Chicken Stock

One roasted chicken carcass, a few aromatics, and time. This is stock the way it should be — rich, golden, and full of body. The bones do the work. You just have to let them.

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Ingredients

For the Stock

• Roasted chicken carcass x 1 (bones, cartilage, any scraps)

• Cold water x 12 cups (enough to cover by 2 inches)

• Yellow onion x 1, quartered (skin on)

• Carrots x 2, roughly chopped

• Celery stalks x 2, roughly chopped

• Garlic x 4 cloves, smashed (skin on)

• Fresh thyme x 4 sprigs

• Bay leaves x 2

• Black peppercorns x 1 tsp

• Flat-leaf parsley stems x handful (optional)

• Kosher salt x to taste (add at the end)

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This is what happens when you use the whole bird.

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Recipe

Build the Stock

1. Break the carcass into a few pieces =to fit your pot — this exposes more surface area and extracts more flavor.

2. Place the carcass in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, and parsley stems.

3. Cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Cold water extracts more gelatin than hot.

4. Bring to a bare simmer over medium heat — small bubbles breaking the surface, not a rolling boil. This takes 20–30 minutes.

5. Skim any foam or scum that rises to the top in the first 15 minutes.

6. Reduce heat to low. Maintain a gentle simmer for 3–4 hours. The surface should barely move.

7. Taste and season with salt in the last 30 minutes — start light, you can always add more later.

8. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot or large bowl. Press gently on the solids to extract liquid, but don’t force — pressing too hard makes it cloudy.

9. Discard the solids. Let the stock cool slightly before refrigerating.

To Store

1. Refrigerate uncovered until the fat solidifies on top (overnight is ideal).

2. Skim the fat — save it for cooking or discard.

3. Transfer to airtight containers. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

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