Homemade Turkey Stock

While you can certainly make homemade turkey stock using a leftover turkey carcass (in fact, we encourage it), the problem inherent in doing so is that most people don’t have access to one until after the Thanksgiving holiday. For folks who want turkey stock to use day of, we’re delighted to report there’s another way. 

This turkey stock recipe is made with turkey wings, which are relatively inexpensive and available throughout the year. Call it a hack or chalk it up to the power of advance planning. Either way, simmering roasted turkey wings with fresh herbs and other aromatics delivers a rich, deeply flavored stock you can use for your favorite stuffing recipe or to make your famous turkey gravy. But be warned: Once you learn how to make turkey stock, you’ll want it on hand all the time to make turkey soups or stews or to swap it in for a store-bought chicken broth in any weeknight recipe. Luckily, in the days following Thanksgiving, you should have a few leftover turkey parts to make a second batch.

Test-Kitchen Tip: Turkey wings, with a good combination of skin, meat, and bones, make great stock. The wings should be chopped up before adding to the pot—they’ll fit better in the pot, develop more browning, and release more gelatin and collagen to give the stock richness. If you don’t have a heavy cleaver, ask the butcher to chop them for you. Otherwise, chop the wings as best you can, dividing at the natural separations at the joints. Don’t try to hack at the thick turkey bones with a knife, as you will likely chip the blade.