Bity
I make slow cooker chicken stock on Sunday nights out of pure laziness. The carcass from the roast goes in with whatever sad vegetables are rolling around the drawer, the lid goes on, and I go to bed. By breakfast the kitchen smells like a proper kitchen and there are ten cups of golden liquid waiting.
Doing this on the hob means twelve hours of hovering, topping up water and worrying about the flame. Slow cooker chicken stock just gets on with it, and that gentle heat is exactly what keeps the finished liquid clear rather than cloudy.
Quick Breakdown
Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker Chicken Stock
- It runs overnight. Because nothing needs watching, the whole thing happens while you sleep.
- It costs almost nothing. Slow cooker chicken stock is leftover bones, three vegetables and tap water.
- It comes out clear. A slow cooker never reaches a rolling boil, and boiling is what makes stock murky.
- Ten cups per batch. So one roast chicken keeps you in stock for a month of soups.
- You control the salt. In fact, a teaspoon in the whole pot is a fraction of what a carton holds.
Ingredient Notes
- Bones or a carcass. Two and a half to three pounds. Raw wings and backs give a cleaner flavour, while a roasted carcass gives a deeper, browner one.
- Onion, carrot, celery. Roughly chopped, skins and all if they are clean. However, keep the quantities modest or the vegetables start to dominate.
- Garlic. Two cloves, lightly crushed. More than that and it turns sweet and sulphurous over twelve hours.
- Apple cider vinegar. One tablespoon. You will not taste it, and it does real work, which I explain below.
- Water. Eight to ten cups, enough to cover everything by an inch. Too much water gives you weak stock that no amount of time will fix.
- Salt and pepper. Only a teaspoon of salt now. Season properly later, once you know what dish it is going into.
Stock or Broth?
The words get used interchangeably on labels, but there is a real difference. Stock is made from bones, so it is rich in gelatine and sets to a wobble in the fridge. Broth is made mostly from meat, stays liquid when cold, and is usually seasoned to drink on its own.
Slow cooker chicken stock is stock in the proper sense. If it sets like a soft jelly overnight, that is the collagen doing its job, and it will melt straight back the moment it hits a warm pan.
Why Vinegar Goes into Slow Cooker Chicken Stock
Bones are mostly mineral held together by collagen, and both are stubborn. A mild acid loosens that structure, so more of it dissolves into the water instead of staying locked in the bone.
One tablespoon over ten cups is far too little to taste. Meanwhile, over twelve hours it makes a noticeable difference to how thick the cooled stock is, which is the easiest way to judge whether you extracted properly.
Lemon juice works the same way if that is what you have. Still, cider vinegar is cheaper and its flavour disappears more completely.
How To Make Slow Cooker Chicken Stock
1. Add the bones. First put the chicken bones or carcass into the slow cooker, breaking the frame up a little so it sits flat.
2. Add the vegetables. Next tip in the onion, carrots, celery and garlic around and over the bones.
3. Pour in the liquid. Then add the vinegar and enough cold water to cover everything by about an inch, followed by the salt and pepper.
4. Cook it long and low. Cover and cook on low for twelve to eighteen hours. Do not lift the lid, because every peek drops the temperature sharply.
5. Strain it. After that, ladle the whole pot through a fine sieve into a large bowl and discard the solids.
6. Cool and store. Finally let it cool, then chill it. The fat sets in a solid disc on top and lifts off with a spoon.
Biggest Mistakes to Avoid
- Cooking it on high. This is the one that costs slow cooker chicken stock its clarity. A hard bubble emulsifies fat into the liquid and turns it cloudy for good.
- Drowning the bones. Water an inch above the bones is plenty. Filling the pot to the brim gives you something closer to flavoured water.
- Using brassicas. Broccoli, cabbage and sprouts turn bitter and sulphurous over a long cook, so keep them out.
- Salting it properly now. The liquid concentrates as it reduces, so heavy early seasoning leaves you with something you cannot use.
- Leaving it to cool on the counter. Get it chilled quickly rather than letting it sit for hours, since a big warm pot stays in the bacterial temperature danger zone ThermoWorks describes for a long time.
Tips for the Best Slow Cooker Chicken Stock
- Roast raw bones at 400 degrees for half an hour first if you want a darker, deeper result.
- Keep a bag in the freezer for onion ends, carrot tops and celery leaves, then tip it straight in.
- Skim any grey foam off in the first hour. Honestly it is cosmetic, though it does help clarity.
- Save the fat you lift off the top. It is schmaltz, and it roasts potatoes brilliantly.
- Meanwhile a few peppercorns and a bay leaf cost nothing and round the flavour out.
Storage and Freezing
- Fridge. Four days in an airtight container once fully chilled, in line with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics guidance on leftovers.
- Freezer. Three months. Freeze it flat in bags, or in an ice cube tray when you only need a splash for a pan sauce.
- Reheating. Straight from frozen into a warm pan. As a result there is no thawing to plan for, which is half the appeal of keeping it in cubes.
Variations and Substitutions
- Bone broth style. Push it to a full eighteen hours and add a second tablespoon of vinegar for a thicker, more gelatinous result.
- Asian base. Swap the carrot for a thumb of ginger and a bunch of spring onion.
- Faster version. A pressure cooker does something similar in about ninety minutes. My instant pot chicken stock has the full method.
- Start from scratch. If you need the carcass first, my classic roast chicken gives you dinner and the bones in one go.
- Vegetables only. Leave the bones out entirely and double the vegetables for a light vegetable stock.
What to Do With Slow Cooker Chicken Stock
Soup is the obvious home for slow cooker chicken stock, and a batch turns something like instant pot chicken noodle soup from good into genuinely excellent. Risotto, gravy and pan sauces all improve the same way.
Cooking grains in it is the underrated use. Rice, couscous and pearl barley all drink it up. For batching, my guide to how to freeze soup covers the containers and the labelling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bones and Method
Can I use raw chicken bones?
Yes. Raw wings and backs give a lighter, cleaner flavour, while a roasted carcass gives a deeper one. Both work well.
How long should it cook?
Twelve hours is the minimum for a good result and eighteen is the practical maximum. Beyond that the vegetables start to taste tired.
Do I really need the vinegar?
It is not essential, but it helps. The acid loosens collagen and minerals from the bones, which gives a richer, thicker result.
Can I make it without vegetables?
Of course. Bones, water and salt alone give a plain stock that is very useful when you want the chicken flavour to stand on its own.
Clarity and Storage
Why is mine cloudy?
Almost always the heat was too high, or the pot was stirred while cooking. Keep it on low and leave it completely alone.
How do I remove the fat?
Chill it overnight. The fat sets into a firm layer on the surface and lifts off in one piece with a spoon.
Should it be jelly like when cold?
Ideally yes. A soft set means you extracted plenty of gelatine, and it melts back to liquid the moment it is warmed.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lb chicken bones or carcass 1 to 1.4 kg
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 2 carrots roughly chopped
- 2 stalks celery roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic lightly crushed
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 15 ml
- 8 cups water 2 to 2.5 litres, to cover
- 1 tsp salt 5 g
- 1/2 tsp black pepper 2 g
Instructions
- Place the chicken bones or carcass in the slow cooker.
- Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic.
- Pour in the apple cider vinegar and enough water to cover everything by about an inch.
- Add the salt and black pepper.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 12 to 18 hours, without lifting the lid.
- Strain the stock through a fine sieve and discard the solids.
- Allow the stock to cool, then chill it and lift off the set fat before storing.
