What's better than coming home to homemade chicken stock and cleaning out your refrigerator at the same time. Simply throw all the ingredients into the crock pot
the night before, turn it on in the morning and come home to a splendid stock. Save the chicken for recipes where shredded chicken is needed or use it in your soup. Lot's of people ask me for my chicken soup recipe but honestly, that depends on what's in my fridge. Here's an easy recipe for chicken stock. You can also use giblets, leftover chicken bones, wing tips or chicken backs.Homemade Chicken Broth
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: Varies • Serving Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 0 pts • Points+: 0 pts
- 3 chicken breast halves
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 tomato, quartered
- 1 cup carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2-3 sprigs thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley (I used cilantro)
- whole peppercorns
- kosher salt
Place all ingredients into crock pot and fill with water. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
When it's done, throw out all the vegetables, strain the liquid and remove the chicken for other recipes, like chicken salad, or anything that calls for shredded chicken.
If you're not using the stock right away you can store it in containers and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for several months. When the stock is chilled, the fat will rise to the top and harden and you can easily remove it.
To make this on the stove, place all ingredients in a large pot, cover and simmer low for several hours.
It's not so much the calories in store bought stock but the high sodium levels.
ReplyDeleteI need to make some more stock this weekend. Thanks for reminding me! This looks like a very hearty stock. I'll have to use your recipe this time around.
ReplyDeletePerfect thanks. Anything I don't have to keep my eye on, I love.
ReplyDeleteThere`s nothing better than homemade chicken stock. I use the leftover chicken bones as a starter. Really enjoy your blog.
ReplyDeleteBroth = just meat
ReplyDeleteStock = bones + meat
Brilliant,I got to do this, buying chicken stock will be a thing of the past!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea. I could do veggie stock too this way I bet!
ReplyDeleteI do my stock in the crock pot too (http://epicuretteinnewyork.blogspot.com/2009/09/epicurette-takes-on-stock-market.html) but I find that since it doesn't evaporate like it would in a stock pot, it can end up a bit thin. I usually end up dumping in in a pot and boiling it for 20 minutes in the morning to get a more concentrated flavor
ReplyDeleteI agree, it's best cooked all day on the stove if you have the time. It has a much more concentrated flavor but this is good when time is an issue. You can also add bullion to it if you like.
ReplyDeleteOkay so I am dense and I know I am probably making this harder than it is but for example..one Sunday a month I roast a whole chicken. Can I use the leftovers of the chicken for this. Just take it bones, skin and meat left on the bone...basically all of it and dump in the mix for the stock? Thanks for helping a blond. LOL
ReplyDeleteThat's what I do :)
DeleteDo you have to throw out the veggies? That seems like such a waste of good food :/
ReplyDeleteFelicia - Yes! The bones really give it great flavor! I personally remove the skin just to keep the fat down.
ReplyDelete@workingoutwellness- If I'm using it for soup the same day, I'll keep the veggies in.
ReplyDeleteLOVE this! Instead of throwing out my veggies, though, I'm gonna compost them. ;)
ReplyDeleteOh, great idea!
ReplyDeleteHow many cups of water do you use for 3 chicken breasts?
ReplyDeleteIt really depends on the size of your crock pot. I just fill mine up with about 6 cups I'm guessing?
ReplyDeleteHi Gina! Love your site so much, look forward to new recipes each week. Do you have any great Chicken Noodle Soup recipes? It would be so easy after making the chicken and stock this way!
ReplyDeleteAny idea on how to figure out the sodium content for the stock?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Chicken noodle soup is easy! Cut up some onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and saute until soft. Add stock and bring to a boil. Add noodles cook according to package directions. Add shredded chicken, salt and pepper and cook another minute.
ReplyDelete@ZKassie- it really depends how much salt you put. You have complete control when you make it yourself.
Composting is a good idea, but you don't even have to use whole fresh veggies. I save bits of carrot, carrot peels, potato peels, celery, cabbage cores, onion tops/peels, and "wilted" herbs in a ziploc in my fridge until I have enough for stock (they keep for a few weeks without going bad...I know some don't like the idea of that, but my friend is a chef and that is one trick used in restaurants to make the most of their ingredients). Throw em in with a picked over carcass from a roast chicken, and there you have it. Bay/Thyme/Parsley are a must!
ReplyDeleteAnother trick for those who don't want to deal with the mess of picking out all the veg is to wrap the whole lot (and herbs!) in cheese cloth, tie at the top with kitchen twine. Then, when everything's finished cooking, all you need to do is pick out the bag and you're good to go!
ReplyDeleteGreat advice!!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you freeze the stock in? Container wise that is.
ReplyDeleteI freeze mine in old spaghetti sauce jars or ice cube trays!
ReplyDeleteA lot of recipes call for "low fat" chicken broth. Can this be considered low fat? (if made without the skin on the chicken)
ReplyDeleteYes, this would be low fat. The best way to make it fat free is refrigerate it. All fat floats to the top and hardens. Then it is easy to remove all trace of fat.
ReplyDeletePerfect! I will try this tomorrow. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteI've done this before - amazing! - and then took what I didn't use right away and boiled it down on the stove, to about half. It took up a lot less space in the freezer that way, and I just add an equal amount of water when I use it up, to thin it back out. Great stuff!
ReplyDeleteTried your chicken broth over the weekend, turned out very good. Thanks. THUMBS UP!
ReplyDeleteHello I just posted on your avo. chicken soup recipe asking about broth and I just found this. Thanks so much sounds easy cheap low cal. and tasty. Your the best!!!
