How To Make Chicken Stock For Free

There are so many items in our kitchen we could reuse that we normally throw in the trash. On our homestead we try very hard to make the most out of what we have. One of the biggest ways we do that is by making homemade broths and stocks. Some of the reasons why I love making homemade stock are. 1. Being able to reuse your kitchen waste. 2. It is packed full of healthy vitamins and nutrients. 3. It has no preservatives unlike store bought. 4. We can make it for free. So here is how to make chicken stock for free!

First things first lets talk about what you need. It’s not much actually. You will need one of the following. a crock pot, a instapot or a large stock pot. It all depends upon how you would like to cook your stock. I personally prefer my crock pot or Instapot. Because I like to set it and forget it

Next you will need some gallon freezer bags and a ladle of some sort . The last items you will need again depend on how you would like to preserve your stock. You will either need mason jars or freezer containers and a fine mesh strainer.

As you can see I have linked to the items if you need to purchase them. However these are fairly common items to have. So i’m sure you have most or all already.

When making stock you can use just about everything! I like to make a bone broth/ stock all in one. So every time I cook a whole chicken the bones get saved. You can do the same with any carcass or left over bones you may have. The type of bones you use just determine the type of stock you make. Chicken bones make chicken stock, beef bones make beef stock, pork bones make pork stock ect…

If you have cooked a whole chicken, turkey or even duck but don’t want to make your stock right this minute. You can put the bones in a freezer bag and stick them in the freezer for later.

Now on to the veggie side of life. It is a much shorter list to talk about what not to put into your stock first. Veggies you do not want to save for stock would be cucumbers, beets, regular and sweet potatoes. Some people do like to use potatoes in their stock but sparingly. However they really make a stock starchy and that is not a good flavor. Don’t get me wrong i’m a girl who loves her starch but it’s like drinking chicken flavored chalk. You do whats best for you but I don’t recommend it.

So a short list of veggies you do want to use would be onion skins/ pieces, carrot tops, celery tops, garlic skins, lettuce, mushrooms. I could go on and on, pretty much every time you are cutting veggies and you have scraps. You can be saving that for your stock, like we were talking about before with your bones. You can keep a gallon freezer bag in your freezer just for your veggies scraps. Simply throw them into the freezer bag and stick into the freezer. By the time your bag is full of veggie scraps you will know its time to make stock.

A few other scraps you can save for your stocks are Parmesan rinds, lemons and limes. Parmesan rinds make a stock to die for. Lemons and limes need to be used sparingly. Also do not over cook them, when over cooked they turn very bitter! The key is to fish your lemons out before they turn to mush. But when they are cooked for just the right amount of time, that lemon flavor is not only healing for your body but your soul as well.

When you are ready to make your stock just choose your cooking method. If using a stock pot on the stove, put in your bones and veggies then fill with water. The secret to good stock is a long cook time. It should be cooked at least 3 hours on a low medium setting.

You could also use my favorite method and use the crock pot. Just put in your bones and veggies then fill with water to the top. Let it cook for 8 hours or so on low. I like to put my stock on before I go to bed so it is ready in the morning. Waking up to the house smelling like delicious healing soup is amazing.

Another good method is the Instapot, put in your bones and veggies then fill to the max water line. I use the soup/ stock button and cook for 2 hours. Now I know your thinking boy that’s a long time for the Instapot. Well the Instapot does an amazing job of cooking the vitamins and nutrients out of the bones. The end result is a very thick gelatin like stock when cooled. That is what we are going for, if your stock is a gelatin consistency when cooled. You know it is packed with nutrients!

After your stock has been made strain through a fine mesh strainer or a cheese cloth if you want every little giblet out. I strain both ways it depends on how I feel that day.

When storing your stock you can put into freezer containers and place in the freezer, or you can can it. Canning the stock is my personal favorite. It can be stored in the pantry just like store bought and it saves space in your freezer. I highly recommend you have the Ball Canning Book. It tells you exactly how to can your stock plus everything else. How to can your stock is on page 399.

Well there you have it. How to make stock for free. You completely use items you normally throw in the trash or compost. Now you have beautiful stock that is packed with vitamins and nutrients for free. Its healthy, free and helps you be more self sufficient. Why would you by store bought now?

If you’re like me you may be thinking I don’t use stock that much. What would you use it for? Well I didn’t really use stock before I started making it either. Now we use it as a soup base, to boil our pasta, rice or potatoes in. It also makes a flavor packed chicken Alfredo. The possibilities are endless, so start saving those scraps and saving that money!