Turkey Stock

By
Danilo Alfaro
Danlio Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
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Updated on 02/3/20
Turkey stock recipe

The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 4 hrs
Total: 4 hrs 15 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
191 Calories
6g Fat
8g Carbs
25g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 191
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g 8%
Saturated Fat 1g 6%
Cholesterol 90mg 30%
Sodium 943mg 41%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Protein 25g
Calcium 33mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Turkey stock is a great thing to make from a leftover turkey carcass, like if you want to make turkey soup or turkey chili the next day.

If you want to make turkey stock before you've roasted your turkey, like to make turkey gravy, you can use the neck and giblets, but you'll probably want to see if you can get some extra turkey bones from your butcher.

Ingredients

  • For the Sachet:
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 3 to 4 black peppercorns
  • 1 whole clove
  • 3 to 4 stems parsley
  • 1 bay leaf
  • For the Stock:
  • 5 pounds turkey bones
  • 1 medium onion (peeled and chopped)
  • 1 medium rib celery (chopped)
  • 1 medium carrot (peeled and chopped)

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Turkey stock ingredients
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  2. Tie the thyme, peppercorns, clove, parsley stems and bay leaf into a piece of cheesecloth.

    Tie peppercorns, cloves
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  3. Place the turkey bones in a heavy-bottomed stockpot.

    Rinse turkey bones
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  4. Add enough cold water to the pot to completely cover the bones, about 5 quarts.

    Add cold water
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  5. Bring the pot to a boil, then immediately drain and rinse bones.

    Bring pot to boil
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  6. Return the blanched bones to the pot and again cover with fresh, cold water.

    Return bones to pot
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  7. Bring the pot to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.

    Bring pot to boil
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  8. Skim off the scum that rises to the surface.

    Skim top
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  9. Add chopped carrots, celery, and onion (also called mirepoix) to the pot along with the sachet; tie the sachet string to the stockpot handle for easy retrieval later.

    Add onion
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  10. Simmer for about 4 hours, continuing to skim the impurities that rise to the surface. The liquid will evaporate, so make sure there's always enough water to cover the bones.

    Simmer
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  11. After 4 hours, remove from the heat and strain the stock through a sieve lined with a few layers of cheesecloth.

    Remove from heat
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

  12. Cool the stock quickly, using an ice bath if necessary, and then refrigerate or freeze.

    Cover stock
    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

Tips

  • Neck, back, ribs and wings are good choices for making stock.
  • Always start with cold water. This helps extract more collagen, giving the stock more body.
  • Don't let the stock boil. It should stay at a gentle simmer.
  • Don't stir the stock as it simmers! All you need to do while it simmers is skim the scum off the top, and add water if it drops too low.