🥣 Homemade Chicken Stock with Chicken Feet (And How I Pressure Canned It)

There’s something deeply satisfying about making your own stock from scratch — especially when it’s rich, golden, and packed with collagen like this one made from chicken feet. Bonus: I pressure canned it, so now my pantry is stocked with jars of liquid gold.

🐔 Why Chicken Feet?

Chicken feet are full of connective tissue and collagen, which makes for an extra gelatinous, nourishing broth. It’s the kind of stock that jiggles when cold — a sign of all that goodness.

🧄 Ingredients:

  • 2–3 lbs chicken feet (cleaned, toenails trimmed)
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 5–6 garlic cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • A few sprigs of thyme or parsley
  • 1–2 tsp black peppercorns
  • Water to cover

🍲 How I Made the Stock:

  1. Blanch the feet in boiling water for 2–3 minutes, then rinse. This helps clean them thoroughly.
  2. Toss everything into a large stockpot or slow cooker.
  3. Cover with water and bring to a gentle simmer.
  4. Skim off any foam, then let it simmer low and slow for 12–24 hours (or use a pressure cooker for a faster version).
  5. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and let it cool.
  6. If desired, refrigerate overnight and remove the solidified fat from the top.

🫙 How I Pressure Canned It:

(Always follow USDA-safe guidelines for canning low-acid foods!)

  1. Reheated the strained stock until it was hot but not boiling.
  2. Filled hot, sterilized pint and quart jars, leaving 1-inch headspace.
  3. Wiped the rims, applied lids and rings finger-tight.
  4. Processed in a pressure canner at 10 PSI (adjust for altitude):
    • 20 minutes for pints
    • 25 minutes for quarts
  5. Let pressure return to zero naturally, then removed jars to cool undisturbed.

📦 Shelf Stable for a Year (or More!)

Now I’ve got a pantry full of nourishing broth that’s perfect for soups, stews, sauces, or sipping when I’m under the weather. And it didn’t cost much more than time and intention.

🧡 There’s nothing quite like seeing those jars lined up, knowing exactly what’s inside. Real food. Real flavor. Old-fashioned kitchen magic.

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