I usually use two carcass' per stock pot.

I don't add anything else other than wing tips or other pieces of meat/bones that don't get eaten. Sometimes it's a thigh and/or a drumstick.

I'm not sure what the freezing is all about here.

If you have a whole carcass, which is what I'm reading in your message, toss the whole mess (EVERYTHING) into a pot of water right now with celery, onion, parsley, fresh thyme, carrot and peppercorns and simmer it for an hour and a half or so. Then freeze the strained stock.

I think people freeze chicken parts (and beef bones and vegetable peelings, etc.) because they usually don't have enough to make a pot of stock right away. You do. And you don't need any more "chicken" (wings, etc.) to make the stock other than the carcass you have.

By the way, I usually throw in a whole tomato into the stock. It adds a little color and additional nutrients. Most people shy away from tomatoes in their chicken stock.

Joe

Another who freezes chicken bones making stock when time allows. Like, Linda, I get as much as I can in the pot. I usually wait until I have enough to fill up my 16 quart stock pot. I like to add wing tips and whole wings uncooked...chicken backs too that I pick up for cheap when the store has them.

I freeze the stock in zip bags...lay them flat until frozen. I do two cups in small bags and four in medium or large bags. Works for most recipes for me.

Now, don't forget about those chicken feet..LOL! I loved that post from last year but have yet to do it.

David

Thanks all - I have a challenging schedule and generally don't have time to make stock on a whim. Hence, my wanting to freeze chicken parts as I accumulate them for when I have a chunk of time available.

Froze the chicken from yesterday and will keep adding :)

I usually figure on about 4 pounds of chicken per gallon of water, which yields about 3 quarts of stock.

I'd question using "only" cooked bones/meat. I haven't looked at a recipe in quite a while, but I always thought that while a mixture of cooked and raw is ok, all cooked is not a good idea. Anyone have thoughts on that? (I've never used anything but all raw.)

foia, I've made stock with raw, and with cooked, and with a mixture of both. It all comes out pretty well.

I make mine just like everyone else's, but I don't add lemon or tomato or leeks, just a bay leaf, some peppercorns, carrot, and onion and celery.

I will freeze wing tips, necks, giblets, etc., until I get enough for a pot of stock, and sometimes if I just don't have time to simmer stock (oh, like any time between April and December, when I'm gardening, canning, cleaning calf pens, cutting hay or working at the job that actually pays for my farming habit, LOL) I'll toss roasted carcasses into the freezer until I get a couple or more and then make a big pot of stock to freeze or can.

Even the store-bought rotisserie chickens get saved for stock and I toss it all in together.

I've been known to simmer stock all day in the crockpot while I'm at work too, and that works pretty well, as does my big electric roaster if I'm doing several and it's the only thing big enough to do them all.

I do beef stock in the roaster too, roast the bones, add the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer, works great.

Annie

You can do the same thing in a covered pan in an electric oven. I have no problem leaving it all day or overnight in my electric oven -- don't know if it would be safe doing it with gas.

I use onion skin for golden color. Also a little acid (lemon juice or vinegar or citric acid crystals) to help leach the nutrients from the bones -- it doesn't seem to hurt the flavor.

I don't like working with liquids in plastic bags -- too big a chance of an accident-- so I freeze it in a flat container first, then cut it into chunks and place in bags, separated where necessary with plastic wrap or waxed paper to make it easy to take out just what I need.