How to make Chicken Broth
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Learn how to make chicken broth with this yummy Homemade Chicken Broth Recipe! Made easily in the slow cooker, instant pot or on the stove.
If you’ve never made homemade chicken broth, you’ll be shocked at how easy it is to make and how delicious it tastes!
This homemade chicken stock recipe is ridiculously simple to make. You only need leftover chicken bones, water and a pot to make delicious rich broth that everyone will love!
Is Chicken Broth the same as Chicken Stock?
There is no difference between chicken broth, chicken stock and chicken bone broth. They are essentially the exact same thing.
Sometimes bone broth is a little more concentrated than regular broth or stock, but they can be used interchangeably.
Ingredients
To make homemade chicken stock, you really only need bones + water.
You can also add herbs and vegetables like carrots, celery, or onion, but it’s completely unnecessary.
Helpful Tools for Making Broth: Crockpot, Fine Mesh Strainer, Silicone Molds for Freezing/Storing
Which bones are best for chicken broth?
Any bones will work for chicken broth, but it’s best to use a whole chicken carcass when making broth.
How to make Chicken Broth: Preparation
Preparing chicken for broth is pretty simple. I like to make broth with the bones from a Whole Roasted Chicken or Crockpot Whole Chicken. You can also use a rotisserie chicken.
I take all the meat off of the chicken bones and throw all my scraps in the crockpot for broth. Save your chicken meat to enjoy as is, or make Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup or Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad.
How to make Chicken Broth from Bones
Making chicken stock is SO easy!
- Add chicken bones to the crockpot.
- Cover with filtered water and cook on low for at least 12 hours (16-18 is best). You may need to adjust the amount of water depending on the size of your crockpot. You can fill it to the top of the crockpot!
- Once cooked – allow the broth to cool slightly.
- Run through a strainer into a large pot or container. (This will just be easier to do if it is not scalding hot).
- Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to remove any small bones/impurities. This will leave you with a super pure, delicious broth! I personally always strain the broth.
Storage: Store in airtight containers for up to 5 days, or put in the freezer until ready to use!
Chicken Broth Recipe Variations:
Bones – You can use any bones.. chicken, beef, or turkey will all work. We also have a Homemade Beef Bone Broth, Turkey Broth, Instant Pot Bone Broth, and Crockpot Bone Broth recipes.
Veggies – Carrots, celery, onion, and garlic add flavor to the broth but are not necessary
Seasonings – You can add salt, pepper, or whatever other herbs you’d like to the broth. We love to throw fresh thyme + rosemary into our broth but recommend adding it towards the end. You could also try bay leaves.
Apple Cider Vinegar – Some people add apple cider vinegar to their broth to help coax the nutrients out of the bones. This is not necessary, but if you’d like to add it – feel free!
What are the best bones for bone broth? I like to use organic grass fed bones. Try to find local butchers or check out sites like Belcampo, The Organic Butcher or Greensbury
What to make with Chicken Broth
There are so many ways you can use chicken stock into your routine. Here are some ideas:
- As the base of a delicious Healthy Soup Recipe like Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
- Pour it into a mug and drink it up! It’s packed with protein + veggies and so cozy.
- Add to sauces or stir fries for flavor
- Use in place of water or regular cooking stock
- Freeze it to have for a quick dinner or meal (or for when a cold comes on!) We love these silicone molds for freezing.
How to store Homemade Chicken Broth
Can you freeze Chicken Broth?
You can freeze bone broth, and you probably will have to because this makes a lot! For all my freezing tips, check out my post on How To Freeze Soup.
I freeze my bone broth in these silicone molds. I love them because they’re pre-portioned and lay flat when stacked! You can read this Souper Cubes Review for more details on them!
Freezing in glass: I don’t like to freeze in glass because I find sometimes the glass can explode. I prefer these containers.
