Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

It’s so easy to make the very best chicken stock in the crockpot or slow cooker, so give your stews, soups and curries the lift they deserve.

Slow cooker chicken stock

The foundation of so many recipes, you just can’t beat really good homemade stock. It is so essential to good cooking that on the first page of his book Elements of Fine Cookery the great chef–restaurateur Auguste Escoffier states that ‘stock is everything.’

See also

• Easy pressure cooker chicken stock speeds the process up when you’re short of time.
• You can also make my easy classic chicken stock.
• Best recipes with homemade chicken stock

Using the slow cooker or crockpot makes this easy chicken stock recipe so effortless that you need never compromise on flavour.

Chicken stock is probably the most widely used and most flexible stock, and homemade is always better. Making stock from your chicken bones is also good economy. After all, a good cook hates waste!

This slow cooker chicken stock recipe is not just easy to make but free of any added salt or processed ingredients, so why not treat yourself to a little everyday luxury?

Easy crockpot chicken stock

This slow cooker chicken stock recipe is no trouble at all to make and so much better than anything you can buy. It produces 4–5 jars of beautiful chicken stock that sets to a handsome golden jelly.

Now, you can buy chicken pieces just to make stock, but it seems a terrible waste. I always use chicken carcasses leftover from roast dinners.

One carcass is not enough, so you will need to save them. When I cook roast chicken, I strip the carcass, break it up and pack it into a bag in the freezer.

When I have three large or four small chickens, I know that’s enough. Then I simply pack all the ingredients into the slow cooker and wait.

Why make slow cooker chicken stock?

• It’s much better than bought stock

• It is good home economy

• Completely natural

• No salt!

Slow cooker chicken stock ingredients

• Roast chicken carcasses – three or four. Break them up and keep them in a bag in the freezer until you have enough.

• Celery, carrots and onion – the classic soffrito/mirepoix combination. Wash the vegetables but don’t worry about peeling them. You can roughly chop or break them up to fit in the pot.

• Garlic – again, there’s no need to peel

• Parsley – If you don’t have access to living parsley, buy a bunch from the supermarket and stand it in water in the fridge until you are ready to cook.

• Pepper – just a few black peppercorns

How to make chicken stock – step by step

Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this slow cooker chicken stock perfectly every time.

Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.

Step One – Wash the vegetables. Break up the chicken carcasses and vegetables and put everything in the slow cooker. I don’t bother to peel the vegetables, though you can peel the onion if you prefer a lighter coloured stock.

Top up the pot with water so that everything is just covered, close and cook on High until it starts to simmer. Then turn to Low and leave for about 8 hours or over night.

Step Two – Turn off and allow to cool.

Step Three – Strain the stock through a sieve to remove the chicken and vegetables.

Step Four – Ladle the broth into clean storage jars using a funnel to avoid any spills. Let the stock cool fully.

Step Five – When the stock is cooled, it will be slightly jellied with a layer of fat on top. Remove this fat with a spoon and reserve it to use instead of lard in cooking. Store in a jar in the freezer and remove with a sharp knife as you need it.

Put the lids on and store in the fridge for use within three days. Alternatively, freeze without the lids, taking care that they cannot spill. Put the lids in place once the stock is frozen.

How to use chicken stock

Use your chicken stock in soups, stews, sauces, curries and any dish that needs a good stock.

I find a pint of this homemade chicken stock is equivalent to using one stock cube.

Variations

• You can achieve a deeper flavour by re-roasting the carcasses before making the stock. Put them in the oven at 190 °C/375 °F/Gas Mark 5 for 30 minutes. Add the veg if you like too.

• Peel the onions if you prefer your stock to have a paler colour.

• Add a little thyme to your stock.

Storage

Fridge – The fresh stock can be stored in the fridge in sealed jars for three days.

Freezer – To freeze your chicken stock, stand the open jars on a tray in the freezer. Make sure that they cannot tip. When the stock is frozen, put the lids in place. It will keep well for at least three months.

Hints and tips

• Don’t be tempted to skimp on the chicken bones. You need several chicken carcasses to make a good stock.

• When stripping the carcasses to make stock, leave a little meat on the bones.

• Don’t hold back on the vegetables. They really do make a difference.

FAQs

Recipes with chicken stock

• Easy Greek chicken – An easy one-pot meal

• Easy slow cooker chicken curry – warming and delicious

• Mustard chicken and potato one pot – a delicious rustic French-inspired dish

• Leftover chicken tagine – for spicing up leftovers