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Five ingredients, one pot, and you get the most neutral, savory chicken stock for almost anything. Make it in a batch, you’ll always want it on hand.

The Only Chicken Stock Recipe You’ll Ever Need

Some recipes are worth making not just for one dish, but because they make everything else better. This chicken stock is one of them.

Clear chicken stock in white bowl with garlic and spring onion on the background.

Five ingredients. One pot. What you get is a clean, savory broth that tastes purely of chicken — with just enough garlic, ginger, and spring onion in the background to make it interesting without pulling it in any particular direction. That neutrality is the point. It means you can use this stock for almost anything that calls for it.

It’s the kind of thing worth making in a batch and keeping in the freezer. Not because it’s difficult — it genuinely isn’t — but because once you have it on hand, you’ll find yourself reaching for it constantly. Soups, rice dishes, braises. And on days when you’re run down with a cold, a cup of this straight from the pot isn’t a bad idea either. BBC Good Food looked into whether chicken soup actually helps when you’re unwell, and the answer is more convincing than you might expect.

Instead of using shop-bought stock, I think it’s good for us to store up this stock from time to time. Because you’ll know exactly what the taste is like and what goes into it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Only five ingredients, nothing fussy. Chicken, ginger, garlic, spring onions, and water. That’s it. No bouquet garni, no vegetable offcuts, no long shopping list. The simplicity is what keeps the flavor so clean and usable across different recipes.
The flavor is neutral enough to use for anything. Because there are no heavy aromatics or competing flavors, this stock works in rice dishes, soups, braises, and noodle broths without pulling the final dish in the wrong direction. It adds depth without taking over.
You know exactly what goes into it. No additives, no preservatives, no mystery. When you make it yourself, the taste is consistent and entirely yours to control. That matters, especially if you cook with stock regularly.
It’s genuinely good for you when you’re under the weather. Chicken soup has long been recommended during colds and flu, and there’s real reasoning behind it — the broth carries vitamins and minerals from the poultry that support recovery. Worth having a cup on its own when you need it.
The method is straightforward. Bring everything to a boil, skim off the foam and impurities until the surface clears, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for at least an hour. The longer it goes, the better the flavor. No technique required, just time.
Nothing goes to waste. Once the stock is done, pull the chicken out and shred the meat. It’s perfect for Nasi Goreng, a quick fried rice, or anything else that benefits from cooked, pulled chicken. The herbs have done their job — discard those.
It freezes well for up to 2 months. Batch cook it, portion it into containers, and freeze. When you need it, move it to the fridge the night before, then reheat until boiling before use. In the fridge, it keeps for 4–5 days in a tight-lidded container.

Five Ingredients Only

The best thing about this chicken stock recipe is that you don’t need many things. Only. Five. Items. And they are:

Chicken.
Ginger.
Garlic.
Spring onions.
Water.

So you can imagine how pure a chicken flavor you will get from these items. The stock is undoubtedly savory with that delicate chicken flavor mixed with garlic and ginger. And needless to say, the spring onions will add a subtle flavor to it too.

Therefore, you can use this stock in all sorts of recipes that call for chicken stock. Because the broth’s taste is very neutral.

How to Make Chicken Stock

In short, you just throw all the ingredients into a stockpot and bring it to a moderate boil until the water looks cloudy.

When the water reaches the boiling point, there will be foam, scums, and impurities floating on the water’s surface. So you’ll want to skim them off and discard them. As much as possible until the surface looks clear.

Then turn the heat to the lowest and let the broth simmer for at least an hour.

As a rule of thumb for making stock, the longer you cook it, the better its flavor.

Once your stock is ready, take the chicken out and sieve the stock into a jar or food container. Discard all the herbs.

If you want, you can shred the chicken and use it to make Nasi Goreng.

Storing Matter

You can always freeze your chicken stock for up to 2 months. Always take it out and leave it in the fridge overnight before using it. Then reheat it until it is boiling and piping hot.

If you want to keep the stock in the fridge, it will keep well for about 4-5 days, provided it is stored in a tightly sealed container.

Recipes to Use Your Chicken Stock

Thank you for checking this chicken stock recipe. Hope you’ll try it. When you do, it would be great if you could share your thoughts in the comments below (leave a reply). I’ll really appreciate it.

And don’t forget to check out my other recipes that you can use this chicken stock for.

Last but not least, please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Pinterest. To sneak a peek at what’s cooking in my kitchen.

Take care and all the best.

The Best Chicken Stock For All Purpose

5 from 1 vote

This chicken stock is super easy to make, but it has the most neutral tasty stock that you can use for many things. You will only taste the savoury and goodness of the poultry in the broth.

BY: Devy Dar

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Prep : 5

Cook : 1

Total : 1 5

Servings: .25 litre

Ingredients

1 kg/ 2.2 lbs/ 35.24 oz chicken drumsticks/ or thighs.
2- inch ginger sliced.
6 cloves garlic sliced.
4 spring onions sliced.
10 cups/ 2.5 litre/ 59.17fl.oz water.

Instructions

Boil about 2.5 litres of water. Once it reaches boiling point, put the chicken drumsticks (or thighs), ginger, garlic and spring onions in it. Cook until the water reboils.
When the water reboils, let it cook for about 2 minutes or until the chicken pieces turn opaque. And you can see scum, and froth, from the poultry floating on the surface. Skim off these impurities and discard them until you see the water clear again.
Continue cooking and simmering the stock for at least an hour and a half, preferably for 2 hours. You will see the water will turn cloudy.
Take the chicken pieces, ginger, garlic and spring onions out of the soup.
And strain the soup into a clear container. Set aside.

Notes

You can always use the whole baby chicken and cut it into pieces. Make sure you clean, wash and rinse the poultry before cooking.
Keep an eye on the water when it starts boiling, and don’t skip skimming off the impurities that float on the surface. Although it can disappear if you leave it, the flavour quality of your chicken stock will be much better if you discard them.

Nutrition

Devy Dar

Devy founded So Yummy Recipes and Drizzling Flavor to share her love of food after exploring various cultures and cuisines for more than two decades. Her mission is to help others easily recreate traditional and non-traditional food with readily available ingredients. Her works have been featured in Reader’s Digest, Al Jazeera, MSN, Yahoo, Bon Appétit, and more.