To freeze in glass, fill the bottle leaving about at least 2 inches of room – do not fill to the top because the liquid will expand as it freezes. Put them in the fridge and allow them to completely cool.
Once they have been in the fridge for at least 5 hours and are cold, you can transfer to the freezer. I leave the lids off and allow the jars to freeze completely, then add the lids on.
To defrost, I simply take out and put in the fridge the night before.
Ice cube trays: I also like to freeze bone broth in ice cube trays. This is perfect for when you’re making a dish and only need a little bit, but don’t want to defrost a whole jar!
How long does chicken broth last in the fridge?
Chicken stock/broth will last up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Homemade Chicken Broth Recipe FAQ
Yes, making your own chicken stock is totally worth it! It has so much more flavor than store bought broth, and you can control the ingredients that go in it. Making your own broth also allows you to make a low or no salt broth.
Yes, you use chicken skin to make broth. When making chicken stock add all skin and bones to the pot. The more scraps, the better!
When making broth, the longer you cook the bones the better! Broth will have more flavor the longer you cook it. I like to cook my broth for 16-18 hours on low.
Healthy Recipes that use Chicken Bone Broth
We have tons of recipes on our site that use chicken bone broth! We have a Free Healthy Soup Ebook that you can click here to download. Here are some of our favorites:
- Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup Recipe
- Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe
- Chicken Quinoa Soup
- Chicken and Vegetable Soup
Love chicken? If so – here are some of our other favorite healthy chicken recipes!
Homemade Chicken Broth Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb bones/scraps from cooked chicken use all your scraps from a whole roasted chicken
- 16 cups water approximately-fill to the top of your pot
- 1 cup carrots halved, optional
- 1 cup onion quartered, optional
Instructions
Crockpot Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a crockpot, cover with filtered water and cook on low for at least 12 hours (16-18 is best). You may need to adjust the amount of water depending on the size of your crockpot. You can fill to the top of the crockpot!
- Once cooked – allow broth to cool slightly. Run through a strainer into a large pot or container. (This will just be easier to do if it is not scalding hot).
- Optional, but recommended: I often strain my bone broth through a nut milk bag or cheesecloth to catch any miscellaneous small bones or fragments.
- Storage: Store in airtight containers for up to 5 days, or put in the freezer until ready to use!
Instant Pot Instructions
- Add all ingredients to your instant pot. (You can use any size instant pot!) Cover with filtered water to one inch under the max fill line. Set your instant pot to sealing, High Pressure for 120 minutes. It will take 30 minutes to come to pressure.
- Allow the pressure to naturally release from the broth for 1 hour when it’s done cooking, then manually release the remaining pressure. You do not want to manually release the pressure any sooner as you will lose a lot of liquid
- Allow broth to cool slightly (about 30 minutes), and run through a strainer into a large pot or container. (This will just be easier to do if it is not scalding hot).
- Optional, but recommended: I often strain my bone broth through a nut milk bag or cheesecloth to catch any miscellaneous small bones or fragments.
- Storage: Store in airtight containers for up to 5 days, or put in the freezer until ready to use!
Stovetop Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large soup pot. Cover with filtered water and cook at a low simmer for at least 12 hours (16-18 is best). You may need to adjust the amount of water depending on the size of your pot. You can fill to about 1 inch under the top of the pot.
- Once cooked – allow broth to cool slightly. Run through a strainer into a large pot or container. (This will just be easier to do if it is not scalding hot).
- Optional, but recommended: I often strain my bone broth through a nut milk bag or cheesecloth to catch any miscellaneous small bones or fragments.
- Storage: Store in airtight containers for up to 5 days, or put in the freezer until ready to use!
This is the best ever ! Since switching to this recipe for making our own chicken broth at home, we can’t go back to buying it at the store. It’s too simple not to do! Highly recommend, it comes out great.
So easy & so good. Tks for all the tips
Do you put the lid on the crockpot?
You always need to put the lid on the crockpot when using it. I don’t think it works otherwise