How to Make Delicious and Nutritious Turkey Broth from Bones

For many years, I’ve been making turkey stock from our leftover roasted turkey meals. It’s a simple way to create a flavorful and nutrient-rich base for turkey noodle soup, turkey pot pie, or for adding flavor to cooked rice.

You can make this stock and use it for any recipe that calls for chicken broth or stock. You might even want to try it as a substitute for vegetable broth too, since this recipe uses carrots, celery, and onions.

Slow-cooking the turkey carcass along with the vegetables, herbs and a few spices creates a savory flavor that’s better than any store-bought stock.

To learn how to can this turkey stock after you make it, read How to Pressure Can Turkey Stock.

Crockpot Homemade Turkey Stock

• 1 6 qt. Crockpot
• 1 Knife and Cutting Board
• 1 Large Fine Kitchen Strainer Optional: funnel and cheesecloth
• 4 Quart Jars Optional: heat-tolerant food storage container
• Misc. Measuring Spoons and Cups

• 1 Roased turkey carcass Meat removed

• 2 Carrots Coarsly chopped
• 3 Stalks of celery About 1 cup, coarsly chopped
• 1 Large sweet onion Coarsly chopped

• 1 tbsp coarse sea salt
• 1 tbsp Fresh ground pepper Optional: 10 peppercorns
• 1 Bay leaf
• 2 tsp Ground poultry seasoning

• 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar Optional: lemon juice
• Water Enough to cover ingredients in crock pot

• Put your turkey carcass, vegetables, herbs, spices and vinegar into the crockpot.
• Pour in enough water to cover. Put on the lid.
• Set the crockpot to low and cook for 12 – 16 hours.
• Allow the stock to cool about 20 minutes for easier handling.
• Strain bones, vegetables and other solids.
• Store up to 1 week in refrigerator. Freeze up to 6 months, or pressure can to store up to 1 year.

• This recipe can also be used to make chicken stock too. Simple replace the turkey carcass with 1-2 roasted chicken carcasses.
• Using vinegar is optional, but the acid from the vinegar helps bring out the nutrients from the bones while cooking.
• Substitute poultry seasoning with finely chopped fresh herbs: 3 Tbsp sage, 2 tbsp thyme, 2 tbsp rosemary, 1/2 tsp celery seed.
• If you have chlorinated water, boil it for 20 minutes, or leave sitting on the cupboard 24 hours before using.
• Don’t use the turkey liver in your stock. It will taste like liver stock! It’s okay to use the neck, gizzard, and heart.
• Read How to Pressure Can Turkey Stock to preserve for later.

I recommend at least 8 hours to get the best flavor and some nutrients from the bones. Cooking a good 20 -24 hours will release more nutrients into the broth and give it time to blend the flavors.

No, it is optional. However, it does assist (along with the heat) the pulling of nutrients from the turkey bones.

Turkey stock is difficult to find in stores. It’s a unique flavor similar to chicken and can enhance the taste of dishes you prepare. It’s also a frugal way to make more of what you’ve got. Learning to make stock opens improves your cooking expertise. You can move from making stock to bone broth. The skill is the same for making any broth: poultry, pork, or beef.

Here’s my simple method for making homemade turkey stock.

1 Turkey Carcass

Let’s start with one leftover roasted turkey. Any size will do.

Before you add the carcass to your crockpot, remove any meat you wish to serve for another meal. I usually remove the legs and thighs, and cut off the breast meat when serving the turkey. If you debone the legs and thighs before serving, save the bones to put in the crockpot too. That leaves the rest of the carcass for making stock.

I’ll also add the heart and gizzard to the crockpot. These organ meats are full of nutrients and I consider the heart the most flavorful part of a turkey. The liver has too strong of a flavor, so don’t use it for stock. I cook the liver in a pot of water for about 20 minutes then give my cats a treat!

You can also use chicken or other poultry with this recipe. If you plan to pressure can your stock, use two whole chicken carcasses to get the best flavor and bone nutrients.

Carrots, Celery, Onions

Honestly, I’m one of those home cooks that just throws things together and says, “yeah, that looks good.” But a balanced amount of veggies will enrich the taste, yet still allow the meaty turkey flavor to come through.

