Insanely easy way to make homemade chicken stock. All you need is a slow cooker, rotisserie chicken, and some basic vegetables. 

Love crockpot meals? Try our crockpot pork and beans or crockpot sweet and spicy meatballs.

What is Slow Cooker Chicken Stock?

Slow cooker chicken stock is an easy recipe that you can use to make flavorful soups such as Sicilian Chicken Soup or stews like our Chicken Stew Recipe. Stock is made with chicken bones, fresh vegetables, aromatics, and spices and then slow simmered in a crock pot.

As the bones and vegetables cook, fat will float to the top. You can easily remove it with a slotted spoon while the broth is cooking. When it’s done, you can strain it through a fine sieve and then again with cheesecloth for clear stock. Don’t worry if it’s a bit cloudy, it will still taste amazing. 

Use this rich stock immediately or freeze it for later.

Ingredients

  • Bones and skin from 1 whole rotisserie or roasted chicken
  • Onion
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Thyme
  • Parsley
  • Garlic
  • Bay leaves
  • Black peppercorns
  • Water
ingredients for chicken stock

How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

Here are the steps to make this delicious stock. While it has a long cooking time, it’s totally worth the wait!

  1. Combine the ingredients: Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker. Cover with water. It’s okay if not everything is fully submerged.
  2. Cook: Cook on low for 8 hours.
  3. Remove the bones: After the stock is done cooking, remove all the bones and vegetables with a pair of tongs or a large slotted spoon.
  4. Strain: Pour the stock through a fine mesh strainer and into a large bowl.
step by step on how to make slow cooker chicken stock recipe

Other Ingredients You Can Add

You can change the ingredients to get the differently flavored stock. Here are some other ingredients you can use in this slow cooker chicken stock recipe.

Bones: Try using turkey bones or beef bones in place of the chicken.  

Spices: You can add other whole spices like cloves, allspice, mustard seeds, or cumin seeds.    

Herbs: Aromatics are a wonderful addition to stock. Try rosemary, oregano, tarragon, or dill.  

Recipe Tips

Here are some tricks and tips to help you make the best homemade chicken stock.

  • Recipe shortcut. I used bones, skin, spine, and some meat chunks from a whole rotisserie chicken to test this recipe but feel free to roast your own chicken for dinner and save the bones for the stock.
  • Make now or later. Freeze the bones from the chicken to use to make stock now or later. 
  • Remove the fat. Once the stock has cooled in the fridge, skim off the top layer of fat.
  • How much stock? Makes about 6 cups of stock, so be sure to have enough mason jars or plastic containers to save it.
  • Add salt after. Add salt after it’s done cooking, not before, because the chicken broth will condense, and the salt flavor will be stronger.  
  • Use a cheesecloth. For a cleaner, clearer stock, line the strainer with cheesecloth and strain the stock again.
  • Roast the bones. Roast the bones of the chicken for an even richer flavor before adding them to the stock.
  • Add vinegar. Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar to help balance the richness of the broth.

What Other Ways Can I Make Chicken Stock?

While cooking stock in a crock pot is a great option, you can also cook it on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker.

Stovetop: Add the leftover chicken bones, vegetables, and water to a large stock pot and gently simmer for 6-8 hours on low heat. Skim the top with a large spoon to remove the chicken fat, and don’t let the stock boil.    

Instant pot: You can also make stock in an instant pot. This method is easy as well. All you need to do is add the ingredients to the pot, seal the lid, and cook for two hours. Strain out the chicken carcasses, fat, and vegetables and wait until the stock cools to room temperature before storing it. 

chicken stock made in a slow cooker with bones

Ways to Use Chicken Stock

You can use chicken stock in so many different ways. Use it to replace the water in recipes for extra flavor.

Some places where you can use homemade stock include:

Storing Tips

Refrigerate: Store the stock in an airtight container or mason jars in the fridge for up to one week.

Reheat: Pour it into the pan and heat it with the ingredients of your dish.

Freeze: Freezing stock is a great way to keep some on hand for when you need some. It will stay fresh for up to three months and stored in plastic containers or mason jars.

You can also pour it into freezer bags and lay them flat until they freeze, and then stand them up to save space.

Another option is to pour the stock into ice cube trays to freeze and then pop them into bags so you can add just as much broth as you need without having to thaw the entire batch.

FAQs

Why is my chicken stock cloudy?

The stock can get cloudy from the vegetables disintegrating or the fat not being strained out. A great way to combat this is by pouring it through a large piece of cheesecloth.

Why is my chicken stock too salty?

It’s a good idea to add salt to the stock after it’s finished cooking rather than before. Since the liquid condenses, the salt flavor will intensify when you add it too soon.

Can I cook stock with meat as well as bones?

You can include the raw chicken in the pot with the bones. Once the chicken has cooked through, pull it out, remove the chicken meat, and put the bones back in the pot to finish cooking.

Love making homemade soups? Check out Homemade Chicken Stock Recipe and Vegetable Broth with Kitchen Scraps.

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Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Stock - the easiest way to make homemade chicken stock! All you need is a slow cooker and rotisserie chicken | littlebroken @littlebroken

Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 8 reviews
  • Author: Katya
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 8 hours
  • Total Time: 8 hours 5 mins
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Slow Cooker
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Insanely easy way to make homemade chicken stock. All you need is a slow cooker, rotisserie chicken, and some basic vegetables. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • Bones and skin from 1 whole rotisserie or roasted chicken*
  • 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
  • 2 carrots, cut into chunks (no need to peel)
  • 3 celery ribs, cut into chunks
  • 5 fresh sprigs of thyme
  • 1/2 bunch fresh parsley leaves and stems, roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic (no need to peel)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 Tbsp. whole peppercorns
  • 2 quarts water

Tools


Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker. Cover with water. It’s okay if not everything is fully submerged. Cook on low for 8 hours.
  2. After the stock is done cooking, remove all the bones and vegetables with tongs or a fine mesh skimmer. Pour the stock through a fine mesh strainer and into a large bowl. For a cleaner, clearer stock, clean out your strainer, and line with a cheesecloth, and strain the stock again or line your bowl directly with cheesecloth.
  3. Divide the stock between several mason jars or storage containers. Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months. Makes about 6 – 6 1/2 cups stock.

Notes

  • Chicken: I used a whole rotisserie chicken to make this stock. I picked off the meat from the chicken to use in other recipes. The bones, skin, spine, some meat chunks, etc. I used to make the stock.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cup
  • Calories: 233
  • Sugar: 4.8 g
  • Sodium: 107.9 mg
  • Fat: 3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 39.1 g
  • Protein: 15.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 24.4 mg

Originally published November 2017