Homemade chicken stock is a great ingredient for soups and noodles. This is a very basic version with whole chicken, ginger, scallion and water only. Unlike western stock, we use whole chicken to make Chinese chicken stock instead of chicken carcass.
In order to keep the taste as original as possible, we only add scallion and ginger to eliminate the unpleasant raw tastes from the meat without influencing the tastes obviously. This is a very light and basic stock. In Chinese cuisine, with the opposite theory, we have a premier chicken stock made from chicken, pork and ham.
Each time after making this basic chicken stock, my first choice is to make a very basic Chinese chicken noodle soup (鸡汤面). Then re-heat the stock to remove the extra water, save it for later dishes like egg drop soup or wonton soup.
Ingredients
- one whole chicken (around 2000g)
- 1 small chunk of ginger
- 4 scallions
- 2.5L to 3L water
Steps:
Regular pot method: Add half of the scallion and ginger inside the chicken. Place all in ingredients in a large stockpot. Add the remaining scallion and ginger. Bring it to a boil over high heat and then slow down the fire to medium low fire. Cover the lid and simmer for 4 hours. strain the broth into individual containers and store them in the freezer for future use.
High-pressure method: Add half of the scallion and ginger inside the chicken. Place all in ingredients in a large stockpot. Add the remaining scallion and ginger. Choose chicken stock or stock procedure. When well cooked, transfer the chicken out. Now, you can directly use it.
Or re-heat the chicken stock to remove the extra water off and you will have more concentrated stock.
When cooled, there will be a layer of fat floating on the surface. If you are on a diet, you can remove it but it is better to keep it for a better flavor.
Basic Chinese Chicken Stock
Ingredients
- one whole chicken ,around 2000g
- 1 small chunk of ginger
- 4 scallions
- 2.5 L to 3L water
Instructions
- Regular pot method: Add half of the scallion and ginger inside the chicken. Place all in ingredients in a large stockpot. Add the remaining scallion and ginger. Bring it to a boil over high heat and then slow down the fire to medium low fire. Cover the lid and simmer for 2 hours. strain the broth into individual containers and store them in the freezer for future use
- High-pressure method: Add half of the scallion and ginger inside the chicken. Place all in ingredients in a large stockpot. Add the remaining scallion and ginger. Choose chicken stock or stock procedure. When well cooked, transfer the chicken out. Now, you can directly. Or re-heat the chicken stock to remove the extra water off and you will have more concentrated stock.
- When cooled, there will be a layer of fat floating on the surface. If you are on a diet, you can remove it but it is better to keep it for a better flavor.
Video
Nutrition
You can simple cook some noodles and green vegetables, add salt and white pepper and make your family bowls of yummy mild chicken noodle soup.
Jan Gardener
I will make this. It looks incredible.
Elaine
Go ahead. It is simple but worth trying.
Jack
what do you do with the cooked chicken after you finish making the soup?
Elaine
I usually shred the leg meats and make noodle soups, dip the wings with chili peppers and discard the chest and other parts because they are not tasty at all after long time cooking.
Jack
Thank you. What quality chicken do you use for this.recipe? In New York Chinatown there are different qualities of chicken -- soup chicken, which is tough, inexpensive and not really edible except for use in soup, cut up pieces of thigh, leg and wing and freshly killed chicken, which is the best quality but also expensive. Freshly killed chicken is about 3X as expensive as chicken pieces and 4X as expensive as soup chicken. There is also the black chicken, which i guess you don't use for this kind of recipe?
thanks for your advice and terrific recipes
Jack
Elaine
Hi Jack,
We use black chicken or silkie chicken usually with some herbals and directly served as chicken soup because that kind is more expensive and nourishing. I usually choice old hen for chicken stock, directly from the market, not freshly killed chicken. Freshly killed chicken is much expensive than other types too in China. We use them to make soup, braised chicken or chicken hot pot in winter.
Andreas
Hi Elaine,
in sheer horror I watched the chicken almost dissolve over the course of four hours of cooking 🙂 I tried some of the meat afterwards, but as you write it's just dry. Unfortunately chicken here is bred mainly for breast meat so there is not much to salvage from the legs.
Nonetheless, the stock really tastes just like liquid chicken! So I think I'm going to make this again even though it still makes me cringe to throw the meat away.
so thank you again for a great recipe Elaine.
Taras Datz
Hi, there is a difference in cook times in this recipe. At the beginning, in Cook time it says 2 hrs, but in the instructions, it says 4 hrs. Which one should it be?
Elaine
2 hour is enough. Thanks for the correctness.
Trevette Chambers
Currently, suffering a cold and I was inclined to make this delicious simple broth. Thank you.
Now, off to make congee.
Elaine
Congee is my favorite choice in cold mornings.
Joannes
Is there anything I can do with the chicken meat after the stock is ready?
Joannes
Sorry, I noticed too late you already answered this question ?
Elaine
Never mind. I hope you can enjoy the recipe.
Richard
I would make chicken curry or chicken salad sandwiches with the remaining breast. I’d add chicken broth for additional flavoring..
Paul Hart
Excellent stock. Use fresh or freeze immediately in small 250ml containers for later use
Elaine
Thanks Paul!
Dianne
This is such a lovely, light stock.
I decided to make it a Chinese-American recipe that calls for "nice homemade chicken stock". I've always cheated and just simmered some scallions, ginger and white peppercorns into low-sodium store-bought broth or stock.
I've not made the dish yet to tell if it improves the gravy but just tasting the strained stock was enough to convince me that I'm going to only make my chicken stock for every recipe using this recipe.
I halved it and used five bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (tad over 2 lbs), 10 c water and an extra scallion.
Dianne
Made the Chinese-American dish that this stock recipe was going to be used in.
Nailed it! My oyster gravy tasted just like what was served at my favorite restaurant years ago. The stock does make all the difference.
Elaine
Thanks Dianne!