Can I Make Chicken Stock with Just Dark Meat?

Faith Durand
Faith DurandSVP of Content
Faith is the SVP of Content at Apartment Therapy Media and Editor-in-Chief of Kitchn, and the author of three cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning The Kitchn Cookbook. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and two daughters.
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published Jan 11, 2010
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Q: Hi! My fiance and I just (mostly) finished a year long kitchen renovation, and are starting to cook again.

Now, here’s the thing: I want to make my own chicken stock, but neither of us really like white meat. Roasting a chicken is actually sort of a waste for us. Can you make chicken stock with just bones and shreds of meat from roasted drumsticks and thighs? Or does it totally botch the flavor? Do you really need a whole carcass?

Sent by Christine

Editor: Christine, the short answer is yes, you can make chicken stock with really any meat or bones from the leftover chicken. But your stock will be improved if there is actual meat in the pot, so why not roast whole chickens, then toss the leftover breast and any really white meat you don’t eat into the chicken stock? The stock will be richer and more flavorful than if you just made it from bones stripped of meat.

But if you only buy thighs and wings, and want to use those bones after a meal, then sure go for it!

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Related: How To: Make Chicken Stock

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