Nutmeg 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 chicken stock built from bones, aromatics, and nothing more than time — this is the kind of foundational recipe that makes everything else in your kitchen taste better. Onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and a handful of fresh herbs do all the heavy lifting here, creating a broth that's rich, fragrant, and genuinely satisfying. The blanching step at the start is a small but brilliant move: it pulls out impurities early so the finished stock comes out clear and clean rather than murky or bitter. A long, lazy simmer at low heat coaxes every bit of flavor from the bones without any need for spice blends or pre-made seasoning mixes that might sneak in unwanted ingredients. For anyone navigating a sensitivity to warm baking spices, homemade stock is one of those things that's almost always safer to make yourself — store-bought versions can be surprisingly unpredictable in their seasoning. Once strained and chilled, you'll have a gorgeous, gelatin-rich base ready to anchor soups, braises, risottos, and sauces all week long.

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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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