Mushroom Free Classic Chicken Stock

Total time4 hr 15 min

Prep time15 min

Cook time3 hr 30 min

4.5

(5)

A deeply golden, slow-simmered stock built from chicken bones, sweet carrots, celery, onion, and a handful of fresh herbs — this is the kind of foundational recipe that makes everything else you cook taste noticeably better. Store-bought broths often sneak in mushroom powder or mushroom extract for extra umami, which makes label-reading a frustrating chore for anyone avoiding fungi. This version keeps things completely clean, drawing all of its rich, savory depth from the chicken itself, a touch of tomato paste, and aromatics you likely already have on hand. The blanching step at the start is a small but brilliant move — it pulls out impurities early so your finished stock is clear, clean-tasting, and genuinely beautiful. A long, lazy three-hour simmer does the heavy lifting, coaxing every bit of flavor and body from the bones without any shortcuts. Once it's strained, chilled, and skimmed, you'll have a glossy, versatile stock ready to anchor soups, braises, risottos, and sauces for days. Make a big batch, freeze it in portions, and you'll never reach for a carton again.

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Ingredients

8 servings

3 lb chicken bones and carcass (or a whole 3–4 lb chicken, cut into pieces)
2 medium yellow onions, quartered (skin on)
3 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp black peppercorns
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
6 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
12 cups cold water
1 tsp salt

Instructions

1
Place the chicken bones in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then drain and rinse the bones under cold running water to remove any grey foam or impurities. Rinse the pot clean.
2
Return the blanched bones to the clean pot. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, tomato paste, peppercorns, thyme, bay leaf, parsley, and salt. Pour in the 12 cups of cold water — the water should cover the bones by at least 1 inch; add more if needed.

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