Easy Chinese Chicken Stock

Learn how to make a simple Chinese chicken stock recipe at home. The broth is so aromatic, healthy, flavorful, and versatile. Once you try this recipe, you'll never want to use store-bought chicken stock again!

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love this Chinese Chicken Stock
• Chinese Chicken Stock Ingredients 
• How to Make Chinese Chicken Stock
• Cooking Tools You'll Need to Make Chinese Chicken Broth
• How to Skim Fat from Chinese Chicken Broth 
• How to Store Homemade Chicken Stock
• 📖 Recipe

Why You'll Love this Chinese Chicken Stock

Easy. Making your own Chinese chicken broth doesn't require a long list of ingredients.

The broth is flavored with just scallions, ginger, and the optional white pepper. Just throw all of the ingredients in a pot, and let it simmer for 4 hours, and it's ready to use. 

I used the same recipe to poach chicken for this Hainan chicken rice.

Versatile. This Chinese chicken broth is very clear and mild in flavor which makes it the perfect base for many recipes, especially in Chinese cooking.

You can use this Chinese chicken stock for soups, congee (rice porridge), sauces, braising and poaching dishes, and more. 

Healing Benefits. Chicken broth is rich in essential fatty acids, protein, and minerals. As you may hear, chicken contains cysteine (an amino acid) that is released when the soup is made. This amino acid thins mucus in the lungs, aiding in a healing process. The protein in chicken broth also helps body build and repair healthy skin, bone, blood cells, and muscle. You can learn more here and here.

This chicken stock tastes good by itself, making it a fantastic food choice when you're on a liquid diet post-surgery or when you're feeling sick.

Chinese Chicken Stock Ingredients 

To make your own Chinese chicken stock, you'll need:

1. Whole chicken. Be sure to use a whole chicken that is free-range and completely antibiotic and hormone-free. You can include the neck and giblet to make the stock, but remove the liver as it makes the broth taste bitter.

You also need to remove the excess fat around the cavity for a cleaner and less oily broth. Don't throw the fat away because you can use the fat to make a delicious ginger garlic rice for Hainan chicken.

2. Scallions. Similar to onions, scallions give a wonderful umami flavor to the broth. You'll be using both white and green parts of the scallion. 

3. Ginger. Use ginger to enhance the flavor of the broth and to help neutralize any unpleasant odors present in the chicken broth.

I highly recommend using just a small amount of ginger to create a more subtle flavor for the broth. That way, you can use the broth in any recipe, and can always add more ginger later. 

4. White Pepper. It's a key ingredient in Chinese cuisine and is milder than black pepper. It's an optional ingredient, you can skip it or use regular black pepper as you wish. 

How to Make Chinese Chicken Stock

The preparation and cooking process of this chicken broth is not complicated. Here's what you need to do:

1. Prepare the Whole Chicken

• Remove excess fat and liver from the whole chicken.
• If the chicken is frozen, you need to thaw the whole chicken first before cooking. 

2. Place All of the Ingredients in a Pot

• Put the whole chicken in a large pot.
• Add about 4 quarts of water ( about 16 cups).
• Add the chopped scallions, ginger, and white pepper into the pot. 

3. Cook the Stock

• Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
• Remove any white foam that rises to the surface. 
• Lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and let the broth simmer for 4 hours. 

Cooking Tools You'll Need to Make Chinese Chicken Broth

It's important to use the right cooking tools for the right job. Using the right kitchen equipment will make your cooking process easier, cleaner, and safer. As a result, the food will be tastier and properly cooked.

Here are some tools you'll need:

1. A 12-quart stock pot with a Lid. Your pot should be big enough to hold 4-5 pounds of chicken and 4 quarts of water. You also want to make sure not to fill the pot more than ¾ full. 

2. A fine-mesh strainer. You'll be using a fine-mesh strainer to skim off the white foam (scum) that rises to the surface. 

3. A Ladle How to Skim Off White Foam (Scum) from the Broth 
Use a fine-mesh strainer and a ladle to remove any impurities that float to the surface. Skimming the scum will ensure the broth is clearer.

The scum must be removed before the liquid reaches boiling point, then again every 10-15 minutes within the first hour, and every 30 minutes for the next two hours.

How to Skim Fat from Chinese Chicken Broth 

For a cleaner, healthier, and less-oily broth, you can skim off some fat by chilling the broth first. 

Here are some ways to remove fat from stock: 

1. Use a fat separator

If you have a fat separator, you can use it to quickly strain the fat from the broth. 

2. Use a slice of stale bread 

Let the stock chill. Carefully lay a slice of bread on top of the surface of the stock to absorb the fat. Flip the bread and quickly remove it from the stock. 

3. Chill the soup in the refrigerator

This chilling process takes 6 hours or longer, until the flat floats to the top and completely hardens. For this reason, you may want to prepare your broth a day in advance, especially if you're going to use it in a recipe that you're planning to make and need to coordinate timing. 

• Let the stock cool first. Once cooled, transfer it to a large bowl and tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
• Let the broth chill for at least 6-8 hours in the refrigerator.
• Once the broth is completely chilled and the fat is hardened, you can use a spoon to remove all of the hardened fat from the liquid. 

How to Store Homemade Chicken Stock

• Let the stock cool on the counter.
• Once cooled, transfer the stock to airtight containers. Properly stored, the homemade chicken stock will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.

Check Out More Cooking Tips

• How to Blanch Brussels Sprouts
• How to Cook with Lemongrass
• How to Cook Brown Rice in an Instant Pot
• How to Cook White Rice in an Instant Pot
• How to Cook Indian-Style Rice in an Instant Por or on the Stove

I hope you'll enjoy this recipe and share it with friends! If you try it and don’t mind, please leave me a comment and give this recipe a rating.

📖 Recipe