Crock Pot Chicken Stock

I make stock just about every other weekend. It's a great way to clean out the fridge, it's super easy, and it's much cheaper than buying stock. Plus, home made stock doesn't have any of the salt or preservatives that store bought does. I have a basic recipe that I follow, but I adjust according to what I have in the fridge. You can certainly make it on the stovetop, too, but I think using the Crock Pot makes it even easier and gives me the freedom to leave the house while it cooks.

The Ingredients:

-1 lb Chicken backs (My Whole Foods sells these pre-packaged in the organic chicken case, and charges just $2 a pound or so. But you could use chicken bones left over from a roast chicken, or a package of bone-in chicken legs)
-1 spanish onion
-2 carrots
-2 stalks celery
-2 bay leaves
-4 sprigs thyme
-5-6 sprigs parsley (I didn't have any parsley today so just omitted it, but I usually use it in my stocks)
-5-6 whole peppercorns

Then I usually throw in any other veggies I have in the fridge - leeks, tomatoes, mushrooms, parsnips, etc. I sometimes save trimmings when I prep veggies for other meals and freeze them for stock. Today, I didn't have any suitable veggies (I didn't think cabbage or broccolini would be great) but I threw in a couple of whole garlic cloves.

The Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450° F. Peel carrots and cut into large chunks. Peel and quarter the onion. Cover a sheet tray with tinfoil and place carrots, onions and chicken backs on sheet tray. Roast at 450°F for 15 minutes. (I find that roasting the chicken and veggies for a bit give a richer flavor, and is an easy way to get a lot of the fat off the chicken. If using chicken legs, I take the skin off before roasting.)
2. Put thyme, parsley, bay, and peppercorns in bottom of Crock Pot. Cut celery into large pieces and add to Crock Pot. Cover with roasted carrots, onions and chicken backs. Fill Crock Pot with cold water.
3. Cook on High for 1 hour, then turn to Low and cook 4-5 hours.
4. Strain stock, cool, and store.


I usually get 2+ quarts of stock from this recipe (because my Crock Pot isn't very big), and I freeze it in ziplock bags. I measure out the stock in 1 cup, 1 1/2 cup and 2 cup portions and label the bags so that I can defrost just what I need for recipes. And I try to freeze some in ice cube trays in case I need a few tbsp here or there. Because there aren't any preservatives in the stock, it will only last in the fridge for a couple of days, so I just defrost it as I need it. You could also use this method for turkey stock with left over bones from Thanksgiving, or you can make a vegetable stock in the same method by just omitting the chicken bones and adding more veggies.