ReplyDeleteLove this! I put the stock in ice cube trays and froze it then transfered the cubes to freezer safe bags to use later. No more store bought for us!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea Kent! The sell ice cube trays with lids at baby's r us for baby food, would be great for this!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! I just found your website while I was looking for....I can't even remember!!! LOL!
ReplyDeleteI'm always looking for good WW recipes and honey, yours are awesome! Thanks for your hard work. I can't wait to start trying them.
lol thanks Jeanne!
ReplyDeleteI love this recipe. Another idea for the leftover veggies is to puree them up and use them for baby food (if you have a baby). I used the Magic Bullet to puree them right up for my 7 month old.
ReplyDeleteShelby, I do it all the time! My baby is 10 months, I puree squashes and veggies, she loves it.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying this recipe tonight! When I wake up, this broth will be ready and good for the chicken enchilada recipe!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipes!
No more canned broth for us! Yay!
I'm sure it will be great-there's nothing better than homemade food!
(I'm excited)
I agree Claudia! No preservatives and you know what's going into your food. Enjoy the enchiladas!
ReplyDeleteFabulous! I put it on this morning and when I walked in this afternoon it smelled SO GOOD! Can't wait to eat the chicken and dumplings this is for!!! We'll be trying the Chicken and Avocado soup this weekend as well!
ReplyDeleteI am planning on making this and was wondering, does the shredded chicken freeze well? If so for how long? A lot of your recipes use the shredded chicken and it would be great to just thaw some out when needed!
ReplyDeleteDo you use split chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken breasts? Also, chicken breast halves, how many do you use total? Can't wait to try!
ReplyDeleteI would think shredded chicken would freeze ok.
ReplyDeleteEither split chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken breasts would both work as long as it's skinless. I usually use three.
I'm so happy I found this blog! My goal is to cook healthy food for my family and this blog is working out well for us. Do I have to completely thaw out the chicken before putting it in the crockpot or can I use fozen chicken?
ReplyDeleteFrozen works too. Happy cooking!
ReplyDeleteSo I've done this twice on the stove-top so far with the intention of starting several meals with one cooking...soup on first day, followed by chicken enchiladas using shredded chicken and chicken casserole using cooked chicken and broth, plus using the broth for other things too. The broth and chicken turn out great, but I can't seem to make the soup have enough flavor. The texture of the chicken and veggies (carrots, tomato, etc) is perfect, but the pasta I add to make Chicken Noodle soup turns out so bland and flavorless. Last time I tried boiling it in some of the broth to see if that would help, but it still needed more flavor. What else could I add after making the broth to make it a more flavorful chicken soup?
ReplyDeleteDid you add salt?
ReplyDeleteYes, I used salt and pepper, but maybe not enough? Both times I put in several bay leaves, and the first time I had fresh basil and cilantro, the second time used fresh rosemary. I guess I'll just keep experimenting with it...
ReplyDeleteThe crock pot tends to dull the flavors of spices, so you probably need more than what your would use on the stove.
ReplyDeleteYou can add some bullion to help the soup. I always prefer cooking on my stove to using my crock pot!
Freezing this in ice cube trays is a great idea. I also do that for homemade baby food and leftover pasta sauce or gravy. I then store it in freezer bags.
ReplyDeleteI usually buy whole chickens and cut them up. I save the backs and necks for stock. I find the meat is too overcooked to be used afterwards as I don't care for fine shreds of chicken. So using an otherwise unused part of the bird ideal. It produces a nicely flavoured broth but you definitley can concentrate it on the stove after if you need a more intense flavour.
ReplyDeleteLOVE your website! I made this stock yesterday with 3 chicken breasts. The chicken is so amazing! Just 2 of us left at home so this will last us all week. The stock is wonderful too. We had a hard frost last night which killed most of my herbs. So this stock was thier last hurrah!
ReplyDeleteI roasted a 7 pound chicken on Saturday and now I'm interested in making chicken broth with all the bones and such. Can I do that with this recipe? Will it not be as healthy as if I'd used chicken breasts?
ReplyDeleteAnother great recipe Gina! I brown my chicken breasts over high heat in olive oil before adding the other ingredients. It helps make a beautifully colored broth, and the chicken is more flavorful too! I've done this in the crock pot, oven at low temps and on the stove. The stove top is my favorite method.
ReplyDeleteGina, I accidentally bought chicken tenderloins instead of breasts and didn't realize it until I was opening the package. I'm nervous about how it will turn out now because I plan on making the buffalo dip with the shredded chicken. Any idea if it matters?
ReplyDeleteAfter the last 5 days of taking care of the flu in my house, this is what I am making today, and stocking up. Sure helps the throat when it is so scratchy!
ReplyDeletePuree the veggies, put them back in the stock, toss in some rice and cook till it's done, and you have an amazing "cream" of chicken and rice soup without the cream. You can shred up the chicken and toss that back in too for a whole new dish.
ReplyDeleteI used bones from a chicken and my stock turned out to be a bit gelatenous. I want to make sure there isn't a ton of fat in this. All of the fat did rise and once cold skimmed it off. Any help on this Gina? Should I just add more water?
ReplyDeletechicken tenderloins should be the same.
ReplyDeletebrooke, as long as you chill it then skim the fat, you are good!
I put all my stocks in freezer bags, place on cookie sheets in the freezer and then stack when frozen. This method takes up much less space and the stock freezes very quickly. I use this method for all items I freeze whether is is stew, soup or sauces. Try it you'll love it!
ReplyDeleteGot everything in the crock pot and have it going overnight. Plan to use the chicken for the buffalo chicken dip and probably freeze the stock (refrigerate first to skim the fat). So excited to try the dip and use the stock!!!
ReplyDeleteDid you use raw chicken or already cooked chicken?
ReplyDeleteI fully like your website. It is extremely interesting.
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