Rotisserie chicken stock is one of the easiest ways to squeeze another meal out of something many families already buy for convenience.

Once dinner is over and most of the meat has been pulled from the bird, what remains may look like kitchen waste, but the bones, skin, cartilage and juices still hold plenty of flavor.

For Antelope Valley households trying to keep grocery spending under control, turning that carcass into stock is a simple habit that can make a ready-to-eat chicken work twice.

Start with everything that is left.

Place the chicken frame, wing tips, skin and any juices from the container into a stockpot, then cover everything with cool water by an inch or two.

If you have an onion, celery stalks, carrots, garlic or herb stems that need to be used, this is a good place for them.

You do not need perfect vegetables, and a stockpot is one of the best places to use clean trimmings that would otherwise be discarded.

Bring the pot just to a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil, because aggressive boiling can make the broth cloudy and can push flavors toward harshness.

Three hours is plenty for a useful weeknight stock, although a longer gentle simmer can produce a deeper result.

One advantage of starting with a seasoned rotisserie bird is that you are not beginning with a blank slate.

The roasting process has already browned the skin and bones, while the seasoning and drippings add savory depth without requiring much work.

That also means you should be careful with salt.

Many store-bought rotisserie chickens are already seasoned generously, so wait until the stock is finished before deciding whether it needs more.

Build flavor from what you already have.

A halved onion, a smashed garlic clove, celery leaves, carrot ends, rosemary, thyme or a bay leaf can all help round out the broth.

Parmesan rinds are another useful addition because they contribute savory flavor while giving you one more reason not to throw away an ingredient that still has value.

If the finished stock tastes heavy, a small splash of lemon juice at the end can brighten it without making it taste lemony.

The biggest mistake is thinking stock has to be complicated.

It does not need a restaurant-style ingredient list, and it does not need to be perfectly clear to be useful in a home kitchen.

After simmering, strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer and discard the spent bones and vegetables.

Let the stock cool promptly, then refrigerate it in shallow containers or portion it for the freezer.

Once chilled, you may see a layer of fat on top, and you can remove some, all or none of it depending on how you plan to use the stock.

A little fat adds richness to soups and sauces, while a leaner stock may be better when you want a lighter result.

Now turn the stock into dinner.

Use it instead of water when making rice, add it to beans, thin a sauce, build a quick gravy or turn it into chicken noodle soup with the leftover meat you saved.

It also works as the liquid for pot pie filling, tortilla soup, risotto, mashed potatoes or a simple vegetable soup.

Freeze it in one-cup portions if you mostly use stock for cooking, or freeze larger containers if soup is the goal.

For families who shop at warehouse stores or pick up rotisserie chickens from local supermarkets, the economics are straightforward.

You bought the chicken once, but the bones can help produce another component that would otherwise cost several dollars in a carton or can.

That is not glamorous cooking, but it is smart kitchen math.

The best part is that homemade stock is forgiving, adaptable and easy to personalize based on what is already in the refrigerator.

In a week when groceries feel expensive, getting one more useful product from something you already paid for is exactly the kind of small habit that adds up.

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