The other day I was reading online how to make your own chicken stock. My computer battery ran out and I lost my source window, so please forgive me. Anyhow, they were raving about the taste and health benefits of making your own stock.. She used (man I wish I could remember that link or wherever I saw it!) leftover chicken bones, water and vinegar and aromatic veggies in a pot and simmered it overnight to make her stock.
Use Leftover Chicken Bones
Truth be told, I have always thought homemade stock was a lot of effort for little payoff… but I had a Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken on the menu this week and soup the next day… so what the hey, right?
And, it occurred to me that there was no reason I had to simmer the stock on my stove top over night or all day long… I was quite thrilled when I decided my crock pot would work just perfectly for the task.
Besides, if the gelatin in homemade chicken stock really does help build the immune system, then Mommy Score… we can use whatever we can get to fight these preschool germ gremlins… just sayin’
So, I took my leftover bones and juices from my Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken (Note: You can do the same thing by baking up a batch of legs or thighs if you don’t have a use for the whole chicken… you just need the bones and cartilage.) and placed them in my 6 Quart Crock Pot Bowl from my 3-in-1 Slow Cooker.
If I wasn’t out of my frozen carrots, onion and celery, I would have tossed a bag of that in as well… but I decided to just go with the chicken and the seasoning from my rotisserie recipe.
Add Vinegar to Draw Out Minerals
I then added a T of Vinegar (hoping my measurement was correct from memory) to draw out the minerals from the bones.
Then I filled my slow cooker up the rest of the way with water.
Simmer in Your Crock Pot Instead
I put a lid on it and cooked it on high (simmer) for 12 hours.
The house smelled wonderful by the way… and everyone is craving Chicken Noodle Soup!
I placed a colander over a large bowl and sifted my stock… if your colander’s holes are too big, you can always use cheese cloth or a clean tea cloth to line it.
I then let the broth cool a bit to handle.
I immediately used 4 Cups of it to whip up some Tuscan Soup and it got RAVE reviews from the family.
We could definitely taste the difference… a more complex flavor to one of our favorite dishes…
Freeze Homemade Stock for Future Use
I then grabbed two Ball Freezer Jars and poured 4 cups in each of them to freeze.
So to recap…
Using nothing more than what I had on hand I made 12 cups of chicken stock from what otherwise would have just been waste after a lovely meal…
And, it only took 5 minutes of work on my part…
Dude… where have I been all this time?
This is sooo easy and sooo worth it.
Crock Pot Chicken Stock
Ingredients
- Chicken Bones and Cartilage I use left over bones from my whole chicken Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken
- 1 T Vinegar
- 6 Quarts Water
- Optional: 1 Cup Aromatic Veggies
Instructions
- Place Chicken Bones in bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker.
- Add Vinegar and veggies (optional) and fill with water.
- Cook on High setting for 12 hours.
- Strain Broth and pour into freezeable jars.
- Label and freeze.
So do you make your own stock? Got any tricks or tips? Do dish…
Note: Amazon links are affiliate links as always.
About Cris
I am the mama behind GOODEness Gracious and the owner of Cris Goode Solutions.
Here at GOODEness Gracious, we like to keep it light and fun as we cook up family meals, share our super mommy secrets and chat it up about the GOODe life:)
So come on in and sit a spell.
lori jones says
love the idea.! I have a question thou, if I put my slow cooker on high it would be boiling in about 3 hours. my question is should it be on slow and cook for 12hours????
thanks
Anonymous says
Lori-
I would use your best judgement… Mine stayed at a nice simmer for the 12 hours. However, if your pot runs hot, perhaps you should turn it to low and I would add time to the cooking time until you achieved 12 hrs at a simmer.
mora2 says
I think this may be the link you were talking about:
http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2009/03/30/monday-mission-how-to-make-your-own-homemade-chicken-stockbroth/
Monica Morelli (Nash) says
That sounds amazing! I will definitely have to try this soon.
What is the plastic thing in your crock pot? I’ve never seen that before.
Joyce Camp says
Going to try this..thank you so much! Have you tried this using beef bones?
crisgoode says
I haven’t but I bet it would work the same.
Angie Marlowe says
We do this with venison as well, if you get whole raw chicken for cheap, use all of it in the crock pot, no need to have left overs, and after it is done you can use the chicken that is now cooked in enchiladas, curry, wraps, or casseroles! If you are interested in learning more about the health benefits and ways to use the stock and chicken, Nourishing Traditions is a fantastic book that I cannot recommend enough.