Question: What are chicken backs?
Answer: “Chicken backs” are the core of the chicken that is left after the breast, wings, and legs have been cut away for parts.
Our chicken backs are fairly meaty and are typically used to make broth and to harvest the remaining meat. 2013 is the first year we have been able to offer this cut, and we are excited to share the results with you.
9 Chicken Backs in a 16-quart stock pot, ready for cooking!
I (Jerica) love making huge batches of broth as opposed to small ones, since it is a time-intensive process, and adding more bones and water simply increases the yield, but not really the work. In this case, I decided to make about a half batch in my 16-quart pot just so I could document what I did easily. I used 3 bags of chicken backs, which have 3 carcasses each, so 9 total. It was about 13 lb of chicken backs, and would have cost me roughly $35 if I had bought them from myself at farmers’ market.
I took the thawed chicken backs overnight and placed them in the pot and covered them with water. I put it on medium-high and brought it to a boil, then reduced the heat to low to keep the broth at a visible simmer.
Let ‘dem bones simmer for at least 20 hours, removing the meat from the bones after the first hour. Add a little apple cider vinegar to improve the mineral extraction.
After an hour*, I removed the backs to a platter, let them cool for 20 minutes, and then picked off the meat from under the shoulder blades, along the back and neck, and what remained on the breast.
*The cooking time for meat-on cuts is important. If you cook it more than an hour, the bones will begin to fall apart and the meat will turn tough and stringy. It is best to pick off the meat after an hour of simmering, then return the bones to the pot to continue simmering.
The grand finale–cooked chicken meat gathered about an hour into the cooking process. This will be used for soup, tacos, or some other quick meal calling for cooked, boneless chicken.
With moderate thriftiness (aka no, I didn’t get every tiny scrap of meat, but I did try to get most of it), I was able to collect about ½ cup of meat per carcass, or about 1.5 cups per package of 3 backs. I tossed the bones back into the pot, put the meat into the fridge, and kept cooking the bones for another 20 hours or so.
When the time came, I poured the broth through a colander into a large metal bowl (careful—it’s HOT!). I got about 4 quarts of broth which was not terribly golden because I had neither used vegetables nor roasted the backs, which are nice touches but not necessary. I usually use broth in things like rice or as a soup base to which I will add veggies anyway, so I don’t worry about adding the flavor during the broth-making process. It comes later.
I was pretty happy with the yield. The leftover meat is great for tacos, casseroles, BBQ sandwiches, or even to throw into soup that you make with all that broth.
So for $35 and some elbow grease, I got 4 quarts of broth and 4.5 cups of meat. That’s about 2 lb of meat. If we assign a price to that, say $8/lb, that leaves about $19 for the broth, or about $5 per quart. I have no idea what the going rate is for store-bought broth or ground chicken, but I can tell you that this stuff is the best quality you can get. Homemade bone broth is rich in minerals and gelatin (that’s why it gels in the fridge and the commercial stuff doesn’t!). And it is an excellent way to get additional value from parts of your meat that you otherwise might have just thrown in the trash.
In this case, I’d say the chicken backs are wonderful if your primary goal is to get loads of broth plus a little meat if you don’t mind the work. If you want the golden chicken broth color right off the bat, you’ll need to add bouquet to this, such as herbs, carrots, celery, and onion. I usually opt to wait to add the veggies and use them as part of the meal for frugality’s sake, but I frequently add scraps that I have saved in the freezer, such as potato peels, carrot tops, celery leaves, onion roots, etc, in order to improve the flavor, and again, make something out of nothing that is extremely nutritious.
So from chicken backs you get two things: broth AND meat, which is perfect for making chicken tacos. Check out Jerica’s real lard-made flour tortilla recipe here.
Or you can read about how to make homemade broth and soup in more detail.
Farm life is lots of things. Most folks know and reaffirm to us, “Farm life is so busy!” Yep! 100%!
It’s also very cyclical. Certain things happen alongside the seasons, and it really is so interesting to witness the ebb and flow from year to year. Sometimes we change things to better mesh with seasonal changes. And sometimes we find a groove that we really like, and we try to stick… ... Continue reading
The farmers get $2.69/lb for chicken backs? They’re $0.69/lb (+tax) at my local overpriced – I mean semi-upscale – butcher shop, which is why I looked this up on the internet today! I’m glad I found your basic directions on how to go about this process, and the benefits of doing so.
Shhhh….don’t tell the little grocery store where I buy 4 meaty backs for $.50 total. I liked this recipe, i usually just turn the backs into soup (Dollar Soup is a family fave), but I think i would like to put up some stock, too.
I have rarely ever made my own soup stock but have decided it is a great way to get extra nutrients. I had purchased and cut up two plump chickens so will follow your instructions on chicken broth out of chicken backs. I have only bought store bought chicken broth a very few times but do not care for it. Homemade from scratch is always the best option.
Oh, and I pul of the meat after roasting, or if it still looks pink , after a half hour of sub-simmering, and get the best ingredient for chicken salad
My only local butcher, whose other prices aren’t ideal, does cut up their own birds. I get chicken backs for .67c a pound. I roast half of them on a sheet after pulling off extraneous fat (save that for schmaltz or toss) on high till browned, and just under simmer cook all for 24 hrs, removing flesh after 30 min for salads, whatever. Add aromatics the last hr. I get the most delicious, versatile, gut-healing, gelatinous liquid you could imagine. Yes I add chicken feet when convenient. This is not for a fast soup, but freezes well and adds its flavor and texture to anything
I recently went to second harvest food bank and the only meats they had was chicken backs and this will be for an entree can I bake them and eat the meat as is not used in a soup.?
Certainly! Just roast them like you would a whole chicken–maybe a little less time–until tender and then pick the meat off. Be sure to save the remaining bones to make broth!
How long would I cook 4-5 pounds of chicken backs in an 8 qt. instant pot? I want to get the meat off before really do the bone broth.
Thanks!
Hi Susan, I am not an instant pot expert. I always feel the suggested cook times are not long enough, and I haven’t mastered the slow cooker feature yet! But technically the backs should become tender enough to release the meat if cooked the same amount of time as any other bone-in chicken item. Hope this helps!
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In the middle of making my first bone broth to can. Someone gave me 20lbs of, at some point, frozen backs (I know right? She got 20 lbs for free too and didn’t have the freezer space) and I put approx half in a big pot still icy and brought them to a full boil then turned them down to a simmer and after an hour, picked the bones and got 4 cups of what I think it all meat. LOL Simmering them now with 2 Tbsps (maybe more!) of apple cider vinegar to make the broth. Can’t wait to strain it! I don’t cook much with broth so this will be interesting. Gonna do BBQ and chicken salad sandwiches. Thank you for this!
Jerica, I’ve been a big Weston A Price follower (used to teach free classes) and I send people to your website specifically for this well written “recipe on chicken backs.” We have a great Saturday farmers market at the carter center in Atlanta but the prices are outrages. I pay over $4 lb for chicken backs. And for those who want to know chicken “backs” give the most “flavor” to stock whereas the “feet” give the most “gelatin.” The main reason for me writing is to let you know I have scoured the internet for the perfect recipe and you WIN. hahah…. There are many tutorials available on the internet but most of them are not up to par. Some don’t even tell you to take the meat off after simmering for 45 min – to an hour (I take mine off closer to 40-45 minutes because they continue to cook for a few minutes longer while cooling). Also, for those asking about cooking stock in a instant pot or pressure cooker; it is not recommended unless you are using the “slow cook” button. You don’t want your stock under pressure.