I always keep a stash of homemade chicken stock in my freezer for making soups, sauces, and even just sipping. Here’s everything you need to know to make it in your slow cooker, a stock pot, or Instant Pot. It smells and tastes amazing with layers of flavor that boost any recipe – you’ll never want store-bought again.
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Homemade Chicken Stock Recipe
Chicken stock is a pantry staple used in so many different ways, from deglazing a pan to making Chicken Noodle Soup. It gives an incredible richness to any recipe. I also love to ladle it into a mug, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and just drink it hot like tea. It’s so soothing. It makes me happy that my kids love to sip their bone broth the same way – it’s just so tasty!
Stock is made by cooking animal bones, extracting the bones’ nutrients and flavor into the liquid (also why it’s called chicken bone broth). It’s incredibly easy to make, and you can make bone broth from any animal bones, from Turkey Stock to beef stock, fish stock, and even veal stock.
Chicken Stock vs Chicken Broth?
You can use them interchangeably, but there is a difference between chicken stock and chicken broth. Chicken Stock is made by simmering animal bones for a long period to extract marrow and add layers of flavor. It’s richer and thicker because it contains more gelatin from the bones. Chicken broth is flavored with meat, simmers for a shorter time, and usually contains more salt.
Ingredients for Chicken Stock
Regardless of what method you choose, you’ll need the same ingredients, with varying amounts of water.
- Chicken Bones – 3-5 lbs of leftover chicken bones and skin – wings, drumsticks, even feet, or carcasses (see How to Cut a Whole Chicken). If using raw bones, be sure to roast them first for a richer flavor (directions below).
- Apple cider vinegar – helps break down the bone to release nutrients. Use white vinegar or even lemon juice in a pinch.
- Seasoning – garlic, salt, and bay leaf
- Mirepoix (Vegetables) – onion, celery, and carrots – I add the celery leaves for more flavor. Some people leave the onion skins, but I like to peel the onions so the stock doesn’t get too dark. You can peel or scrub the carrots before adding them.
- Filtered water – careful to use the right amount for the chicken stock method you choose.
Pro Tip:
I always keep a Ziploc labeled “stock” in my freezer where I keep scraps and bones until I’m ready to make chicken stock.
Roasted Bones = Flavor
Start here for all methods! If bones are from a cooked chicken, skip this roasting step. If using a whole raw chicken, watch this tutorial on How to Cut a Whole Chicken.
- Roast – Arrange raw bones on a lined baking sheet. Roast at 400˚F for 20 minutes, and then add the bones and pan juices to your pot to enhance the stock’s flavor. Flavor Tip: Pour hot water over the baking pan to deglaze it, then add it to the stock to extract all the extra flavor from the pan.
Method 1: Stovetop Chicken Stock
Stovetop chicken stock is best if you want to make a double batch in a large stock pot; otherwise, it requires the most babysitting (from 6 hours or up to 15 hours for a marrow-rich bone broth)!
- Add the bones, water, vinegar and salt to an 8-quart stock pot, and bring to a boil. Skim foam and impurities off the top, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for at least 4 hours.
- Add the vegetables, garlic, and bay leaf, and simmer for another 2-11 hours, being careful not to boil, which can make the broth cloudy. Add more water as needed since it evaporates.
Method 2: Slow Cooker Chicken Stock
This is the easy set it and forget it slow cooker method (10-15 hours on low)! Start with warm or hot water to jump-start the process.
- Add bones, 12 cups of warm water, vinegar, and salt to a 6-quart slow cooker, and cook on low for 10-15 hours.
- Halfway through, add veggies, garlic, and bay leaf, and finish the timer.
(Favorite Method) Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth
The pressure cooker is the fastest way to make chicken stock (just 2 hours), and to be honest, the Instant Pot is my favorite method because it has the richest flavor and the clearest broth.
- Place all the ingredients into a 6-Qt Instant Pot or 8 Qt Instant Pot and add water up to the max fill line.
- Select the soup/broth setting or cook on manual high pressure for 2 hours, and then wait 30 minutes to naturally depressurize then carefully release pressure.
How to Know When Chicken Stock is Done?
The timing depends on what you are after and the cooking method you select. For a marrow-rich chicken bone broth, cook until you can easily break a chicken bone in half – that’s how you know the marrow nutrients are released into your stock.
How to Strain Chicken Stock
Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and discard the solids. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate. Once thickened the following day, scrape the fat off the top and continue to store in the fridge or freezer.
Storing Chicken Broth
Each recipe makes about 8 cups of broth, so you can easily have stock on hand.
