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Chicken Stock · Classic

Classic Homemade Chicken Stock

Chicken wings simmered low and slow with onion, carrot and celery make a rich, golden stock that sets to a soft jelly when chilled. Use it anywhere a recipe calls for chicken broth.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
3 hr 50 min
Total
4 hr 5 min
Serves
12 · about 3 quarts
Level
Easy

Ingredients

Water

  • 16 cups cold water, about 4 quarts

Simmered, then strained out

  • 4 lb chicken wings, or a mix of wings, backs and necks
  • 2 medium onions, quartered, skins left on
  • 2 medium carrots, cut into large chunks
  • 2 celery ribs, cut into large chunks
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 6 sprigs fresh parsley
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns

Cook to 165°F inside (check with a thermometer).

Steps

  1. Put the chicken wings in a large stockpot and pour in the cold water. The water should cover the chicken by about an inch; add a little more if it doesn't.
  2. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Skim off the gray foam that rises to the top with a ladle or large spoon.
  3. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, parsley, thyme, bay leaves and peppercorns. Lower the heat until only a few lazy bubbles break the surface.
  4. Simmer uncovered, skimming now and then, for 3 to 4 hours. The chicken passes 165°F (74°C) long before the stock is done; keep it at a bare simmer, because a hard boil makes it cloudy.
  5. Set a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth over a large bowl. Ladle the stock through it and throw away the solids.
  6. Set the bowl in a sink of ice water and stir now and then until the stock is lukewarm, then cover and refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooking.

Tip: Wings are full of connective tissue, which gives the stock body. Backs, necks or the carcass of a roast chicken work too; keep a bag in the freezer until you have about 4 pounds.

Tip: There is no salt on purpose, so the stock works in any recipe. Salt the soup or sauce you make with it.

Tip: For fat-free stock, refrigerate it overnight; the fat sets on top in a layer you can lift off with a spoon.

Storage: Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Make ahead: Freeze the stock in 1- or 2-cup containers so you can thaw just what a recipe needs.