Chicken Stock vs Broth + Recipe
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Chicken stock vs broth – do you know the difference? I’ve got the answer, and it may surprise you! Get my recipe for chicken broth too! Watch the complete video below in the recipe card.
Chicken stock vs broth
While many people interchange the names, there are some significant differences between stock and broth.
Let’s say you want to make a pot of comforting chicken noodle soup. Or maybe the gravy for a pot pie, or to ladle over fluffy mashed potatoes.
If you want to make it yourself, do you need a chicken broth recipe or do you need to make stock? Using that scenario, the answer is, you may want both!
Technically, you can make soups and gravies using either stock or broth. However, most professional chefs make sauces and soups using stock, and they use broth to make gravy.
Difference between chicken broth and stock
Chicken stock is more pure and refined than chicken broth. The process of making it takes longer than a chicken broth recipe, but it has a much richer chicken flavor. Plus, it contains less fat than broth does. This is because stock doesn’t involve using chicken skin like broth does.
Additionally the process for making chicken stock involves oven roasting raw chicken bones first, which allows for extra flavor.
Making stock, whether it be chicken, beef, or another type, requires hours of simmering, too. As a result, the bone marrow cooks out of the roasted bones and is infused into the liquid.
On the other hand, making a chicken broth recipe is quicker, and much easier as well. This is because you make it with a cooked chicken carcass, any meat that is left on it, and usually the chicken skin as well.
Because the bones are already cooked, there isn’t as much nutritional value in them. As a result, making chicken broth only takes 90 minutes!
- Here are the basic steps involved in the process.
- Be sure to watch me make it the video below, and then grab the complete ingredient list and instructions from the recipe card.
- I usually use a rotisserie chicken carcass to make homemade broth, but any cooked chicken parts and/or a carcass will work. You can leave the skin on, or remove it if you want to reduce some of the fat.
- Clean and chop the vegetables – You’ll be using a “mirepoix”, which is a combination of 2 parts onion, 1 part carrots, and 1 part celery.
- Place cooked chicken carcass/parts into a large, heavy bottomed pot. Add the vegetables, herbs, and spices. Add enough tap water to cover all the ingredients by one inch.
- Bring contents to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 90 minutes.
- Strain the broth to remove the bones, meat, skin, and herbs. Then allow it to cool before storing in the refrigerator.
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No. Meat stocks are low-acid foods that can only be canned safely using a pressure canner. A pressure canner heats the contents at a high temperature that is necessary to kill bacteria that causes botulism. There are no safe options for canning stock or broth in a boiling water canner. If you don’t have a pressure canner, you can freeze the stock in freezer containers instead. Be sure to date, label, and store in a cool location for 12 to 18 months.
Process filled jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts, adjusting for altitude, according to your pressure canners directions.Â
Next, turn off heat and cool canner to zero pressure. You’ll need to let stand 5 more minutes before removing the lid, then cool jars in canner for 10 minutes. Remove the jars and cool, checking lids for seal after 24 hours. Make sure the lids do not flex up and down when center is pressed. See a complete recipe with instructions to water pressure over on the Ball website.
Yes. Freezing food in Mason jars is an easy, economical, and environmentally-friendly if you don’t want to use plastic such as resealable freezer bags.
Top 4 Tips for Freezing in Mason Jars
- Don’t fill the mason jars to the top because of expansion. Pressure can build in the jar and break the glass, so leave at least one-inch of space at the top of the jar to allow for expansion. I like to use wide mouth tapered Mason jars. These typically include a freeze-fill line on the side for reference.
- Only use tapered mason jars without shoulders. Tapered jars reduce the pressure when food starts to expand during the freezing process. Jars with shoulders can break when it freezes.
- Let your hot chicken broth cool to room temperature before pouring into jars. Then place in the refrigerator before going in the freezer. It may seem extreme, but these precautions allow for expansion, so the glass doesn’t shatter, which saves you a clean up and loss of all your hard work making the broth!
- Keep the jars upright while freezing and tighten the lids after the chicken broth in the jar has completely frozen.
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Chicken Stock vs Broth + Recipe and Video
Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken carcass bones and skin
- 1 yellow onion quartered, skin left on
- 3 ribs of celery coarsely chopped
- 2 large carrots coarsely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 20 black peppercorns
- 1/2 bunch parsley whole
- 1/2 bunch thyme whole
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Add all of the above to a large stock pot, cover with water by an inch and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 90 minutes. Any vegetable scraps can be used, but these are my go to aromatics.
- Let cool and then remove all large pieces from the pot and discard. (See Note 1)
- Strain the broth and use immediately, cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for later use. The broth will become gelatinous and the chicken fat will congeal on the top, feel free to discard or use for making a roux.
Video
Notes
- Feel free to save cooked vegetables and puree with chicken broth for a thicker soup base or use a roux.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I am confused. In your recipe for Cream of Broccoli soup, you link to this page from the ingredient Homemade Chicken Stock, but this page has only instructions on making chicken broth.
Then you say a difference between chicken stock and broth is that the broth uses bones that have been cooked, but mention that stock takes bones that have been roasted.
Other than that, the recipes sound very good! I will be making the Cream of Broccoli Soup despite apparently only having chicken broth.
Harmony,
Thanks for stopping by and good question. The reason I link to the Chicken Broth recipe in the post for Cream of Broccoli soup is to give you information if you wanted to make your own. The recipe for the Cream of Broccoli soup is on that page. Yes, Chicken Stock does start by roasting RAW chicken bones then gets simmered, whereas Chicken Broth simmers COOKED chicken bones/carcass.
This is a genius idea! We buy rotisserie chickens all of time! Love that I can repurpose it make my own broth!
This is amazing! I can’t wait to make homemade broth! So much better than store bought!
Thank you! I keep it on hand at all times!
This is really helpful!! Thank you so much for sharing this! Can’t wait to give it a try!
Thank you for checking it out!
I did not know there was a difference between stock and broth, what an eye-opener! I love how tasty and easy this recipe is!
Thank you for checking it out!
Thank you so much for sharing, I have so many ideas for this!
Oh please share the ideas when you use it!
This is such an exciting idea!
Thank you!
Thank you for the recipe! For how long can I store it in the fridge?
Thank you! I keep for 5 days in the fridge but feel free to freeze it!
Thank you for this Kevin! I have been wondering about the difference between stock and broth for some time now, but never took the time to research.
I am glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!
Thank you so much for making this so simple. Simply amazing!!
Thank you for checking it out! I hope you give it a try!