- To Refrigerate: store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator
- Freezing: pour into freezer-safe containers and freeze up to 3 months (be sure to leave room for expansion)
- Reheating: homemade stock thickens after refrigeration, which is totally normal, but turns to liquid when heated. Use frozen or thaw in the fridge overnight. Be sure to heat it to a rolling boil before consuming.
Homemade chicken stock adds so much flavor to every dish! It’s rich and layered, boosting everything from pasta dishes to soups, and the nutritional benefits make this recipe a must-try.
Chicken Stock
Ingredients
- 3-5 lbs leftover chicken bones and skin, from 1 large chicken (or from 2 rotisserie chickens)
- 1 Tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 medium onion, peeled and halved
- 2 celery ribs, cut into thirds, leaves attached
- 2 carrots, peeled & halved
- 2 smashed garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf, optional, but nice
- Filtered Water, Stock Pot: 16 c., 6Qt Slow Cooker: 12 c., 6-8Qt Instant Pot: 10-12 c.
Instructions
Roast Raw Bones (for all methods):
- Roast – (Note: If using bones from a cooked rotisserie chicken, skip this step). Place bones on a lined rimmed baking sheet and roast at 400˚F for 20 minutes.
Stovetop Method (6-15 hours simmering):
- Add – Place roasted bones and any accumulated pan juices into your 8 qt stock pot. Add 16 cups (or 4 Qts) of filtered water along with 1 Tbsp cider vinegar and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Skim off impurities that rise to the top. Cover and simmer on low heat 4 hrs.
- Add Vegetables – Add onion, celery, carrots, 2 smashed garlic cloves, and 1 bay leaf, and continue cooking on a low simmer another 2-11 hours, depending on how marrow-rich you want your broth. Be careful not to bring it to a hard boil, or the broth will look foggy.
Slow Cooker Method (10-15 hours on low):
- Add roasted bones and any accumulated pan juices into the 6-quart Slow Cooker. Add 12 cups of warm or hot water along with 1 Tbsp cider vinegar and 1 tsp salt. Set to low heat for 10-15 hrs.
- Halfway through cooking on low heat, add onion, celery, carrots, 2 smashed garlic cloves, and 1 bay leaf and continue cooking on low. You can let it go longer if needed overnight and strain the next day.
Instant Pot Method (2 hours pressure-cooked):
- Add roasted bones and accumulated pan juices into a 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot. Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaf, 1 Tbsp cider vinegar, and 1 tsp salt. Add water or until you reach the max fill line in the pot.
- Cook on high pressure for 2 hours. It will warm up, then cook on high pressure for 2 hours. When cooking is complete, wait 30 min to naturally depressurize, then release pressure (use an oven mitt for safety in case it sputters).
How to Strain Chicken Stock:
- Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a second pot, extracting as much liquid as possible. Discard solids. Cool the strained stock to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate. The following day, it will thicken, and you can scrape the fat off the top (see storage instructions below).
Notes
- Refrigerate – Store the stock in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It can thicken in the fridge, but it will liquidify once heated.
- To freeze – divide the stock into freezer-safe containers, leaving room for expansion. Store frozen for up to 3 months.
- To use – thaw in the fridge overnight, or use from frozen. Be sure to heat to a rolling boil before consuming.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
So MANY Ways to Use Chicken Stock
You will really taste the difference in your cooking when you use homemade chicken stock. Try it out in these recipes:
- Chicken and Rice Soup
- Zuppa Toscana
- Chicken Stir Fry
- Clam Chowder
- Borscht
- Chicken Tetrazzini
- Chicken Marsala
- Parmesan Risotto
- Split Pea Soup
- Creamy Chicken and Rice (1-pot meal)
Amazing! We can’t buy instant pots within New Zealand but I got something similar just this month and I’m so happy with this recipe! It makes such a quick flavourful clear stock without all the skimming.
I made chicken breast in the pressure cooker yesterday which did not work well. Pink in the middle dry everywhere else 😅 but made some more stock today and poured it over soba noodles and chopped up dry chicken and everyone was happy.
I’m so happy you were able to make this recipe, Sophie!! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Hi Natasha – just curious why the vegetables and aromatics aren’t added right away.
Hi Katie, In the instant pot version, everything goes into the pot together including the vegetables and aromatics. The other long-cooking methods, the vegetables turn to mush and are difficult to strain since it cooks for so long so we don’t add them right away.
