My First Chicken Stock - Advice Needed

[HotSun]

I've done beef stock and I've done pork stock. Now, thanks to the Great Freezer Purge of 2024, I finally have enough chicken parts to make stock, so I need some advice. Here is what I have:

• Two roasted chicken carcasses
• Lots of raw (frozen) wing tips
• Some bone-in chicken thighs, freezer burned

I'll roast veggies and whatnot to go along with the wing tips and whatever is salvageable from the thighs outside over charcoal, but question 1:

Should I just throw the carcasses in when I start the stock, or should I try to roast this also?

Then there is question 2:

I have drippings from roasting. They have some smokiness to them, but they are more roasted than smoked. Good or bad idea to add this?

Any help from my fellow pitmasters is greatly appreciated!

[JCBBQ]

I generally don’t roast anything. I throw raw carrots leeks onions bay leaves thyme and then all my wing tips and frozen spines removed from spatchcocking. Cover w water and simmer. Skimming the nasty bits. Don’t stir. That’ll make your broth cloudy. If you roast it’ll change the flavor and make the broth darker. Which is a personal preference.

[Mosca]

My mom and my gram would just throw everything in a pot and simmer it. And yes, skim.

[HotSun]

I generally don’t roast anything. I throw raw carrots leeks onions bay leaves thyme and then all my wing tips and frozen spines removed from spatchcocking. Cover w water and simmer. Skimming the nasty bits. Don’t stir. That’ll make your broth cloudy. If you roast it’ll change the flavor and make the broth darker. Which is a personal preference.

Thanks for the quick response, JCBBQ ! I don't use leeks, but I have them available and decided to use them for this stock.

I'm thinking of roasting for the darker stock, but maybe I'll go light for this first round, then dark for the next time I make them. This is mainly for the missus to drink. She's loving the collagen rich stocks I've made and she'll drink them as meals. I'll post my stuff here as I get ready to make it, either Friday or Saturday.

[bbqLuv]

You don't take leeks? You may try taking a leek or two.
Potato leek soup is delicious.

[HotSun]

bbqLuv , my work colleague keeps bragging about her famous potato leek soup. I guess it's time to make it. 😊

[HotSun]

My mom and my gram would just throw everything in a pot and simmer it. And yes, skim.

Thanks Mosca ! I'll be pressure cooking, because that's pretty much how I roll. But your post reminds me of my great-grandmother, who lived with us when I was a toddler. My dad says she made these crystal clear chicken broths or stocks (not sure which) that he has not been able to replicate. Sounds like a challenge to me.

[HotSun]

Interesting, I'll have to pass that along. Sounds right though...there was always an egg around....

[GolfGeezer]

HotSun I also use the IP for making chicken (and turkey) stock. No roasting, just everything into the IP including cut up carrots, celery and onion, carcass and the raw parts that were not cooked such as neck, backbone (since I spatchcock my birds), with enough water to cover. About 30 minutes to natural release of pressure, strain and skim.

[TheWizardKnows]

Pressure cooker is the way.

[TripleB]

My 2 cents:

Question 1 - Does not matter. Whatever you want to do.
Question 2 - We make turkey noodle soup every year after Thanksgiving, using the carcass to make the broth. One year I smoked the turkey and used the carcass to make soup. Thought it would be delicious, but it was not. Ended up throwing the soup out. For me, smoked meat or drippings does not mak a good broth.

Again, FWIW.....

[bardsleyque]

I tried that as well and did not like the smokey broth.

[HotSun]

I'm going to be cautious on the drippings, since they all came from roasting and were lightly smoked. Thanks for the great advice!

[carolts]

Many of us here make chicken stock in a pressure cooker. Don't bother with roasting and do add all the drippings (as you can see from the previous post, the drippings is a matter of personal taste). Skimming is a must; I usually cool the broth after I've removed the extraneous skin and bones then remove the fat. I don't season until I'm actually using the broth for something.

[bbqLuv]

Let us know what you decide, how it turns out and please don't forget the pictures.
Thank you in advance.

[Starsky]

I make broth using leftovers from a cooked carcass. Chicken or turkey. Then I throw in celery, onions., garlic cloves, carrots. Don't even bother removing skins or leaves. And whatever other herbs or spices you like.

[SheilaAnn]

I like roasting the uncooked bones because I prefer a darker stock. Bones only in cold water to simmer, skim. Roasting will yield less to skim than not roasting. You can roast the veggies, too, but I have found the stock to be sweeter, which is not my jams. Excellent call on the wing tips. I also add chicken paws (as they are “genuinely” marketed).

Add standard onion:carrot:celery 2:1:1. Few springs of parsley, fresh thyme, one or two dried bay leaves, a few black peppercorns. Cover with fresh water and simmer or IP at the stock/broth setting.

Salt when getting ready to use. For sipping, I like a splash of white miso or a dash or two of togarashi assorted.

[Dewesq55]

+1 on chicken feet/paws. They give great gelatin to the stock.

