Have you ever made homemade chicken stock and in the end you think, “Why”? Then you think, “I can buy store bought stock that’s better than this”. I thought just that and had given-up making homemade stock, until I saw Bobby Flay’s “Boy Meets Grill” soup episode. That was back in 2007 and I’ve been using his “Rich Chicken Stock” recipe every since. Well up until now. We took a look at it and wondered if it could be adapted for use in our Instant Pot (pressure cooker). Success and we’ll show you how easy in the post. No Instant Pot? No worries, we’ll tell you how to finish it stovetop as well. This rich stock works beautifully in soups like my recently posted “Homemade Vegetable & Chicken Soup with Fresh Noodles“
But, it all starts in the oven, the same as Bobby Flay’s , “Rich Chicken Stock” recipe. But once out of the oven, it’ll be adapted for finishing in the Instant Pot. First of all, you’ll need to get the oven going and the get all the ingredients together to make a batch of Bobby Fly’s Rich Chicken Stock. In the recipe below you’ll see how easy it is to make. You can use fresh chicken bones or bones and trimmings (as we did below).
All the goodies in a pan and ready to toss in the oven. The goodies for the Rich Chicken Stock after 40 minutes in the oven at 450° F (203°C).
Tip: We buy the tips of chicken wings from our butcher for a little bit of nothing. What a wonderful stock they make. Also, this recipe works great for making a rich lamb stock. Just switch the chicken to lamb.
Up until now the Instant Pot and stovetop recipes are the same, but now’s when the Instant Pot version comes in and boy does it save time and energy. Gather up your goodies and let’s make some Instant Pot Chicken Stock! Oh, not to worry stovetop cookers. We’ll tell how to finish stovetop in the recipe notes.
This recipe was tasted and approved for human consumption by Chloe.
“Happy cooking!”
Rich Chicken Stock in the Instant Pot (or Stovetop)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs (0.9 kg) chicken bones, trimmings or wing tips.
- 1/4 head Celery chopped roughly.
- 1 medium Yellow onion skin on and quartered.
- 1 medium Red onion skin on and quartered.
- 2 medium Carrots washed (do not peel) and roughly chopped.
- 2 tbsp (2 msk) Olive oil.
- 1 Dried bay leaves.
- 1/8 cup (30ml) Whole black peppercorns.
- 1 handful Fresh parsley, stems only.
- 3-4 sprigs Fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon (1/4 tsk) of dried thyme.
- Salt and pepper for seasoning.
- 6 cups (2.88 L) of water.
Instructions
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Let's get that oven wacked up to temperature. Set your oven at 450°F (230°C).
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While the oven is heating up, mix the chicken parts, carrots, onions, parsley stems and celery with the olive oil. Once mixed, season with salt and pepper and toss again.
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Place the mix on a large jelly roll pan or roasting pan. All of the veggies and chicken need to be just one layer.
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Roast in the oven for about 40 minutes or until the chicken and veggies are golden brown.
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While the mix is roasting get your Instant Pot (or pressure cooker) set up and ready to go. (see note 1)
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After the chicken and veggies are roasted, transfer them to your instant pot. Make sure to include all the goodies from the bottom of the pan.
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Add the 6 cups of water, bay leaf, whole peppercorns and thyme.
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Close and seal the pot, making sure the vent is set on sealing.
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Set the Instant Pot to manual for 60 minutes.
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Once pressure cooking is complete, let the Instant Pot release naturally (about 20-25 minutes).
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Remove lid and chill in an ice bath (unless you will be using immediately), then place in the refrigerator for 4-5 days (see note 2). After one day in the fridge, remove and skim off the fat.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: At this point if you don't have a pressure cooker just add the roasted chicken and veggies to a large stock pot on your stovetop. Bring to a boil and then cook on medium for 4 hours. If using this method, feel free to double the recipe.
Note 2: You can store the stock in the freezer for six months. We freeze it in a silicon ice cube tray and then place in a plastic bag for easy use.
Chava says
Ron, this sounds amazing! The instant pot really does cut back on the time.
Ron says
Thanks Chava – The Instant Pot cuts the time way down, but I also think it give it a more intense taste.
Eha says
Chloe obviously has a well developed palate as I certainly would not buy anything readymade, full of salt and tasting of generic nothing to replace this. Stocks are easy to make and need little supervision: as you have pointed out they can easily be frozen and kept for considerable times [I use your cube/bag method also! ]. . . even if one works fulltime, it is no problem to have this on the stovetop whilst watching TV or reading a book in the evening hours. Am still considering the Instant Pot – living alone perchance the enthusiasm to spend the money is not so urgent 🙂 !!
Ron says
Eha – Chloe is indeed picky. Actually she probably eats healthier than we do. Totally agree that stocks are a breeze to make and keep around. As for the Instant Pot – it does some great stuff, but for just one I would have to agree on the urgency. With that said, it’s sure handy to have around.
Vik says
This is great timing, I have a bunch of veggie ends and stems in the freezer I’ve been meaning to make stock with but been too lazy. Haven’t tried making stock in the Instant Pot yet but will definitely do so now. Great idea about freezing in trays -> bag.
Ron says
Vik – Thanks for the comments. I’d like to take credit for the ice cube idea, but my mother was using the technique many years ago. Let us know how you like the Instant Pot method.
Melissa @Insiderthekitchen.com says
We absolutely LOVE this stock! The house smells amazing from beginning to end, and the stock is simply put: The Best Ever.
Ron says
The aroma is divine. We made a lovely Instant Pot risotto the other night using the stock and it was perfect.
Thanks so much for your comment Melissa.