Skip to main content

Making Chicken Stock at home

Making chicken stock at home.

I have been making chicken stock at home for years.  I used to use the crock pot or stove top....but it was an all day adventure.  Now with the instant pot it is SOOOO much easier. 

We smoke whole chickens.  So we always have the chicken bones left.  If you cook whole chickens or even get rotisserie chickens from your local store, you can make chicken stock too. 

Recently I have seen much on the health front  about the benefits of drinking bone broth. From gut health to joint mobility.  Rich and nutritious broth is all the rage.

One of the reasons I like to make my own stock is I have control of what I put in it.  I can control the salt content.  If you have dietary restrictions this is huge.  I have friends who have family members who can not eat onions. Making your own stock is a perfect way to ensure that you have the rich flavor and nutritional content that your family can tolerate.

We are big soup eaters in the fall and winter.  I make sure and keep a big supply of stock in my freezer to add the long cooked taste to all my quick cooking soups.

What you need:

Instant Pot
Cooked Chicken Bones (meat removed)
16 cups of water
1 onion
2-3 stalks of celery
2-3 carrots
2-3 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dried parsley
Pepper & Salt to Taste

I start out with just the water and the bones in the instant pot.  Cook of the broth setting for one hour.  I like to slow release.  After you can open the IP back up, its time to add your aromatics.  This is up to you.  The ingredients listed above are very traditional flavors for stock. 

Once you have added your aromatics and spices cook for another hour on the broth setting.  I like to let mine cool overnight and then strain it with a mesh strainer into mason jars.  I freeze mine in the jars.  Whatever freezer container you are most comfortable with is great.  Just remember if using plastic that the broth should be very cool.

Having stock in my freezer is so great.  I have to make quick soups, sauces and gravy's.  Not to mention if you have someone recovering from an illness or surgery it is a great way to get protein that is easy digestible.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Favorite Everyday Shoes

Favorite Kicks I bought these shoes about a year & a half. I LOVE them. I stalked these shoes at my local DSW, I looked up outfits for these shoes on Pinterest. I did my due diligence.  Needless to say, I have already gotten my money worth and they are still kicking! I bought mine at my local Store. You can find them online HERE . These are Dr. Sholl’s brand. They have memory foam and are terrific for walking all day. Not to mention, they are a pretty reasonable price point, especially when you consider how often I wear them! I wear them with jeans, leggings and shorts. I’ve even paired them with the occasional relaxed dress. What I love most about them is that they are as comfortable as my running shoes, but they take it up a knotch with fashion & style.

Tomato Soup

Tomato Soup is an absolute classic.   Homemade tomato soup is  delicious and so easy, it also happens to be one of my family’s favorites. It’s easy to make on the stove top. A good heavy bottom pot, wooden spoon & immersion blender or regular blender. Ingredients: 1 medium onion 3-4 stalks of celery 6-7 carrots 1-2 tablespoons of butter Salt Pepper 1 tsp dried parsley 1 tsp dried basil 2 large cans or tomatoes  1 carton on chicken stock 1/2 cup Parmesan  Milk    or half & half  In a large pot, melt butter on medium high heat. Add large chunks of onion. Let get translucent or just a little browned. Then add celery and carrots. Large chunks is fin because this whole soup will get blended down. Season throughout cooking process. Stir regularly.  As veggies begin to soften add tomatoes. Stir well, put lid on and lower to medium/low heat. Let come to a boil stirring occasionally to avoid scalding...

Valentines Snack Mix

This snack mix is so easy & versatile for any holiday or activity. This is a super kid pleaser. The variety I made is nut free, there is a peanut allergy in my daughters class.  I started with popcorn & pretzels as my base. I popped my popcorn on the stovetop, you could just as easily use pre-bagged popcorn (Smartpop) or microwave popcorn.  I used 8 cups of popcorn and 3 cups of pretzels. Mix in a large bowl. Next, melt your vanilla coating chocolate. Follow the melting instructions on the package.  I dyed mine pink for the occasion.  Once the coating candy is melted and the right color, pour it over your mix. Stir constantly until is all incorporated. Spread out on parchment or wax paper. I used valentines sprinkles next... this is optional... but too cute to pass up! Next, I did the chocolate covered pretzels. I used the remainder of the bag of pretzels.  Same process as before, but using chocolate. Sometimes this is referred t...