What is Chicken Stock?

Chicken stock is a flavorful liquid made by simmering bones along with aromatic vegetables like carrots, celery, and onions, plus seasonings and spices like black pepper and fresh herbs. Chicken stock is a foundation for many recipes in both Western and Eastern cooking, including stews, pasta dishes, curries, stir fries, and soups. Stock can also be used as broth!

The main ingredient of stock is bones, and the goal of simmering them is to extract the collagen, which is a protein found in connective tissue and cartilage. Simmering breaks them down into gelatin. Gelatin is a key characteristic of a good stock and you’ll know it by the fact that it will gel when cooled. Foundation stocks are all gelatin-rich and will add richness and body to all your sauces and soups that are made from it.

Chicken stock is a subtle standout in many dishes. Soups, like pumpkin, potato and leak, and pho all use chicken stock as an underlying base in which to stew the rest of the ingredients. Rice dishes, like risotto and biryani, use chicken stock to add a base of flavour throughout the whole dish. Chicken stock is also used as a foundation for a range of glazes for meat and vegetables, including veloute, one of the five French mother sauces.

Chicken stock is the perfect base for a lot of your favourite dishes. It adds untold flavour that simple water or vegetable stock cannot. It is also far less rich and hearty than beef stock, allowing you to create dishes that balance delicate flavours. If you are looking to use a recipe that requires chicken stock, be sure to get some high quality ingredients. Never accept a substitute.

If you are brave and have enough time on your hands, you can try making stock yourself. If you are looking for the highest quality recipe bases outside of your own kitchen, then look no further than Foundation Foods. Our chicken stocks are made from sustainably-sourced, high quality local New Zealand ingredients. It doesn’t matter if you’re a home cook or a head chef – we have the stock to elevate your dishes to the next level.