Warming Winter Chicken Stock

Created and written by our partner Cocoa & Salt

It’s finally soup season! In the winter months I love making big batches of soup in the slow cooker to warm me up on a cold day. I use my slow cooker so often during the winter that I don’t even bother putting it away. I also use the slow cooker make my own chicken stock to use as a base for soups. 

I recently ordered chicken necks Grass Roots to make a hearty chicken stock. Chicken stock is seriously so easy to make I hardly call it a recipe. If you’ve never made your own stock, you can use any bones, but chicken necks are a great way to use part of the bird that is often forgotten about. 

For me, this stock tastes best around the 8 hour mark, but you can leave it cooking for 12+ hours. The longer you cook the necks, the more nutrients like magnesium, calcium and collagen are released into it. 

The hardest part of this recipe is the straining. I like my stock to be very clear, so I strain it 3 times. If the stock is still  cloudy, Ill run it through cheesecloth. If you’ve never seen chicken necks, keep scrolling past the recipe! 

What You'll Need

1 package of Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative chicken necks

2 large onions, quartered

3 large carrots, chopped into thirds

2 stocks of celery, chopped into thirds

2 tablespoons whole peppercorns  optional: fresh sprigs of thyme or parsley stems

The Recipe 

1. Combine all of the ingredients in the slow cooker. Add enough water to cover all of the ingredients. 

2. Cook for a minimum of 6 hours but ideally 8. You could even cook for 12+ hours for a very bold flavorful stock. 

3. Once the stock has cooked remove the lid and let cook for about 20 minutes. Then it’s time to strain it. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl. Use tongs to transfer the chicken necks and vegetables to the strainer, letting the stock strain into the bowl. Empty the chicken necks and vegetables into another large bowl then discard once cooled. 

4. Next, you can strain the stock another 1-2 times through the strainer or using cheesecloth. Keep going until the stock is as clear as you like it. 

5. Once the stock is cool, divide between containers and refrigerate for 2-3 days or freeze for a month.