (or turkey) parts to make stock (buy inexpensive parts, such as backs and necks). Chicken stock is also a great way to use the bones that are leftover when you make roast chicken or soup. You can also use a leftover turkey carcass instead of fresh raw meat to make turkey stock, so don't throw out the Thanksgiving turkey's bones- make a healthy homemade stock instead!

As for the vegetables that go into chicken stock, you can use whole fresh ones, or leftover vegetable scraps.

You may also find that you don't want to use vegetables, as some people feel adding vegetables makes the stock too cloudy. Feel free to experiment with leaving the vegetables out if you want a lighter, more clear stock, or just add them in toward the end of cooking. A bunch of parsley can also be added in at the end- this will add even more minerals to your finished stock.

The recipe below is for a basic chicken stock, but I personally do not generally use a recipe. I save up my picked over chicken bones (from making Roast Chicken or Chicken Soup) in the freezer and when I have 3-4, I put it in my giant stock pot with my veggies (usually carrots, celery, onion or leeks, etc.), add some apple cider vinegar, fill it almost to the top with water, then heat it up. After it comes to a boil, I reduce it to a simmer and cook it for 12-24 hours (skimming the unattractive stuff that rises to the top frequently). I made stock recently and ended up with over 10 quarts! I love it because making it yourself is so much more economical than buying it packaged, plus you're getting wonderful nutrition out of bones that would otherwise end up in the trash.

This easy chicken stock recipe is a very simple "project"- the only hassle being the packaging up of your finished stock- I store mine in all the 1 qt. yogurt containers I have accumulated and they work beautifully.

From now on, save your bones from making chicken and make stock whenever you have the bones from 3-4 chickens. You can also purchase beef bones from butcher shops (or fish bones from fish markets) and make beef and fish stocks, as well.