Coarsely chop the following:

2 large carrots – for a touch of sweetness and color

3 stalks of celery – or – 1 cup of celery heart and inner leaves, the nice yellow-green leaves. I find the leaves add a stronger celery flavor to the stock.

1 large sweet onion – I like yellow sweet onions, but use whatever bulb onion you usually cook with.

Vinegar

I prefer to use 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar with the “mother,” but you can use any acidic liquid including lemon juice. It’s the acid that helps break down the bones to release collagen, amino acids, proteins, and other nutrients.

Herbs and Spices

• 1 Tablespoon coarse sea salt
• 1 Tablespoon fresh ground pepper or 10 peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 Teaspoons of ground poultry seasoning

I prefer simple and easy, so I almost always use dried herbs instead of fresh. If you prefer fresh herbs, I’ve always had good results with this combination:

• 3 Tablespoons finely chopped sage
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped thyme
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
• ½ teaspoon celery seed
• ½ teaspoon finely ground black pepper

Water – Enough to fill the crock pot to the top once you’ve added all the other ingredients. If you’re not canning it, just add enough water to cover the bones. This will create a greater concentration of flavor and nutrients.

If you have chlorinated tap water, use filtered water instead. If you must use chlorinated tap water, boil it first separately for 20 minutes to release the gasses and let the chlorine evaporate.

• 1 6-quart crockpot
• Knife and cutting board
• Measuring spoons and cups
• Large kitchen strainer or sieve
• 3–4-quart jars or similar containers to store the finished broth

Now that you have all the ingredients gathered, put the carcass into the crockpot, only breaking into smaller chunks if needed to fit with the cover on.

Next, add the vegetables and sprinkle with herbs and spices.

Add water until the crockpot is full to the top.

Cover, and cook on LOW for 12-16 hours. You can cook it a good 24 hours if you like. When making bone broth, I cook the bones about 24 – 36 hours. However, longer than 24 hours for stock will overcook the vegetables and it will be slightly cloudy even after straining.

Cool the stock enough for you to comfortably manage. Strain out the bones and vegetables into glass quart canning jars, or whatever type of container you’d like to store the broth. I usually strain the liquid in batches into a 4-cup measuring cup, then using a funnel, pour the broth into the jars.

If I’m going to can the broth, I’ll let it cool first so I can skim off the fat that floats to the top.

The bones and vegetables can be put into a compost if you’re using a hot-compost method. Bones can also be burned if burning is a type of trash disposal method you use. Otherwise, dispose of them in your regular trash system.

The Yield will vary depending on the amount of bones and vegetables in the pot and the size of your crock pot. Using a 6-quart slow-cooker, I get about 5 quarts of stock.

Store the stock no longer than 1 week in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it after cooling to room temperature. It should store well in a freezer for about 4 – 6 months. Canned stock has a “best” shelf life of one year.

How To Make Turkey Stock – Turkey Broth Recipe

FAQ

How to make broth from turkey bones?

Combine the carcass, onions, carrots, celery, parsley, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves in a stockpot. Cover with cold water (about 7 quarts). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer about 2 hours, occasionally skimming any foam or fat from the surface with a large spoon or ladle.

What’s the difference between turkey broth and turkey bone broth?

What is bone broth? Bone broth is basically just a type of turkey stock. It is cooked for a long enough time that the collagen in the bones breaks down into the broth, which is what gives the turkey broth it’s gelatinous texture when chilled.

How to make bone broth from bones?

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and rinse the bones. …
2. Roast the bones for 30 minutes. …
3. Cover the bones with water and the vinegar and rest for 30 minutes. …
4. Bring the pot to a simmer over high heat. …
5. Skim the broth for the first hour. …
6. Add the onions and carrots and cook for another 12 to 24 hours.

Is drinking turkey bone broth good for you?

So, if you drink bone broth, you’re increasing bone health, since it contains many bone-building nutrients. (Turkey, for example, is rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, and other trace minerals.) According to Ayurveda, the nails and hair are end products of the production of bone.