Slow cooker chicken stock

Learn how to make recipe-ready, freezable slow cooker chicken stock from only the bones of a roast chicken, a handful of veggies and water.

This is one of those recipes for DIY pantry staples that has been in my repertoire for years yet I haven't shared it with you yet.

Shame on me! I think it's because it's one of those not-really-a-recipe recipes that hasn't seemed "worthy" enough. Until now. Because I've been crockpot cray cray lately, as regular readers well know.

If you've never tackled homemade chicken stock, this slow cooker version will change your mind. It's not at all time-consuming because, well, SLOW COOKER. Plus, all you need to make it is the carcass of your last roast chicken (read: NO WASTE! Practically composting!), some common veggies you've likely always got in your fridge, some spices and water.

Talk about making something out of nothing!

Here's what you do: The next time you make a roast chicken, be a little less thorough than you might be when carving it -- leaving a little bit of meat on the bones means a more flavorful stock.

This is an all-day affair in the slow cooker, so if you want to make stock within a few days after roasting your chicken, just store the carcass (remove as much skin as you can and discard) in a ziplock bag in the fridge. If you don't think you'll get around to it, just toss the bagged carcass into the freezer and thaw it out whenever you are ready to make the slow cooker stock.

Not even time-critical -- what a recipe!

Simply place the carcass into a large (6-quart-ish) slow cooker, along with some carrots, celery, onion, parsley garlic, black peppercorns and a bay leaf, then fill up the crock with water. Cover and cook it on LOW for a wicked long time -- 10-12 hours is good. 

Which makes it a perfect recipe for overnight cooking, if you're so inclined.

Then you drain the stock. I generally fish out as many of the big pieces as I can with tongs or a slotted spoon, then drain the rest through a fine mesh strainer.

Pictured above, a 4-5 pound chicken carcass will usually yield about 2.5 - 3 quarts of stock for me. I like to freeze it in wide-mouth canning jars in the amounts I most commonly use in my recipes (1 cup, 2 cups and 4 cups). You can add salt to taste if you like but I usually don't, reserving the salting for whatever recipe in which I use the stock.

And that's it!

Are you in? Are you ready for homemade CROCK STOCK? Leave a comment: The Ninj wants to know.

No Waste Slow Cooker Chicken Stock (Homemade Crock Stock)

Once the stock has cooled, you can skim off any congealed fat with a spoon.

Ingredients:
1 roasted chicken carcass, most skin removed (roughly 4-5 pounds)
5-6 sprigs fresh parsley
3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped (preferably with leaves)
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
water

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients in the crock of a slow cooker, adding enough water to cover the chicken and fill the crock. Cover and cook on LOW for at least 10-12 hours. Discard solids and drain stock through a fine mesh strainer. Cool and store in refrigerator or freeze in freezer-safe containers for later use.

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