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NOTE 1: The amount of chicken bones needed for this slow cooker chicken stock recipe is equal to one average sized whole chicken with the meat removed. Basically, if you buy a rotisserie chicken or cook a whole bird, you will have the exact amount of bones needed for this recipe!

NOTE 2: You can add all chicken bones, carcass joints, cartilage, and skin but just note that the skin will add more fat to the stock that you'll need to skim off in step 4. You can also leave the chicken carcass whole or break it down into smaller pieces so it's easier to fit into the slow cooker.

NOTE 3: After 12 hours, the stock will have amazing flavor but if you continue to cook up to 24 hours, the stock will become more dark, rich, and roasted.

NOTE 4: Using a longer, flatter container helps the stock cool faster than a large bowl because you are increasing the liquid's surface area for the refrigerated air to chill. You always want warm food items to chill as fast as possible in the fridge to prevent any food safety issues.

Once you get more comfortable with this easy chicken stock recipe, build up the flavor by adding in more ingredients! Here are some fun ingredient suggestions you can also throw into the slow cooker in step 1 to cook all together:

• Flavor enhancers: whole garlic cloves, whole peppercorns, bay leaf, sprig of thyme or rosemary, roasting the bones and vegetables before cooking, and playing around with the onion, celery, and carrot ratios.
• Reusing flavorful veggie scraps: green carrot tops, vegetable peels, onion bottoms and cleaned outer shells, celery tops and bottoms, and parsley stems.
• Nutrition boosters: Adding 2 tablespoons of vinegar will help extract more collagen from the chicken bones (source 1, source 2).
• Avoid adding: Salt because it can pre-season future recipes that you will make with your chicken stock. Cruciferous veggies (like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and brussels sprouts) to the slow cooker is not recommended and some of the above food items could change the overall color. Lastly, avoid adding dark colored vegetables because it can change the overall color of the stock.

Storing & Freezing:

• Store in the refrigerator for 3 - 4 days
• Freeze for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing in individual serving sizes instead of one big block.

*The nutrition analysis for this recipe is an estimate. There are so many different variables that can change the overall nutritionals, like how much water you add to the slow cooker or how much collagen is extracted, etc.