Geoffrey Zakarian
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STP: Homemade Stock for the New Year

STP: Homemade Stock for the New Year

Once you try it, you'll never look back

January 06, 2025

Happy New Year to my Stirring the Pot community!

I want to start by thanking you for all the positive feedback on this new weekly cooking newsletter. I’m excited for the year ahead filled with fresh recipes, time-tested cooking tips, and creative entertaining ideas.

Right now, my cooking focus is on wholesome, feel-good meals—preferably the one-pot kind. This time of year begs for dishes like tortilla soup, ginger chicken soup with ramen, or creamy vegetable-forward butternut squash soup.

One thing that all of the recipes above have in common is a base of good chicken stock. So today, we’re talking about making our own. Some are intimidated by making their own chicken stock, but it’s a new year, so what better time to give it a go? Once you do, I promise you’ll never look back. It’s an incredibly rewarding endeavor, and the result is far more delicious and nourishing than anything you’ll find in stores.

Plus, there’s nothing quite like the cozy aroma of chicken stock simmering on a cold day—it’s pure comfort in the kitchen.

GZ’s Chicken Stock

Photo Credit: Food Network

INGREDIENTS

Yield: about 10 cups

1 chicken carcass from a roasted chicken, cut into medium pieces
1 1/2 cups peeled and sliced carrots
10 sprigs thyme
5 black peppercorns

3 bay leaves
1 leek, split and sliced, rinsed
1 onion, sliced
1 apple, quartered (not peeled or cored)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Place the chicken pieces on a sheet tray fitted with a rack and roast until caramelized, about 20 minutes.
Put the chicken pieces in a large pot with the carrots, thyme, peppercorns, bay leaves, leeks, onions, apple and 1 gallon water. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 2 to 3 hours (do not let it come to a boil or the stock will become cloudy).
Ladle the stock from the top of the pot into a strainer set over a large bowl. Place in an ice bath to cool quickly. Transfer the cooled stock to resealable containers. The stock can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 6 months.

Pro Tips

Start with cold water.
If you have chicken you just roasted the day before, save the bones for your stock.
I keep a bag of frozen chicken wings in the freezer to supercharge my stock. The gelatin in the bones adds great body to the stock.
Apples are not common in stock, but they add an incredible sweetness at the end.
Do not bring your stock to a rolling boil - this causes the fat to emulsify into the stock, which prevents you from tasting the full flavor. Keep it at a gentle simmer.
Lade the stock into a strainer instead of dumping it, which causes the sediments to distribute throughout.