Roasted Chicken Stock

I found this wonderful recipe for Roasted Chicken Stock that I just have to share with you! I had recently made a soup with some chicken thighs and then soon after roasted a whole chicken, and really (for the first time) wanted to do something with the leftover bones!! I had also been reading a great blog post on how to keep your family healthy during cold season, which is of high interest to me since we were far more sick last season than we had ever been! You have to check out her post!
So, this stock is great to use in soups/stews, but is also great to drink when you are feeling under the weather or starting to get sick! And it pretty much used produce that I already had on hand, and needed to use up in fact, so it all worked out!

Roasted Chicken Stock
Elana's Pantry
Adapted from Joy of Cooking

1 Chicken Carcass
3 Quarts Cold Water
1 Onion, halved
4 Carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
10 cloves garlic, no need to peel
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
10 sprigs fresh thyme
5 celery tops (the leaves and ribs from the inside of a bunch of celery)
2 bay leaves

1. Place the chicken in a large stockpot with the water.
2. Bring pot to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer.
3. Place onion, carrot, and garlic cloves on a parchment lined baking sheet.
4. Roast at 400 degrees for one hour.
5. Add roasted vegetables to stock, then add parsley, thyme, celery, and bay leaves.
6. Simmer stock one more hour, then cool and strain into glass mason jars.
7. Drink alone or use for soups or sauces.


It is seriously the easiest thing to make, and makes the house smell wonderful for about 2 hours! Let me tell you some things I learned in this process. You don't have to drizzle any kind of oil or anything over the vegetables that roast; they will turn a blackish color, and that is okay. They are suppose to do that. I was tempted to drizzle something over them, but judging from the picture of her roasted vegetables, you don't need to.
The first time, I only used some chicken thigh bones, and used the suggested 3 quarts of water, and it didn't make a lot of stock, once it cooked down. The second time I made it, I used a whole chicken carcass, and so I didn't measure the water, I just covered that carcass and then some, and got a lot more stock out of it.
I also was picking the chicken off of the carcass for the first time and though I tried to do the best I could, there is some that stays on it, and I figure it added extra flavor anyways! You will be straining the stock anyways, so it's not like you will have chicken chunks in it!
The big no-no that I stupidly discovered the second time around, is to let the stock cool before you put it into mason jars and pop it right into the freezer. I lost almost my whole second batch due to cracked mason jars in the freezer. Duh!! So, don't do that!
If you go to Elana's post about this recipe, she also includes a link to all sorts of soups you can use this stock in! Since it is so dark and flavorful, I don't know that you would want to use it in place of chicken broth for a recipe!
So, here's to keeping healthier this season, stocking up on vitamins and water, and drinking this hearty stock!!