Whether from Costco or your nearest grocery store, rotisserie chickens make a delicious dinnertime shortcut. And once you’ve removed all the meat to make sandwiches, enchiladas, burritos, soup, or a casserole, you can make chicken stock from rotisserie chicken bones!
Making homemade chicken broth or stock on your stovetop can be an all-day affair, but it only takes a couple of hours in an Instant Pot. And you can spend that time however you want because you won’t have to keep an eye on it like you would if you were cooking it on a stove.
Jillee’s Take:
Here’s how to use rotisserie chicken bones to make chicken stock.
How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Stock With Rotisserie Chicken
Ingredients:
- Rotisserie chicken bones
- Vegetable scraps
- Herb stems
- Whatever produce you have in the fridge
Directions:
Place the bones of one or two rotisserie chickens in your Instant Pot, then add whatever vegetables or scraps you have in your fridge or freezer. (Celery, carrots, onions, leeks, and mushrooms are all classic stock ingredients, but don’t be afraid to toss in whatever you don’t want to go to waste!)
Add enough water to the pot to cover the contents and seal the lid. Use the Pressure Cook function to cook the stock for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours. (The longer you cook it, the richer and more flavorful your stock will turn out.)
After cooking, let the pressure release naturally for about 15 minutes, then Quick Release the remaining pressure. Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve and transfer it to an airtight container.
Reduce Your Stock To Save Space
- Don’t have a lot of extra space in your fridge or freezer? Reducing it or cooking it down is an easy fix.
- You can reduce your homemade chicken stock by cooking it down on your stovetop, or in your Instant Pot using the Sauté function, until it has been reduced to about half its original volume.
- To use your concentrated chicken stock, just add an equal amount of water.
How To Use Homemade Chicken Stock
Store homemade chicken stock in your fridge for up to a week, or in your freezer for up to 4 months.
Portioning the stock into 1-cup servings before freezing can make it easier to thaw and use later. You could also pour the stock into an ice cube tray to make frozen stock cubes! Store the cubes in a freezer bag once they’re frozen solid.
Use your homemade stock in any recipe that calls for stock or broth. It’s perfect for Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup, Chicken Taco Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup, and more! This rotisserie chicken stock will add a fresh homemade flavor that store-bought stocks just can’t replicate! :-)
Conclusion
Making homemade chicken stock is a great way to get even more value out of a rotisserie chicken (or any leftover chicken!) It’s also a fantastic way to use up less-than-fresh produce and vegetable scraps!
What’s your favorite way to transform or reuse kitchen scraps?
How To Make Chicken Stock From Rotisserie Chicken
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Fine mesh sieve
Ingredients
- rotisserie chicken bones
- vegetable scraps from celery, carrots, onions, mushrooms, etc.
Instructions
- Place the chicken bones and veggies in your Instant Pot.
- Cover with water and cook for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
- Natural Release for 15 minutes, then Quick Release.
- Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve and allow to cool.
More Ideas You'll Love
After making my chicken stock, I put the remainder, bones, and skin in a blender with about a cup of stock or water and liquefy it for a few minutes till the bones are ground fine. Both my cats and dogs LOVE the mush. You can feed it as is, or mix it with their food, or add a little flour and eggs to make biscuits.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You know the drippings in the bottom of the chicken container? I freeze that too! Its so rich in flavor. I add it to gravy or the stock when 3 make soup, or even to other recipes
Please log in or create a free account to comment.in order to break down the calcium in the bones, you have to add an acid ie: vinegar or lemon juice. I use raw apple cider vinegar when making my bone broth……
Please log in or create a free account to comment.After I roast a chicken and we have dinner, my husband picks the bones for me for taco meat. He’s just better at it! Then I freeze the bones until I have enough to make stock in the crock pot with veggie scraps. I don’t skim the fat off as that is where a lot of the flavor is, and it is controversial whether saturated fat is bad for us. The data always seems to be changing. It’s a choice which side to believe. I love butter and use coconut oil, so I tend to side with “it’s not a bad fat.” LOL! Plus, my blood cholesterol is always within normal limits no matter how much cholesterol or saturated fats I eat.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.After making a large stock pot of meat or solely vegetable stock, I can the stock in quart jars and keep in my pantry. It’s instantly ready for use. I also can boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs for instant use in recipes calling for cooked poultry.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I do the same thing, except that I put the scraps in my crockpot overnight. Delicious homemade stock!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you for sharing!! Not all of us have a instant pot or want one!! I do love my crockpot. Again thank you for sharing.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Wow, thanks
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have been keeping fruit scraps in my freezer. When I cut fruit for kids lunches, toss in the apple cores, orange peels, etc. I also add lemon and lime peels. Freeze.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I Toss a handful in a pot with water and cinnamon when I want my house to have a yummy smell.
I make chicken stock all of the time. Rotisserie chicken bones make such a delicious stock! I also save my turkey bones. I add carrots, celery, quartered onion and garlic cloves. You don’t have to peel the onions or garlic. I also add a Tablespoon of vinegar. I think it’s supposed to draw more nutrients from the bones and cartilage. I put the stock in the refrigerator to let the oil solidify on top so I can remove it. One thing to remember is that store bought stock usually has a lot of salt added to it. If you use your homemade stock in a favorite recipe, you might have to add more salt.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Could I use any kind of chicken or turkey scraps that we make at home besides rotisserie chickens that we purchase?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes. I roast my own chicken and use those bones. The bones can also be used from fried chicken. It really doesn’t matter.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.As well as pork bones from pork chop or roasts
Please log in or create a free account to comment.HI Jillee
I love your posts you have taught me so much.I also make bone broth- I save the vegetable scraps such as celery ends and carrot ends, tough outer layers of onion in the freezer along with the bones. The thing I do differently is boil down the broth after it finishes cooking, to make a broth concentrate so we can freeze it in ice cube trays. Saving tons of precious space in our freezer. When we need to use broth we pull out a cube and add a few cups of water.YAY to healthy living thank YOU
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have been making what I call my ‘recycled stock’ for 35 years. It’s a great way to give life to what would normally be tossed out. The skins of vegetables like potatoes, onions and carrots are where most of the nutrients are. The chicken bones are rich in collagen. The stock will almost be like gelatin once cooled. I usually keep it in the fridge for a day before portioning it out into containers to freeze. You can skim the layer of fat off the top easily after the stock has been in the fridge. I even keep that, and use it in place of oil when I sauté vegetables. Thank you so much for spreading the word! This is one of those things that should have its moment. It is good for the environment, your health, Your budget and even your mindset. If you are thinking about how to upcycle, stay out of the grocery stores and stretch your food budget this is the best place to start. Thanks again!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have done the chicken stock for years. However, once it is brewed and strained, I put the stock in the refrigerator overnight and take it out in the a.m. and skim off the fat and then use it. The fat rises to the top when cold.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great tip!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Jillee
Thank you for your article on how to make stock from a chicken carcass
Many years ago, I read that adding vinegar to the water used to boil the carcass, would leach more of the calcium and other good things from the bones. I have done this for years, and although you can smell the vinegar while it’s cooking, you can’t taste it in the finished stock, but it gives it a wonderful depth and richness .
Also, I just wanted to add that looking at the carcass in your photo, I would get at least another meal for 2 adults + from the meat that’s on there, before I would consider boiling up the carcass, and that after I’ve cooked up the carcass and strained the stock off, I then pick all of the tiny bits of meat off of the carcass (although this is a very fiddly and messy part of the job, but you’ll be surprised how much there is), and add these final scraps back into the stock.
Delicious
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