Seriously, who doesn’t a love a good hot cup of chicken stock? It always perks up my mood and is a great thing to have in the freezer when you start feeling sick {Chicken Stock has the same properties as NyQuil minus all the icky stuff!}. The best thing is when you make stock this way, you also get the chicken meat.. so you’re essentially getting a whole bunch of meals for very little money. Who doesn’t love that? Also, I stink so bad at making bone broth, for some reason it always comes out terrible, like almost inedible terrible. So I’ve resorted to this method which I love!
With my stock & Chicken Meat I made Chicken soup and Chicken salad and we had some stock as is and a few nibbles of chicken and primal puggle had some with her dinner last night 🙂
Break down of price? It cost me: around $5.35 to make, divided by three meals is $1.78/meal, divided by two people = $0.891 per meal per person.
So for chicken meals.. the fact that you’re starting your base price for the chicken itself at $1.78 is huge, and it’s cooked… Hellooo easy meals! If you want though use this for lunches, eggs, stuff like that. Then you’ll stretch it a ton. You could probably safely from a 4.5lb chicken get four lunches and two maybe four breakfasts out of it… But this is ridiculously easy to do.. If you’re going to be home most of the day, this is something you can just let sit on the stove and really forget about. The putting it together took me…. maybe 5 minutes, the draining and separating the chicken took me maybe 10 minutes… So 15 minutes of actual work for yummy homemade chicken stock! Ready for the recipe?
Yes? You sure…. ok ok ok here it is!
Ingredients:
• 1 Whole Roasting chicken {around 4-5lbs}***
• 3 carrots
• 2 medium onions
• 3 stalks of celery
• Dried Basil, Rosemary, Oregano, Salt, + Pepper
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Water {Around 11-12 Cups}
How To:
• Rinse off your chicken put it in a big soup pot {Make sure you take out giblets / neck if it’s included.. you can add it into the stock but that freaks me wayyy out}.
• This is where it gets easy.. Just chop your onions in quarters {No need to peel.. just as is} Cut the carrots in half and the celery, rinse and add it in {again no peeling needed at all}.
• Top with your spices, I just did a good sprinkling of everything, DO NOT skimp on your salt, if you don’t add enough it’ll taste icky.
• Top with water, It should more than cover your chicken {like maybe an inch or two above it}
• Bring it to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for about 3-3.5 hours {uncovered… if you start to get really low on liquid feel free to top with some more water}
• When it’s done, pull out the chicken {mine was falling apart so I ended up using a big skillet to put everything in because it has high sides to it, contain it all}, get a big bowl and a strainer and strain the liquid, set aside.
• Set the stock on the side to cool, then just shred all the meat with your fingers {or two forks} and put into separate bowl and then toss the veggies/carcass {If you’re good at bone broth save bones for said bone broth}.
• When stock is room temperature, cover and put in fridge. Next morning, skim off fat and it’s done! Either put into containers to freeze and stick in the fridge to use soon!
It seems like a lot of work, but I swear it’s not.. I just like being detailed! I’d start making some now, and have a small reserve for sinus / cold season that’s coming with the change of seasons! It’ll be a nice soothing something to drink when you need a boost!
***If your store has the chicken pieces on sale {bone in} Just get the equivalent in poundage and you should be good to go!
I’ve been making my own vegetable broth now and have been looking for an easy chicken stock recipe, this looks great! I can not wait to give it a try!
Great post…not sure why it’s all caps lol as I don’t have the caps lock on….just wondering what you store your stock in when you freeze it? Looks like those are small canning jars?
Heyy! I store my chicken stock in ziplock bags actually! It saves up room in my tiny freezer and when I’m done I just rinse and dry them and use them the next time I make stock 🙂
Hey, when do you add the vinegar?
Heyy Maggie!
I add it in right after I add in all the veggies!!
How much apple cider vinegar?
A good splash should do!
Would I be able to do this in a crock pot? If so, what cook time/temp do you recommend?
Heyy Jess! Hmm you probably could, I’d probably start it on high for half an hour covered, then cover it and set it to low for mmm maybe 4-6 hours. Depending on how big your chicken is 🙂
I’m new to paleo/primal, and this is going to sound weird, but I don’t like the idea of bones. Never have. Don’t want to mess with ’em, don’t know how to. My chicken’s gotta be boneless, and I’ve never cooked a whole chicken/turkey in my life. How can I get over this?! 🙂
Heyy! Haha I have the EXACT same problem so it’s not weird at all! I literally had Mr. Not So Paleo do it for me at first when I would roast chickens and such, I’d make him pull all the stuff out, clean it and get it on the pan for me… then I could season it and toss it in the oven.
Now a days? I just wear two pairs of disposable gloves and keep my eyes squinted shut most of the time…. You get used to it after a while and almost build up a tolerance.
However, if you can’t even do a whole chicken yet. Try a bone-in chicken breast first! It’s not a ton of bone and is a good way to work yourself to a whole chicken!
Making bone broth in a slow cooker is really easy, for chicken I just put my left over chicken carcass into the crock pot, cover with water and a splash of apple cider vinegar, let it cook on high for about an hour then put it on low, I usually leave it in the slow cooker for about 24 hrs. For beef broth I put beef bones in cover with water and apple cider vinegar, cook on high for an hour then leave it for about 24 to 48 hours on low, depending on how strong you want your bone broth to be.
Do you not include the giblets / neck for any particluar reason? Are these higher in omega 6 or something? I just chuck my whole chicken in – and then pick through it once its cooked down and remove the white meat for eating and save the broth/stock for later. BTW love the comment about the glad bags in freezer – i am so doing that now.
Heyy Rebecca! I don’t include it only because it grosses me out lol. But if you’re good with it add it in 🙂
Is there any way that you could give more exact measurements for the spices and salt? I’ve never made chicken stock before and I don’t want to ruin it! LOVE your website btw!!!
Heyy Christina! I’d say for a 5-6lb chicken at least a tablespoon {ish} of salt.. if you don’t want to use salt then go to 1/2 a tablespoon. I like to add a bit extra in so it doesn’t take muddy. As for the spices it’s really personal preference. If you want it really really seasoned and good to go and drink as is, I’d probably do a few tablespoons. If you want to be able to have more control over it when cooking and flavor it however you’d like I’d probably stick in the 1-2 tablespoon range.
You’re probably going to have to play around with it your first few goes so it fits what you want it to taste like perfectly 🙂
Hey! Your blog has saved my budget and my health. I have Celiac Disease and your recipes are amazing. Just bought your book. This was the first recipe I did. I reviewed it at my blog. Hope more people get your book! Fantastic recipes! Even my hubby loves them! Great job!
PS: We have a Puggle too named Mario!
Hey Liz, I made this stock yesterday to cook the chicken soup today and I must say your recipes are totally amazing, fresh, easy and cheap. This is my first of many of your recipes I am going to make. Thank you
Heyy Kelly!!
Thank you so much 🙂 I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed both of them!
Hi Liz! I found your recipe for chicken stock here online, and just now realized that you’re the author of my favorite Paleo cookbook, Paleo on a Budget! Ha! I’m so thankful for your cookbook; it has made my paleo journey much more doable and affordable! Thank you so much!
I made the stock and it was very successful. Thank you. You state, ‘If you’re good at bone broth save bones for said bone broth’. Wouldn’t all the “good stuff” necessary for broth already be withdrawn, in making of the stock?