How to make Homemade Chicken Stock from Freezer Scraps (2024)

It’s so easy to make your own homemade chicken stock FOR FREE from scraps you keep in your freezer! Homemade chicken stock is packed with rich flavor, nutrition, and is so much better than store-bought chicken broth.

I’m so excited to share one of my easiest TOP TRICKS to getting super delicious, rich flavor in countless recipes. The secret? Homemade chicken stock!

But there are so many recipes out there that make such aproductionof it. Buy a whole chicken, buy specific veggies, and throw it all together to make stock. This is a COMPLETE waste of money and food.

I make my homemade chicken stock FOR FREE from vegetable and chicken scraps I save in my freezer! Things that I would normally throw away are given new life in this DELICIOUS and EASY recipe for homemade chicken stock in bulk. It’s such a great way to reduce food waste and save money!

In this post, I’ll explain:

• What the heck the difference between stock and broth actually is.
• What kinds of scraps you should freeze for stock and how to store them.
• How to make chicken stock on the stovetop, in your slow cooker, or in you instant pot/pressure cooker.
• How to EASILY strain the stock when it’s done.
• How to store the chicken stock in your freezer or refrigerator.
• What kinds of recipes you can use the homemade stock in.

Here we go!

What is the difference between stock and broth?

In a nutshell, stock is better, but both can usually be used interchangeably.

So if you’re about to cook a recipe for, let’s say, chicken noodle soup, and it requires chicken stock, don’t worry: you can use the chicken broth you buy at the store for it.

BUT. Here’s why chicken stock is so much better than broth.

Stock is made with bones, whereas broth is usually made with meat. Stock is cooked for a long time, whereas broth can be cooked for less time.

What does this mean?

There’s an awesome ingredient hiding in the bones(whether you’re making chicken, beef, or pork stock)-collagen. When cooked for a long time, the collagen breaks down and is extracted from the bones, which turns into gelatin. Yes, the same kind of gelatin in Jell-O.

A good stock will be full of gelatin, and may actually solidify and turn into a Jell-O like consistency when you refrigerate it.

When a stock is full of gelatin, it adds more flavor, nutrition(why do you think bone broth is so popular? It’s literally just stock),and body to the stock. Heck- people even buy unflavored gelatin to add to recipes when they don’t have a good homemade stock available.

When you start using homemade chicken stock in your recipes, you’ll notice a huge different in taste and richness and texture. Which is why I ALWAYS keep a store of homemade stock in my freezer ready to go.

How to Freeze Vegetable and Chicken Scraps for Stock

I keep a gallon-sized plastic bag in my freezer that I fill gradually with vegetable and chicken scraps until it’s full, then I make the stock.

I save the ends and peels of onions, the tops and bottoms of celery and carrots, and parsley stems in a gallon-sized freezer bag for stock.

Whenever I have bones or a carcass from a chicken, I keep them in the bag, too. When I roast a whole chicken, or have leftover bones from roasted chicken thighs, or even just the remains from a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, I toss the bones into the bag. I try and remove large pieces of skin before adding it to the bag, since that will mostly just add fat to the broth rather than collagen/gelatin.

I recommend sticking to the classic veggies- onions, celery, and carrots- for homemade chicken stock. The flavors are simple and won’t overpower. You can experiment with other kinds of veggies, but make sure you DON’T use vegetables with a ton of overpowering flavor, such as broccoli, bell peppers, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts, etc.

Once the bag is full, you’re ready to make stock! And don’t throw out that bag– just place it back in your freezer when you’ve emptied it out for another round. It’s totally reusable.

How to make homemade chicken stock from freezer scraps

It’s SO easy to make this homemade chicken stock recipe on your stovetop, in your slow cooker, or in your pressure cooker, with only a few minutes of prep work. Here’s how.

Stovetop Instructions:

1. Add the contents of the bag to a large stockpot, or the biggest pot with a lid you have.
2. Cover the contents in the pot with water, leaving about 2-3 inches of room at the top of the pot.
3. Add some whole peppercorns (about 1 teaspoon), a bay leaf, and a teaspoon of kosher salt (if you want).
4. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn down the heat to low.
5. Simmer, covered, for a minimum of 3 hours and up to 6 hours.
6. Turn off the heat, uncover, and allow to cool for 20 minutes so it’s easier to strain.

