What’s the obvious next step to roasting a whole chicken? Making chicken stock of course! So naturally, after we made Ryan’s Easy Roasted Chicken, we were excited to show you how to make The Best Chicken Stock with What You Already Have in the Kitchen. This chicken stock is super straightforward to make, but man, it is also the BEST chicken stock—we’d place a bet that Ryan’s stock is more flavorful than any other you’ve ever had. And since you make this chicken stock with what you already have in the kitchen, you can adapt the recipe based on whatever veggies and ingredients you’ve got on hand. We made our suggestions so you’ve got some guidelines, but feel free to play around.
If you’re making Ryan’s Easy Roasted Chicken, we recommend using the bones (duh) as well as the pan drippings and giblets, if your heart desires. The pan drippings REALLY amp up the richness of your stock—so prepare yourself. Use this recipe for The Best Chicken Stock with What You Already Have in the Kitchen for anything you can imagine; it’s great for cooking grains, used as the base of a yummy soup, or just straight up drinking for that comforting flavor and immunity boost.
Ingredients
- Chicken Bones: These can either be from Ryan’s Easy Roasted Chicken or another source!
- Carrots: We suggested a few classic veggies, but you can play around with what you already have in the kitchen.
- Celery Stalks: Again, feel free to improvise!
- Onion
- Garlic Cloves
- Thyme Sprigs
- Parsley Bunch
- Bay Leaves
- Star Anise
- Black Peppercorns
- Fennel Seeds
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Water
- Scallion Greens
- Pan Drippings from Ryan’s Easy Roasted Chicken
- Giblets, if desired
Equipment
The Process
Step One
Get a big ol’ pot out and start by placing in 1-2 lbs Chicken Bones from Ryan’s Easy Roasted Chicken, plus the Chicken Giblets if you’ve got ‘em. Roughly cut 1 Onion, 3 Celery Stalks, and 3 Carrots and add them into the pot. Grab 4 Garlic cloves, lightly smash them, and toss them in there too. Nice work.
Step Two
Next add in 8 Thyme Sprigs, ¼ bunch of Parsley, 1 Star Anise, 1 Bay Leaf (or 2 if yours are on the smaller side), 1 tablespoon Black Peppercorns, 1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds, and 1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar. You’re all seasoned up!
Step Three
Fill your large pot with enough water to cover the ingredients—that’s it for step three. You nailed it.
Step Four
Heat your pot over medium-high heat. If you made Ryan’s Easy Roasted Chicken, this is the time to add your Pan Drippings. This step is optional if you got your bones elsewhere, so don’t worry about it if you’re not adding them!
If you are adding Pan Drippings, you can do this by adding water to the pan, heating it over medium-high heat, and carefully scraping the tray to remove the flavorful drippings from the pan. Once you’ve loosened them up, add them to the pot.
Step Five
Time to meld all these flavors together! Bring the contents of your pot to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and let it simmer for at least 1 hour. This will bring the most out of everything you put in there and leave your chicken stock SUPER tasty. After an hour, add ¼ bunch of Parsley and 3 Scallion Greens to your pot, then let those steep in the mixture for 15 minutes.
Step Six
You’ve almost got a broth on your hands! The last step is to strain all of the solid ingredients out of your stock, leaving just the liquid in a bowl. Once strained, skim the top layer of fat off. You can do this while the stock is hot or after cooling. If you opt to do it after the stock has cooled, use a spoon to scrape off the solidified fat layer and toss it.
Store your chicken stock in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week! Use it to make whatever your heart desires.
The Best Chicken Stock with What You Already Have in the Kitchen
The best chicken stock with what you already have in the kitchen combines chicken bones, vegetables, herbs, and spices to make a flavor explosion!
Ingredients
- 1-2 Lbs Chicken Bones From 1 Roasted Chicken, or Raw
- 3 Carrots Medium, Roughly Cut
- 3 Celery Stalks Roughly Cut
- 1 Onion Roughly Cut
- 4 Garlic Cloves Lightly Smashed
- 8 Thyme Sprigs
- ½ Parsley Bunch Divided
- 1 Bay Leaves Whole, 2 if Small
- 1 Star Anise Whole
- 1 T Black Peppercorns Whole
- 1 t Fennel Seeds Whole
- 1 t Apple Cider Vinegar
- To Cover Water Cold
- 3 Scallion Greens
- 1 Pan Drippings From the Roasted Chicken if applicable
- Giblets Neck, or Liver (if Applicable)
Instructions
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In a large Pot add all of the ingredients, besides ½ of the parsley and scallion greens, cover with cold water.
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Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
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Place the pan from the roasted chicken over a burner and add some water so that the bottom is just covered, turn heat on to medium and carefully scrape the drippings off the tray with a metal spatula. Once the bottom has been cleaned, turn off heat and carefully add to the pot.
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Simmer the Stock for at least an hour or until it has reduced to your liking.
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Turn off the heat then add the remaining parsley and scallion greens, allow to steep for 15 minutes before straining through a mesh strainer.
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Using a ladle carefully skim as much of the top layer of fat, this can also be removed after it has cooled, just use a spoon to peel the solidified fat layer off and discard.
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Store the stock in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
When Deglazing the pan drippings, if you have some extra wine you may use that instead of water for extra flavor.
If you make stock regularly, save any vegetable scraps from your cooking throughout the week, or freeze them, and add in with all the rest of the ingredients to minimise waste and add some extra flavour/nutrients.