Steamed Chicken Stock

5 from 2 votes

Making stock or broth in a steam oven is the easiest way to have a nutritious, flavorful soup or casserole base on hand all the time!

Prep Time10

Cook Time2

Total Time2 10

Course: Soup

Cuisine: European, Western

Keyword: chicken broth, chicken stock, steam oven chicken stock, steam oven stock

Servings: cups

Calories: 120kcal

Ingredients

2 lb chicken wings or 1-2 whole chicken carcasses, cut roughly into large pieces
2 carrots scrubbed and cut into 3-4 pieces
2 stalks celery washed, leaves left on, cut into 4-6 pieces
2 brown onions bulb end trimmed, skin left on, cut in half
1 leek washed well, bulb end trimmed, sliced thickly
5 stalks parsley washed and torn up
2 bay leaves whole
10 peppercorns lightly crushed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Put all the ingredients into a large pot or a deep stainless steel pan. Add 1 1/2 quarts (1 1/2 litres) cold water to cover the ingredients, and put the pot, uncovered, into your steam oven.
2 lb chicken wings, 2 carrots, 2 stalks celery, 2 brown onions, 1 leek, 5 stalks parsley, 2 bay leaves, 10 peppercorns
Set your oven to 212°F/100°C, 100% humidity, and cook for 2 hours.
Strain the stock through a sieve, pressing down on the solids to extract as much flavor as you can. If your stock looks too cloudy and you'd like it more clear, you can strain it again through a double layer of muslin.
If you'd like to add salt to your stock you can do so now (see note). Try a teaspoon to start with, then adjust by adding small pinches until it tastes right.
Refrigerate the strained stock overnight, then lift off the layer of fat which has solidified on the top. The stock is now ready to use. It'll keep in the fridge for a few days, or frozen for up to 3 months.

Notes

I do not add salt when I cook stock, preferring to leave it unsalted and adjust seasonings when I use it in a dish later. If you prefer salted stock, I recommend adding it to taste after cooking and straining, as this will give you the best indicator of taste in the finished stock.
You can change up the meat or vegetables to whatever you like here, taking the stock in different directions according to what you've got on hand or what you want to make with the finished stock. I sometimes add celeriac to my stocks because I love the flavor. I'll also add a clove or two of garlic if I'm planning on making something garlicky from the finished stock.
For Dark/Golden Chicken Stock: Before making the stock, roast the chicken wings or carcasses in a 400°F/200°C oven for 20 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and proceed with the recipe.
For Beef (or veal) Stock: swap out the chicken for the same weight of beef bones (available from your butcher, ask if they'll cut them to fit in your pot if they're very large!). Before making the stock, roast the bones in a 400°F/200°C oven for 20 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and proceed with the recipe. Cook beef stock for 3-4 hours rather than 2 hours; it will give a much better flavor.
Want to use cooked chicken or meat bones? You absolutely can. Make sure if you're using a chicken which had stuffing in it, that you remove all the stuffing as this won't do your stock any good. If you're using a very well-picked over carcass or bone, you may need a little more meat bones by weight than the recipe calls for above. Also be mindful that most roasted meats have had salt on them in the cooking process, so your stock seasoning needs to be adjusted.
For Vegetable Stock: omit the chicken, double the quantities of all the vegetables. Add 1-2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped. Proceed with the recipe.
The nutritional content for this recipe is based on a serving size of 1 cup, and without salt having been added to the stock. Values will be different if ingredients are altered.

Nutrition