Slow Cooker / Crockpot Instructions:

1. Add the contents of the bag to your slow cooker– make sure it’s at least 6 quarts.
2. Cover the contents in the pot with water, leaving about 1-2 inches of room at the top of the crockpot.
3. Add some whole peppercorns (about 1 teaspoon), a bay leaf, and a teaspoon of kosher salt (if you want).
4. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours.
5. Turn slow cooker off, uncover, and allow to cool for 20 minutes so it’s easier to strain.

Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Instructions:

1. Add the contents of the bag to your pressure cooker – make sure it’s at least 6 quarts. This won’t work with a mini instant pot, unless you use only half of the contents of the bag.
2. Cover the contents in the pot with water, making sure to NOT go past the “max fill” line.
3. Add some whole peppercorns (about 1 teaspoon), a bay leaf, and a teaspoon of kosher salt (if you want).
4. Place the cover on and make sure the valve is in “sealed” position.
5. Set pressure to manual on high for 45 minutes. It will take about 20-30 minutes to come to pressure.
6. Allow to naturally release pressure for 30 minutes, then move the sealing valve to “venting” and wait for the float valve to sink down before opening.
7. Open the pressure cooker, turn it off, and allow to cool for 20 minutes so it’s easier to strain.

The easiest way to strain chicken stock

Now that you’re done cooking the stock, you have to strain it so it’s just liquid. I’ve tried a few different ways, and here’s the easiest way to do it that results in a clear stock(not PERFECTLY clear, but close enough) without making a HUGE mess.

First, place your pot in your sink and place an opened plastic grocery bag next to it. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the large scraps into the grocery bag– get as much as you can. Then, tie up the bag and toss it in the trash.

Next, place the container you want to store the chicken stock in next to the pot in the sink. I like reusing those containers you get soup in from restaurants- kind of like these.

Place a mesh sieve directly over the container – use a small one if you’re using small containers, and a larger one for a larger container.

Then, use a ladle to scoop the chicken stock into the container through the sieve, which will catch any remaining solid pieces lingering in the liquid. If you want REALLY clear chicken stock, you can add a layer of cheesecloth inside the sieve.

If you plan on freezing the stock(which I’ll get to in a second), make sure you leave a little bit of room at the top of the container, since it will expand in the freezer. I usually leave about 1 inch.

How to store chicken stock in the freezer or refrigerator

If you know you’re going to use the chicken stock for a recipe in the next few days, the easiest thing to do is to keep it in your refrigerator. You can keep it in there for about 4 days.

But I almost always end up freezing my chicken stock so I always have a stash to use. You can freeze it for up to 6 months!

There are three ways you can defrost frozen chicken stock.

1. Take it out 24-48 hours before you want to use it and place it in your fridge. It should be completely defrosted, or close to, by then.
2. Microwave it for 5-10 minutes until it’s melted.
3. Or, you can simply run hot water over the container until it’s loose, then pop it out and place the big frozen chunk of chicken stock in a pot to heat up on the stove. I use this same method with frozen soup.

Recipes in which to use homemade chicken stock:

I use my homemade chicken stock in TONS of recipes, including soup recipes, stews, gravies and sauces, rice and pasta dishes, etc. But sometimes, especially if I’m feeling under the weather, I just heat it up and drink it out of a mug. Delicious! And did you know- you can actually use chicken stock in most recipes that require beef broth, too! Here are some of my favorites.

Soup/Stew Recipes:

• Easy Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch
• Detox Chicken and Vegetable Soup
• Lasagna Soup
• Avgolemono (Greek Chicken Soup with Lemon and Egg)
• Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
• Instant Pot Split Pea Soup

Pasta/Rice/Quinoa Recipes:

• One Pot Orzo with Mushrooms, Browned Butter, and Thyme
• Instant Pot Chicken, Broccoli, and Quinoa with Cheese
• Chicken and Broccoli Linguine with Lemon Butter Basil Sauce
• Fresh Pea Risotto with Arugula and Mint
• Spicy Quinoa and Black Beans

Sides:

• Southern-Style Green Beans
• Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes
• Rosemary Infused Potato and Cauliflower Mash
• The Best Refried Beans Ever

Other Dinner Recipes:

• Slow Cooker Greek Style Green Beans and Chicken Thighs
• 20-Minute Honey Mustard Chicken
• Slow Cooker Spicy Stuffed Cabbage Casserole
• Pan Fried Sea Bass with Lemon Garlic Herb Sauce

One FINAL thing before you go- if you’re vegetarian, you can also use this freezer scrap method to make homemade vegetable stock, too!

Did you make this Homemade Chicken Stock from Freezer Scraps? Please comment below and Rate this Recipe!