Ina Garten’s Favorite Recipe to Make on a Cold Day Will Help Get You Through Winter

2025 is coming in like a lion, with a three-week polar vortex across much of the U.S. When it feels like your fingers might turn into ice pops after just a few minutes outside, mealtime calls for just one thing: warm comfort food.

Just in time, one of the ultimate queens of cozy—in terms of recipes and the warm aura that emanates from her welcoming smile—popped up online with the ultimate Rx. Yes, we’re talking about Queen Ina, who recently shared a video that offers some cozy meal-planning inspiration during this cold snap.

Ina Garten’s Favorite Homemade Chicken Stock

In a video Garten posted in December, she teases, “The key to really good homemade soup…” before proceeding to blissfully walk us through the easy process for one of her favorite low-effort winter recipes: homemade chicken stock. Set to the soundtrack of relaxing French jazz, she demonstrates how to simmer, strain, and save stock for a rainy (or snowy) day.

Homemade stock in the fridge or freezer is a gift for your future self, as it can act as the most luscious foundation for everything from Thai Yellow Chicken Curry to Butternut Squash Risotto, Chef John’s Shrimp Étouffée, Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings, Homemade Chicken Gravy, and, of course, Grandma’s Chicken Noodle Soup. (Garten shares that stock can be frozen for up to four months. Simply defrost in the refrigerator overnight, and you’re all set to use it just like the store-bought or freshly-made kind.)

Of course, store-bought stock is great when you don’t have homemade on hand—you’ll just be seriously missing out on the free air freshener and on so much flavor. “Nothing in a can tastes as good!” Garten declares.

“It not only makes the house smell great, but I also have good homemade stock for Chicken Pot Pie Soup or Winter Minestrone,” she goes on. (To be fair, Garten is a firm believer that store-bought is fine on many occasions—and is even better for certain staples like pumpkin purée.)

How to Make Ina Garten’s Homemade Chicken Stock

Garten’s go-to chicken stock recipe is such a fundamental part of her culinary repertoire that she includes it in four of her cookbooks. It involves simmering a handful of ingredients with whole chicken—including onions, carrots, celery, peppercorns, and more—in water for four hours before skimming off the foam. Then, simply cool, strain, and store.

It’s actually very similar to Chef John’s Homemade Chicken Stock, just with a shorter cook time, and parsnips, garlic, dill, and parsley added to the party.

Garten’s fans confirm that this simple, slurpable recipe is a winner. One fan raves that she has shared Garten’s recipe for chicken stock many times: “It’s the best!” Another chimes in that it’s “great for a rainy NYC night” and is using it as a base for her Creamy Potato Fennel Soup.

So, do your future self a favor and throw together a big batch of Garten’s chicken stock. You’ll be reaping the benefits all winter long. Not feeling up for a DIY version today? Discover how to make store-bought chicken stock taste homemade. You can thank us later!