Brown Chicken Stock

A good, basic chicken stock. Much less work if you happen to have the carcass of a chicken you have previously roasted (or turkey). It's just a no-brainer to turn the carcass into stock the next day and is very economical. I roast the chicken on a bed of mirepoix (onion, carrot, celery...rough chop), and strain a cup of white wine through the veggies after the chicken is roasted, then make an "au jus" type of pan gravy with the pan drippings. Any of those leftovers can be used to make the stock the next day. Truly, the chicken being roasted beforehand makes ALL the difference in the depth and richness of flavor in the chicken stock. It usually does need to be refrigerated overnight so it can be de-fatted, reheated, then strained through cheesecloth at least 3 times to clarify the broth. Trust me, that step is worth the effort for a clear, golden broth! Then make chicken noodle or turkey rice soup with the stock. Wonderful, warming, healing soup! Definitely ADD FRESH DILL for the finished soup, and I find the juice of one lemon really brightens the flavor, and has an added punch of vitamin C too! Also, don't salt the broth...wait till you assemble the finished soup and taste to see how much salt it needs, if any. Use a light hand!

This is a very nice, rich chicken stock. I roasted the vegetables with the bones for more flavour. (plus, I think it's more easier & healthier to toss them all together then have to cook them in oil)Leave the wonderful caramelized juices that are a result of roasting the ingredients on the pan and put the roasting pan on your stove top and add some of the water and scrape any brown bits of chicken or vegetables that may be stuck to the bottom of the pan and mix them into the rest of the water in the stock pot. For the seasonings I made a sachet and adding the ingredients in some cheese cloth that you tie up with a string and discard after. I did use and put 2 bay leaves in the sachet and fresh herbs instead of dried. THX. It's so worth the time saving, collecting and freezing the bones untill I had enough to make this broth.

I loved this recipe! It made the my dishes rich and yummy! I double the recipe and froze in 1 cup containers and just pull it out as I need it premeasured! Thank you!

This stock was excelent - very rish and flavorful. The earlier review misse d the point, I think. This isn't a recipe for soup, it's a recipe for chicken stock.

I never though of sauteing the veggies for stock but oh boy it made a huge difference. This was the richest stock I've ever made. I had a few left over chicken quarters in the freezer and I picked up chicken backs because they were cheap. This made the BEST stock!

This soup was very tasty, but the chicken bones were very weird.

This is absolutely the only way to make chicken stock. The browning of the chicken bones first gives this a rich, deep chicken flavor, perfect for any chicken dish needing broth. Use turkey bones tha same way. Delicious!!!!

The first review mentioned the bones being "wierd"--this may because they did not strain the "solids."

This is an excellent chicken broth. It's easy to make, and sooo much better than store bought. Plus, it's "all natural." I use it to substitute for oil in a lot of my cooking. It's much healthier.

This stock recipe is great...I've used it for turkey stocks over the holidays for gravies as well. Thanks!!

I used some chicken necks and meaty bones I'd previously frozen for use to make a stock. If you want a "clear" stock, I recommend bundling the herbs and spices in cheesecloth. Mine didn't get thick, however it was quite jelly-like when refrigerated so maybe that's what the submitter meant. It does have a rich brown colour. I did roast the veggies along with the chicken bits.

One of the best stock recipes I've ever made. I used cheap chicken legs I bought for next to nothing. Because I'm extremely low on cash, I used sweet onions, two cups of pre-cut ripple carrot chips (I didn't have regular carrots on hand) and I don't care for basil in my stock so I used bay leaves. Other than that, I stuck to the recipe. This will save my behind this week and honestly, kicks the behind of the boxed organic stock I normally buy. No more boxes for me.

This is a great recipe that needs some minor changes .Omitt basil , use bay leaf instead (its milder), go easy on the salt as if you do a reduction, it will make it too salty. I would also deglaze pan with white wine if you have it. Use cold water and let bones cool down before putting everything in pan. This will help with all the marrow to release in the stock pot, which adds to the flavor & stock !Put herbs in cheese cloth. All in all a great recipe! Yum

This stock is amazing but the thing that makes it differant and superior to other stocks is roasting the bones bare if you skip this step it will still be good but never live up to its potential!

I loved the Roasted Vegetable Stock from this site, so when it came time to replenish my chicken stock supply I followed this recipe. Ususally for stock I throw in whatever I have on hand, but I ended up following this recipe exactly, using two small chicken carcasses as well as some chicken wing "tips" I had discarded after making chicken wings. Only addition was to add two bay leaves. Roasting the bones gave it such amazing flavor. Tastes way better than any storebought stock!

very tasty. i was surprised that it didn't congeal in the refrigerator.

This is a delicious stock and easy to make. I used a roasted chicken from the deli. I browned all on the stove top but next time I will oven roast. I put all the veges in with the bones. Wonderful flavor!

hum. I did roast the chicken and veggies, as other reviewers suggested, but we weren't fond of the flavor of this chicken broth.

I will never buy canned stock again. This may take some extra time, but by making it in large batches and freezing in small portions, you only have to do it every few months. And the taste is out of this world!