[mrteddyprincess]

We could exchange broths and not taste a difference... B

[HotSun]

Add standard onion:carrot:celery 2:1:1. Few springs of parsley, fresh thyme, one or two dried bay leaves, a few black peppercorns. Cover with fresh water and simmer or IP at the stock/broth setting.

Salt when getting ready to use. For sipping, I like a splash of white miso or a dash or two of togarashi assorted.

The miso is a great idea. I've only got green and red at the moment, so I'll give that a try. I may try a couple star anise, which I saw somewhere.

Curious question about the ratios, which is brilliant btw: our onions range from small (~2" diameter, we can golf with them) to huge > 4" diameter (we can play softball with them) **. What size onions? At this point, I generally go by weight when it comes to onions.

** full disclosure: we play neither golf nor softball, though disc golf is fun as heck.

[SheilaAnn]

HotSun after it’s all chopped up, I eyeball it. Weights to be precise, but the broth is for just at home, it’s not like I need a solid standardized recipe. Put it this way: one softball (slow pitch) to one baseball to one baseball 🤪⚾️🥎

I used to throw a 21 disc…. This was about a LOT of years ago. We have a course right by us. I should start playing again! We called it frisbee golf at the time.

[HotSun]

SheilaAnn , thanks! I can work with this concept, so that actually makes sense.

I just got a some disc 'clubs' recently and my DS got his set for Christmas, since he has been going out with his guys to play and loves the sport. He also plays ultimate for his high school, too.

I played Frisbee golf back when it was really just a casual idea: get some Frisbees, go to a big metro park, and find some targets (picnic table, trash can, tree, etc.). That's how long ago I first played. lol.

[hoovarmin]

I use the InstaPot now for stock but I don't roast anything. Just throw it all in and let it do its magic. I also don't use much salt at all. An over salted stock can ruin a meal.

[HotSun]

hoovarmin, I use my analog pressure cookers, since I tend to do large batches (I actually have 3, if you count my pressure canner). They make outstanding stock, for sure, in very little time. Like you, I only salt at the end.

[surfdog]

Roast if you want a darker stock, don’t if you want it lighter. I generally don’t roast, because I generally want a lighter coloured stock.

I also generally break out the cleaver and give some of the bones a whack. That can bring a lot of gelatin to the party. It can also make the stock a bit murky. An egg raft and a bit of cheesecloth in a strainer (chinois/China cap) and that problem is solved. Now I’ll have a perfectly clean stock that can be used for any number of purposes.

As mentioned above, I never season my stock. I’ll wait until I am preparing whatever dish I’m after…then simply season everything as needed.

[HotSun]

I also generally break out the cleaver and give some of the bones a whack. That can bring a lot of gelatin to the party. It can also make the stock a bit murky. An egg raft and a bit of cheesecloth in a strainer (chinois/China cap) and that problem is solved. Now I’ll have a perfectly clean stock that can be used for any number of purposes.

As mentioned above, I never season my stock. I’ll wait until I am preparing whatever dish I’m after…then simply season everything as needed.

I found that cheesecloth is key. I buy cheesecloth by the case, because it is so useful. Egg raft...I'll have to give that a try.

[surfdog]

Oh yeah, well worth sacrificing a couple of egg whites for. The majority of the “gunk” gets caught up in the eggs as they’re pushed to the top. The cheesecloth grabs the rest. All that’s left is a nice clean gelatinous stock in one container and some “detritus” in the other that simply gets tossed. Or, I suppose, it could be composted if that’s your thing.

[SheilaAnn]

surfdog no compost because it’s meat.

[surfdog]

SheilaAnn And that right there is the sum of my composting knowledge. LOL
Clearly I’ve never seen it in action.

[HotSun]

Alrighty, you asked for it....


What's in the pot:

• Chicken feet ~1.6 lbs ; found for $2.99/lb at the Asian market yesterday afternoon
• Chicken wing tips >> a lot
• Two roasted carcasses, plus some leg and thigh bones
• About 2 liters of left over broth from poaching (seen above melting just SW of center)
• Leeks, onions, carrots, celery bit (including leaves), fresh parsley
• Bay leaves, white and black peppercorns
• 1/2 cup of ACV
• Lots of water, probably at least another 3-4 liters
• Two egg whites; not sure it matters here for the egg raft, but why not?

Other notes:

• I gave the chicken feet a manicure; first time cooking with them, just mildly freaked out
• I emptied my freezer and fridge of pretty much anything that would work here
• I have some chicken drippings from three separate roasts, but I have reserved those to add if/when I want it
• This stock is at least 2 years in the making, with all the saved up stuff (wing tips, celery scraps, etc)
• Hoping I didn't go overboard on the parsley; I just wanted to use it before it went bad
• The American 921 is filled almost 2/3 full, which was the maximum that is probably safe for pressure cooking
• Cooking at 10 PSI, which is about 115.5C/240F, 1.5 hours, natural release
• It took a long time and a lot of energy to get to 10 PSI

Here we are just after popping the lid on:

I am naturally releasing pressure, so it may take another 15 minutes or so before I move on to the next steps. To be continued...