Don't waste your rotisserie chicken bones! Make chicken stock instead with delicious fresh vegetables and herbs, that you can use in soups and other recipes.
Airtight containers for storage (e.g. mason jars, plastic containers)
Cutting board
Ingredients
1rotisserie chicken carcass
2onionsroughly chopped and unpeeled
2-3carrotsroughly chopped and unpeeled
2-3celery stalksroughly chopped
3-4sprigs fresh thymeOR 2 teaspoons dried thyme
4clovesgarlicsmashed and unpeeled
2bay leaves
¼cupfresh parsley leavesroughly chopped
1teaspoonwhole black peppercornsOR 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2teaspoonItalian seasoning
1teaspoonsaltplus more to taste
3quartswater(12 cups), or fill up to the top of your pot
Instructions
First, remove all the meat from the rotisserie chicken carcass, and set it aside for another use. Break the carcass into several pieces so it will fit in your pot, optional.
In a large stock pot, combine the chicken carcass pieces, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, black peppercorns, Italian seasoning, parsley, thyme, and salt.
Then, fill the pot with water until the ingredients are completely covered. (This could be around 3 quarts of water, but this can vary depending on the size of your pot.)
Bring the water in the pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Let this chicken stock simmer for at least 4 hours, or until the liquid has reduced by half and the vegetables are very soft.
Once the rotisserie chicken stock has finished cooking, use a slotted spoon to remove the solids from the pot.
Next, strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any remaining solids. Then, discard the solids.
Now, taste the stock and add salt as needed to bring out the flavor, if desired. You may choose not to add more salt, so you can add salt to the recipe later, that you plan to use the stock for.
If not using right away, let the stock cool to room temperature, and then transfer it to airtight containers and store in the refrigerator. See the tips below for freezing.
Notes
Tip: The total time can vary depending on how long you let the stock simmer on the stove. Amount it makes: As a general rule, you can expect to yield about 8-12 cups of stock from a recipe like this, depending on the size of your pot and the concentration of the stock. If you cook the stock longer, you will be left with a more concentrated stock, but it will produce less liquid.Flexible. This recipe is very flexible, so feel free to add other vegetables or herbs to the pot to suit your tastes. Some great options to consider might include mushrooms, rosemary, or sage. You could also add some crushed red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.How to use broth: It's great to use in recipes such as this chicken and gravy recipe and this lasagna soup recipe.How to Store: There are refrigeration and freezer options for storing this broth. See post in the "Storage" section for more details.