Kitchen / Basics

Soup-Pot Chicken Stock

A long bare-simmer stock built from a stripped rotisserie carcass, no pressure cooker needed.

Converted from the original pressure-cooker method, since I don't own a pressure cooker; my standing practice is a long simmer instead.

Ingredients

Yields about 2-3 quarts. Active time is 10-15 minutes; total time is about 6 hours.

  • Bones and carcass from 1 rotisserie chicken
  • 10-12 cups water
  • 1 onion, quartered, optional
  • 4-6 garlic cloves, smashed, optional
  • Several slices ginger, optional
  • 1 teaspoon salt, optional; final seasoning is normally done when the stock is used

Method

  1. Strip usable meat from the rotisserie carcass and reserve it for another recipe.
  2. Put the bones, skin, cartilage, and optional aromatics into a large soup pot.
  3. Add 10-12 cups water.
  4. Bring just to a boil, then immediately drop to the barest simmer. Skim any foam in the first 20 minutes.
  5. Simmer gently, partially covered, for 5-6 hours. Top up with water if the bones start to poke out.
  6. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
  7. Cool quickly, then refrigerate.
  8. Remove the solidified fat from the surface when cold if a leaner stock is wanted.

Storage

  • Refrigerator: 4-5 days
  • Freezer: 2-3 months