Chicken carcass

[BrutusMcDogface]

Evening all!

As the title suggests, I did a roast chicken tonight and would really like to make use of the carcass. Last time I tried to boil one into a stock, it was a disaster! I don't know what I did wrong but it was bland and tasteless, like fatty water. 🤢

Does anyone have any great ideas/methods that might help me? There are some scraps of meat left that I might like to make into a healthy and wholesome soup.

Thanks in advance!

[Acopyofacopy]

Put the carcass into a pot or your slow cooker together with
An onion, quartered, no need to peel,
A carrot, in big chunks,
Some celery or celeriac, in big chunks,
A bay leaf,
6 or do black peppercorns,
Some salt.

Simmer for 2 hours or so, sieve. You will then have a lovely chicken stock which can be the base for a soup.

[pinktransit]

Take as much of the skin and meat off as you can. Bin the skin,
Peel and onion and quarter it. Take one or two carrots, top and tail and snap into 2 or 3 bits. I can't be bothered to peel and chop, so literally break in half. Celery if you have it, one or two sticks. Peppercorns, half a dozen, or a good few grinds of a pepper grinder if you don't have whole ones. A couple of bay leaves. Chuck it all into a largeish saucepan.
Cover with water, add salt (half a teaspoon or so). Bring to the boil, turn down and simmer for around 3 hours. Let it cool, strain through a colandar or sieve. Taste it. If it's a bit insipid, boil and reduce it.
This is my usual stock recipe, and then I use it as a base for soup.
If I need to freeze it, I boil it right down and use it almost as a stock cube.

[tampinfuminragin]

That's exactly how I make my stock @Acopyofacopy but with 2 onions for extra flavour.

[GreenBook]

I do as above but overnight in the slow cooker with other veg (cauliflower stalks and celery leaves are good, but whatever you have), plus plenty of salt. Strain (or chuck carcass and bag) then to the stock add fresh chopped onion, celery, carrots, a chicken stock cube / melt and simmer for a few more hours. Add the bits of chicken back in, and serve with noodles or just nice bread.

[BrutusMcDogface]

Wow, so many responses! Thank you!! I've put it in the fridge but will be putting it in the trusty slow cooker in the morning!

Thanks again! (Mmmm...chicken noodle soup!)

[foodiefil]

I do as @Acopyofacopy does but I cook for far longer, sometimes overnight. Maybe I don't need to! It's so worth cracking though - makes a big difference to soups/gravy

[worriedaboutchristmas]

I found the same as you- but then I started adding a chicken stock cube to the carcass , onion , celery and carrot . I'm sure it's cheating - but it makes a super stock.

[MountainDweller]

I add ingredients above (though no celery as I consider it the devil's vegetable ) but I simmer for 7-8 hours. Get loads more flavour that way.

[Weedsnseeds1]

A couple of chicken wings thrown in can boost it if you only have one carcass ( or save a few up in the freezer and make a bigger batch).
Also pack your bones and veg tightly in the pan and only just cover so you don't dilute the flavour with too much water.

[Weedsnseeds1]

Also a handful of pearl barley in chicken soup is really nice.

[MotherofTerriers]

I do this overnight in the slow cooker

[ILookedintheWater]

OP: next time take off the skin, snip it/break it up and freeze it in a bag.
When you have 3 carcasses make the stock. One roasted carcass won't give you much flavour on its own.

[SillyBub]

Make sure you brown the bones first! I put mine into a hot, large saucepan and stir frequently for a few minutes until it's really sizzling. Take the bones out. You will have lots of bits stuck to the bottom. Pour a good glug of white wine in, still over the heat and stir like crazy with a spatula, scraping all the bits off. Once this is done, pour it over the set aside bones. Then fry some onion and carrot for a few minutes, along with any other veg you need to use up. I always add the broccoli stalk at this point. After a few minutes, pour over any retained juices from the roast, add the bones and juices plus a couple of litres of water and a few bay leaves. Leave to simmer for a good few hours and you'll have lovely stock.

[UnaOfStormhold]

It helps to break up the carcass and arrange it so you don't have to add as much water - that way you get a nice concentrated stock. I put my veg peelings (except onion skins and broccoli/cabbage bits as these aren't great for the flavour) in a bag in the freezer and chuck them in when I have a chicken carcass to spare. I do mine in the slow cooker overnight on a timer - gives a lovely flavour.

[mullmepopcorn]

Save several in the freezer.
Add a splash of vinegar- the minerals in the bones leach out too, more nutritious.
Use as little water as possible and leave on as long as you can. Or use a pressure cooker.


I put the softened bones in the food processor and use the mush to fill the dogs Kong. He loves it.