Slow Cooker Chicken or Vegetable Stock

Extra Food Chat with Kath

Welcome to another instalment of Extra Food Chat with Kath!

This time I am sharing a recipe made quite often in my kitchen, and that helps me reduce a little food waste in our household as well.

This recipe might seem a little left of field for me, as I mostly share baking recipes. However I actually make this slow cooker stock quite often, and almost always have some in the freezer ready to be used. That or I am stockpiling ingredients in the freezer that will be used for an upcoming batch of slow cooker chicken or vegetable stock.

I first heard of making stock in the slow cooker from Nigella Lawson. I had started making my own by heating it gently on the stove for 2-3 hours, but once I heard a slow cooker could be used that seemed like a much better idea to me. I’m pretty sure Nigella said she had her slow cooker stock going overnight, but I can’t stand cooking smells when I’m sleeping so I make mine during the day.

If you are making stock in an attempt to reduce some food waste in your kitchen, the prep to make your slow cooker stock will start weeks before you make it. I know that might sound daunting, but it’s all extremely low effort! Every time you have leftovers of stock worthy vegetables, herbs or chicken carcasses store them in the freezer.

This goes for limp and lank vegetables in the fridge too that look like their time is almost up. I do this each time I cut off most of the leaves from a bunch of celery, remove the stems and fronds from fennel bulbs, have half an onion languishing in the fridge, have used all the leaves from a bunch of dill or parsley but still have all the stems, found a random bunch of thyme in the crisper that I know won’t otherwise get used or found some celery or carrots that have seen better days.

For chicken carcasses, I reserve them after we’ve had a roast chicken and all the meat has been removed from the carcass. I do this for chickens that have been roasted with complementary flavours to what I would be adding to my stock (like one that has been stuffed with garlic and herbs). If any meat comes off the leg or wing bones as the chicken is being carved, I reserve those bones too and stuff them inside the (now empty) chicken cavity (only if they haven’t touched anyones plate!). I place them in a freezer bag and put them in the freezer.

Once I have two larger or three smaller chicken carcasses, a few bits of vegetables and herbs, there is enough for one batch of slow cooker chicken stock. If I don’t have enough chicken, but lots of vegetables and herbs to use (from my stash in the freezer or anything looking like it’s on it last days in the fridge, including onions that are starting to grow and become soft), I will make vegetable stock instead.

There is something oddly satisfying about making homemade stock. Even though it takes a little time, most of that time your slow cooker is doing the work and you can forget about it for hours and hours. I really enjoy knowing the bits and pieces I use for my stock would have otherwise gone in the bin, and they are getting a new use that will add lots of flavour to whatever dishes I use the stock in later.

Slow Cooker Chicken Stock (or Vegetable Stock)

Base Ingredients:

• x2-3 chicken carcasses (left over from a roast chicken or similar)

• x2 carrots (minimum), cut in half crossways

• x2 brown onions (minimum), cut in half crossways

• x3 celery sticks (minimum) with leaves if possible (see below*), cut into 3-4 pieces

• up to x1 bunch Italian parsley, can be stems only or a mixture of stems and leaves

• x2-4 sprigs of rosemary

• x1 bulb garlic, cut in half cross ways so the cloves are exposed (1/2 bulb minimum)

• 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns

• 1 tbsp flakey salt

• 3 litres water

Optional (But recommended esp. for Vegetable Stock)/Substitution Ingredients:

• fronds and stems from 1-2 fennel bulbs, whole fennel bulbs can also be used (cut into chunks), 1 bulb if you have enough brown onion and celery, 2 if you don’t have enough brown onion and celery

• off cuts of leek (white part) - esp if you don’t have enough brown onion

• 1-2 dried bay leaves OR 2-4 fresh bay leaves

• up to x1 bunch dill, can be stems only or a mixture of stems and leaves

• up to x1 bunch thyme, can be less than one bunch (even just a few sprigs)

• celery leaves, as much or as little has you have - *esp if you have just bought celery for something else but don’t need the leaves and need the celery itself for other recipes

Method:

1. Place all ingredients you are using except the water into your slow cooker. I find placing the leafy things like celery leaves and leafy herbs like parsley and dill on the bottom first, then placing the chicken over that, then wedging in the remaining vegetables a good way to get everything to fit. I then squish in anything like thyme sprigs and bay leaves once everything else is in the slow cooker. How everything fits and how much fits will depend in the capacity of your slow cooker. Start with the essentials, like a minimum of 2 chicken carcasses and the minimum quantities of the base list of ingredients (or your substitutions for them), then you can add a bit more (e.g. an extra carrot or stick of celery or something extra from the optional/substitutions list) if they fit.

2. Pour over 2-3 litres of cold tap water, again how much you will need will depend on the capacity of your slow cooker. As you can see from the image above of my filled slow cooker, I pack as much as I can in, and fill it right to the maximum limit when adding the water.

3. Sprinkle over the peppercorns and salt (you can adjust these quantities to suit your tastes), place the lid on the slow cooker and set the heat to low if you have 10 hours to wait, or medium heat if you need it done a little quicker (8 hours).

4. Once the slow cooker time has elapsed (10 hours if on medium heat, 8 hours if on low heat), turn it off and leave the lid off for about 30 minutes to allow the stock to begin to cool down.

5. Once the stock has cooled a little (by this point how long you wait for this may depend on what time of the day/night it is!), strain out the larger chunks of vegetables, herbs and chicken. I do this by lifting them out with tongs and allowing as much of the stock to run back into the slow cooker as possible before placing them in the bin

6. Then place a sieve over a (very) large bowl or tupperware container that has at least 3L capacity. Strain the remaining bits within the stock by pouring or ladling the stock over the sieve. Anything the sieve catches can be discarded.

7. Place the stock in the fridge overnight.

8. The next day, skim any fat off the top. Line a sieve with muslin or cheese cloth and restrain the stock through that into another large bowl or container. This will help remove any remaining bits in the stock.

9. You can then portion your stock out into containers or freezer bags - the quantities you choose are up to you. Think about what you will use the stock for and go from there e.g. I always freeze at least one lot as 1L as I know that’s how much I need when I make risotto.

10. Label the containers or bags with the quantity and date, and place into the freezer so you can use them another time. If you will be using some of the stock in the next day or so it can be stored in the fridge.

Makes about 2.5 litres of stock, however the final quantity will depend on the capacity of your slow cooker (mine is approx. 5.7L capacity).

Recipe Notes:

• If making vegetable stock, you will be able to add more vegetables/herbs and things from the optional/substitutions ingredients list until your slow cooker is nicely full.

• If you are using chicken, vegetables or herbs that have been frozen, they can be added to the slow cooker straight from the freezer, there is no need to defrost them first.

• To fit everything in the slow cooker, you can cut up the vegetables into smaller pieces than I have specified. Just know you don’t have to spend much time prepping them, and larger pieces are fine if they will fit.

  

Have you ever made your own stock?

It does sound a bit ominous, but as long as you have the time, its a really great way to reduce some food waste in your kitchen, and adjust the flavours and salt levels to suit your tastes.

If you have any questions about making stock in a slow cooker, or need any tips making it on the stove if you don’t have a slow cooker please let me know in the comments below (or reply to this email).

Thanks again for your support, I’ll see you again on Friday!