There’s something about homemade chicken stock that just feels worth the effort. Once you make it yourself, it’s hard to go back to the boxed stuff from the store. The flavor is richer, the smell while it’s simmering fills the whole house, and you know exactly what went into it.

This batch actually started with a leftover roast chicken. After supper I pulled all the meat off the carcass and tossed the bones, skin, and all that gelatin that had set overnight into a big pot. That gelatin is gold when you’re making stock, so don’t throw it out.

I added 2 onions, 2 stalks of celery, 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, 10 peppercorns, and 16 cups of water. Then I brought everything up to a boil.

Now, what I should have done at that point was turn the heat down and let it gently simmer for a couple of hours. Instead, I let it go a little too hard and reduced it way more than I intended. The good news is stock is pretty forgiving. Since it had become really concentrated, I just added another 8 cups of water and let it simmer for another 2 hours.

Honestly, it worked out perfectly fine. There was still plenty of flavor left in the bones and vegetables, and the concentrated stock gave the final batch a really rich taste.

Once it was done simmering, I used a slotted spoon to remove most of the bones and vegetables and then strained everything through cheesecloth to catch the smaller bits. After that, I let it cool down enough to go into the fridge overnight.

The next morning the fat had floated to the top and hardened, which makes it really easy to remove. I strained it one more time just to clean it up even more and get rid of any leftover fat.

At that point I put the stock back on the stove and brought it back up to a boil. While that was heating, I put my pint jars into hot water so they’d be nice and hot before filling.

I filled 4 pint jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Then I wiped the rims with a paper towel dampened with vinegar, put the lids on, and tightened the bands finger tight.

For the fifth jar, I just filled it with hot water and used an old lid on it to help fill space in the canner.

My pressure canner calls for 8 cups of water, so that’s what I used, but definitely follow the instructions for your own canner since they can vary. I also added a splash of vinegar to the canner water because it helps keep the jars from getting cloudy.

After locking the lid on, I let the canner exhaust steam for 10 minutes before bringing it up to pressure. The pint jars processed for 20 minutes. If you’re using quart jars instead, they’ll need 25 minutes.

Looking back, I probably could have added the full 16 cups of water after over-reducing the first batch and still ended up with really good stock. But honestly, I’m happy with how this turned out. The flavor is rich, and now there are jars sitting on the shelf ready for soups, gravy, rice, or whatever else comes along.

And if you’re just getting into pressure canning, chicken stock is actually a great place to start. It’s simple, useful, and even if things don’t go exactly to plan, it usually still turns out pretty good.