Good stock. Not a fan of thyme so I replaced it with a few bay leaves I don't roast the bones. I make the stock with a rotisserie chicken carcass after I've picked off the meat & saved for later to add to the soup. I throw the bones & the skin in the pot & strain it well when it's done. The rotisserie chicken gives it a more robust flavor. If you're worried about little chx bones remaining in the soup, wrap the carcass in cheese cloth & tie it tight with string. Try it you'll like it. I do saute the veggies.

Love this recipe. I agree that using the carcass of a previously-roasted chicken will make this much easier to prepare, although the bones from a roast chicken will not have quite the "roasted" flavor that bones roasted while bare would have. Nevertheless, a roast chicken carcass will make adequately-flavorful stock. Oddly, I had never thought of using stock as the base for gravy, and instead only use stock for making soup. I always just take the fresh drippings to make gravy. Having some of this stock on hand would make gravy-making simpler, and would probably result in a smoother, more flavorful gravy. I will try this! For now, I made great chicken noodle soup with it.

This recipe turned out amazing! I made it by the recipe (except I used yellow instead of red onions). The stock was absolutely flavorful, rich, and made a lot! I had to save for a while to collect enough chicken bones, but it was worth it.

Great flavour, I've made this twice now I used white onion with the skin on and omitted the parsley and basil.

Great recipe!!!!! VERY good!!!

Absolutely fab !! My sister can't have MSG, and every last stock nor base you can buy has it, even if it says it doesn't. MSG hides under many names....just look it up !! This made about a gallon..plenty for all my thanksgiving gravies & soup after. Thanks so much !

Absolutely the best. Throw your other recipes away. We have a Hot Wing Food Truck and I always wondered what to do with all those little flappers that we cut off and throw away. Now I know. Also, we live in Mexico and I have to tell you, and the lady who thought the bones were weird, we can get chicken feet here--now that's weird. but they have the most flavor. But watch out, if you boil them by themselves, they rise out of the boiling pot white, bony fingers first with the middle finger extended. Great for really freaking out your kids and guests on Halloween.

I roasted everything up together as some users suggested. I put all the veggies on the bottom of my pan, then placed the chicken parts on to so that any drippings would coat the veggies. I added a few extra herbs and spices that were on had like parsley, marjoram and a bay leaf. I never would have thought to roast everything rather than browning but I think I will do this every time!

I had no chicken bones but, I had a left-over chicken on the carcass so, I used that instead. Mine did not turn out as well as the other reviews. The stocke never thickened & it was bland. I'll try again down the road & post my results when I do. There were many people who were very pleased with this recipe so, I must have done something wrong.

I omitted the basil and replaced with bay leaves. I like the taste better. The only complaint I have about this recipe is that it was way too SALTY! Its still good but I definitely won't have to put any salt in anything that I cook with it. Next time I will cut the salt in half or completely leave it out. Otherwise good recipe.

Ohhhh, this stock was so rich and so good! It was so worth saving the bones over time! (i kept a container in my freezer untill I had the 2 1/2lbs) I think the previous reviewer would of had a better result had she used the bones as called for! You really do need the bones for the stock......Thanks for an awesome recipe!

Awesome! I make this every time I have chicken bones!

This is a great basic stock, and versatile to alter some to what you have on hand. I cut the salt back some on mine(personal preference I suppose). Thanks for sharing!

Excellent step by step guide. I did read some of the reviews and I roasted the veg with the chicken carcass.

I tried it using left over turkey bones and I now use this recipe as a base for my turkey noodle soup and much more (collards etc). It's a winner every time... This recipe is well worth the time spent and a great staple in our home for the winter months. Signed, a thankful home-cook.

Tasty and easy. It took me awhile to save that many bones, it is nice and dark and full of flavor.

Nom. This broth is delicious. I loved the idea of roasting the bones so much that I did the same for the vegetables. So good. I will make often and try with other types of bones. Thanks.

Absolutely delicious. I roasted the carrots, onions, and celery in the oven with drizzled olive oil instead of using the stove top. I used the same pan I browned the bones in. When both the bones and the veggies had been browned, I scraped up the stuck bits in the pan with a little warm water added it to the stock pot. It took about twice the amount of water to cover the bones for me, don't know why... Everything else stayed the same. I freeze in ice cube trays, pre measured plastic containers, etc. If you spray them with cooking spray first, it pops right out. Thanks for the recipe. Browning makes all the difference.

Thank you for this recipe. I had carcasses from Cornish hens and decided to use them for stock. I don’t imagine I’ll ever need another recipe for stock and I certainly won’t buy it in the store again. I only had one red onion on hand, but in other respects I followed the recipe.

I made this a couuple of days ago. It was very good. I didn't have the boney pieces and the roads were snowy so I used the chicken legs I had in the freezer and cooked a little longer and it was good and brown. I used the chicken pieces with it and made soup. A great winter nights supper.

This recipe is no-nonsense and delicious. I had an uncooked chicken back, and it was perfect to use here. As the author directs, roasting the bones is paramount for that rich brown depth. I roasted the back and a few other scraps I had saved, and then used every bit in the stock including the drippings. I did not have 2.5 lbs of scraps, but I simmered everything longer and crossed my fingers. Excellent.

Delicious! Turned out very well. Next time I think however I will add less spices as I found it a bit much for the recipes I will be using it in.