What to Do with the Turkey Bones? Make Stock!

You made the turkey. Now what do you do with the bones? Make turkey stock. It’s a super savvy way to make something from nothing!

What you end up with a super rich and flavorful “bone broth” that you can use in soups, stews, and rice dishes.

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Okay friends. Thanksgiving approaches. And with it the inevitable question that has plagued home cooks and wannabe cooks for decades: 

what do I do with the turkey bones?

Your gramma knew what to do with it. Heck, my gramma knew how to raise and kill that turkey! 

But, in an era when we’re so far removed from our food sources and folks might roast a chicken or a whole turkey once or twice a year, you might feel that you need a refresher.

This is that refresher, just in time for your Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey — but a method that can be used even on a random day when you bring home a Costco rotisserie chicken!

Learning to make stock from turkey bones can be a valuable skill in the kitchen, one that allows you to make tasty bone broth or stock from stuff that might otherwise get chucked. Often called “liquid gold” for its color and valuable health properties, turkey stock  is easy to make and packed with flavor and nutrients.

As the leftovers of a roast turkey, that is the bones and drippings simmer in water and aromatics, magic happens. Something that looks like nothing becomes a flavorful, hot stock to use in soups, stews, chilis, and rice dishes.

If you’re roasting a turkey this season or even turkey pieces, be sure to make stock from turkey leftovers!

Why Do This

It helps you avoid food waste and save money. Making a homemade stock from turkey is one of the most economical things you can do. Essentially, you’re getting all the flavor you possibly can from something you might otherwise chuck. Why buy canned or boxed broth when you can make it for practically free?

Making stock from turkey is super easy! Stock is also one of the easiest culinary feats you can pull off. This recipe is really a non-recipe. As long as you have turkey bones and water, you can change it up based on what vegetables and herbs you have on hand. 

Stock from turkey is delicious. The resulting turkey stock adds rich flavor to soups, stews, sauces, and rice dishes. It’s richer than chicken stock, so you can even dilute it to stretch your savings even farther.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make stock from turkey:

the turkey carcass – This includes turkey bones, skin, and drippings from a roast turkey carcass or roast turkey legs or turkey breast. Remove as much meat as possible to use in turkey recipes.

onion – you can also use leeks or shallots if that’s what you have.

carrots – You can use whole carrots, scrubbed and cut into chunks or baby carrots.

celery – Use any part of the celery stalk, including the ribs and inner leaves.

bay leaves – They may seem insignificant, but there is a point to bay leaves. They add a subtle but significant flavor to turkey stock.

salt – Try not to compare stock from turkey with commercial chicken broth which gets most of its flavor from salt and additives. That said, taste and add more salt as needed to suit your preferences.

peppercorns – Whole peppercorns add flavor without clouding up your turkey stock.

water – Use cool, filtered water for the best tasting stock.

fresh herbs – Use what you like, such as sage, thyme, parsley, or rosemary

Varations

Stock is a great way to get value from some of the sadder looking vegetables in the crisper. Feel free to add mushrooms, garlic, or parsnips if you already have them on hand. You can also add dried chiles, fresh ginger, white wine, and/or apple cider vinegar.

Avoid adding peppers, potatoes, or cruciferous vegetables.

Step-by-Step Instructions

To make it on the stovetop:

• Place the turkey bones, onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns, and optional herbs in a heavy stockpot or dutch oven. Add enough water to fill the pot with a few inches headspace. Cover and simmer for 3 to 4 hours.

To make it in the slow cooker:

• Place the turkey bones, onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns, and optional herbs in the slow cooker. Add enough water to fill the pot ?. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

To make in the electric pressure cooker:

• Place the turkey bones, onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns, and optional herbs in the electric pressure cooker. Add water to the fill line. Cover and secure the lid. Close the pressure valve and cook on manual for 40 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally.

Once the stock has simmered:

• Strain the stock through a sieve, pressing on solids to release all the liquid.
• Chill in the refrigerator. As the fat rises to the top and solidifies, you can remove this and discard.
• Use in your recipe or freezer for longer storage, up to 2 months in a standard refrigerator freezer.

Go for the bonus round

Once your stock is cooked and strained, you can make a “second press” of stock by adding more water to the solids in the pot and going for another round. 

This stock won’t be as flavorful as the first batch, but it will still be good. And you’ll be grabbing every last bit of flavor from the ingredients.

Make-Ahead Trick

When you’re prepping a festive meal, you probably plan to make stock from turkey leftovers, but after all the kitchen work, you may find yourself too tired to mess with the carcass and make stock. Do I have to drag out the cutting board again?

Prep a stock box! Prior to the meal while you’re already chopping herbs and aromatics, set aside the ingredients you need to make stock from turkey and place them in a small, airtight container in the fridge.

After the meal when you’re putting away leftovers, pull out the stock box, toss the contents into the slow cooker with the turkey bones and water — and just walk away!

It’s super simple and a great way to make stock from turkey when you’re too pooped to party.

How to Store Turkey Stock

Store homemade turkey stock in covered containers in the fridge for up to 4 days.

For making it ahead, freeze in freezer-safe containers, leaving room for expansion. Freezing your stock will then make for a quick weeknight soup. 

Since stock is mostly water, it can take up a lot of space in the freezer. To save space, you can reduce it by simmering for an hour or so. The stock will become more concentrated and less in volume. You can dilute it with water later when you use it.

FAQs

This post was originally published on November 25, 2013. It has been updated for content and clarity.