How to Make Chicken Stock, Step by Step

From cold water to a labelled jar in six steps: start cold, skim early, hold 4–6 hours at 85–95 °C, strain, cool in two stages, refrigerate.

Step one is the cold-water start. Cover the bones with cold water at about 1 kg bones to 1 L water; starting cold is what lets dissolved proteins rise to the surface instead of dispersing through the liquid.

Step two is the skim. Inside the first 30 minutes, foam rises and must come off — skimming that early is what keeps the finished stock clear instead of grey.

Step three is the hold. Settle the pot at 85–95 °C, covered, with only an occasional bubble, and keep it there 4–6 hours. A rolling 100 °C boil at any point emulsifies fat and bone dust into the liquid and clouds it permanently.

Step four is the strain. A covered charge of 1 kg bones and 1 L water yields roughly 700–800 ml of strained stock. The bones can go straight into a remouillage — a second extraction — before being discarded.

Steps five and six are cooling and storage. Bring the stock from 60 °C down to 21 °C within 2 hours, then to 4–5 °C within 4 more; keep it about 4 days at 4 °C or 4–6 months at −18 °C, and reheat a portion to 74 °C before serving.

Salt stays out of the pot: season at the end, because a 50 % reduction doubles the salt. The reasoning behind each number is at /stock-ratios-and-simmer-times, and the stock-versus-broth distinction is at /stock-vs-broth.

• Cold-water start — 1 kg bones to 1 L water
• Skim inside the first 30 minutes
• Hold 4–6 h at 85–95 °C, covered
• Strain — expect 700–800 ml per litre charged
• Cool 60 → 21 °C in 2 h, then to 4–5 °C in 4 h more
• Store 4 days at 4 °C or 4–6 months at −18 °C

Further reading

• Stock vs Broth: What Is the Real Difference?
• Stock Ratios and Simmer Times