This recipe turned out amazing!! I didn’t peel any of my vegetables, leaving the paper on the onion, so mine turned out much darker than yours, plus, I added a generous handful of dried shiitake mushrooms for more flavor. I also used the bones from 2 store bought rotisserie chickens.
Apparently, I picked the perfect day to make it too, because I’ve come down with a nasty head cold. This will be really good right now. Thank you for the recipe! Worth every second it took to make it!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Ashley!!
Natasha, I was thinking of making holodets in IP. Do you have any suggestions how I would go about it? 🤔
cHi Alena! That is an interesting idea. I honestly haven’t tried that. If you experiment with that I would love to know the process!
Hi Natasha. I want to make your bone broth for my husband since he is having surgery. I have been cooking my chickens and saving the bones. Can I also put some of the crispy skin in with the bones or will that make the broth murky? Thanks so much for such delicious recipes and for an awesome blog.
Hi Connie, you can add the skin and bones and it will work great :).
This might be an odd question, but what do you do with the chicken meat after the pressure cooker? Discard?
Hi Nellie, yes, you can discard the bones and vegetables since all of the nutritive value will be in the broth.
Hi Natasha,
I think the commenter above was asking about the chicken meat! What do you do with it after? Can you eat it? Can you make chicken noodle soup out of this broth and the chicken used? Or do you separate the meat from the bones before you make the broth? And use only the bones? Please let me know!
If you used a whole chicken and have leftover meat you can use that to top a salad or even use it in a soup 🙂 Thanks for pointing that out, Violet!
You know, broth with any shredded chicken leftover, minus bones would make a great chicken and dumplings. Cut up a can of biscuits or homemade biscuit dough and add to the chicken stock and leftover chicken, that fast and easy.
So excited you got the pot! Looking forward to the recipes!
I really liked how clean the broth turned out. I used chicken backs from Whole Foods and unfortunately it never got thick/jello like.. what could be the reason? I also heard from farmers that people use chicken legs 🙈 to make broth since that’s a good source of gelatin.. sounds unpleasant but… just wanted to mention 🙂 I also crack the drumsticks if I use those to let the goodies come out.
Hi Rita, I also heard that about chicken legs. Adding wings or bones from drumsticks can definitely help.
Awesomeness! I’m addicted to my Instant Pot and hope you will add more recipes for it. I’m also curious about sous vide….I am a sucker for kitchen “toys.”
Hi Zina, that is a tool that I am unfamiliar with (the sous vide) although I spotted a cookbook for it at Costco today which got me curious! 🙂
Method 4. At least for a starter. I bake a lot of chicken on the bone, usually quarters, where there is more fat. I usually bake 4 leg quarters at 400deg for about 1 hour. There are plenty of drippings. Capture/drain all this in a cup. Leave in the fridge for a night. The broth will separate from the fat. Scrape off the white fat from the top – which can be used making candles or soaps (see the internet) as in the old days. The gelled chicken bone broth is in the bottom of the cup. I freeze these “hockey pucks” (as my daughter calls them) for use in soups, stews, gravies, even as a water flavoring for boiling up mashed potatoes. Not a bad idea to add the celery, carrots, onion, etc when baking the chicken covered with foil. Uncover to finsh and crisp up the last ten minutes or so. I keep a few hockey pucks in the freezer all the time and use for concentrated flavoring.
Great tips Thomas, thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you love our site! Oh my goodness you’re right, I meant to put that in the slow cooker section. Thank you!! 🙂
Hi Natasha,
I make chicken (and beef) broth the same way as you do, keeping aromatics and sodium at minimal. I prefer the stovetop method, barely simmering it for several hours. I also peel off the skin and remove any visual fat before roasting the pieces.
What i wanted to share is my storing method. I sterilize quart sized (sometimes even half-gallon) jars, lids and mouth rings and after the broth is done i skim off any excess fat, and filter the broth of any impurities through fine mesh strainer and tighten up the lids. They seal properly, as when you’re canning. So this method keeps the broth in the fridge at least for two weeks (usually i use it earlier) without changing the taste and flavor. The key is to sterilize jars and lids and also that broth needs to be boiling-hot temperature.
P.S. i use this method for storing broth, because can’t stand the flavor of defrosted one. I also doubt the benefits of homemade frozen broth🤔.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your idea for storage!! Broth goes bad quickly otherwise and I will definitely be trying that next time I make a batch! Thank you for sharing your tips! 🙂
I was taught to never let the stock boil because it would go cloudy. How do you keep it clear?
Hi Liz, this is why I prefer it in the slow cooker and instant pot – it sits mostly undisturbed whereas in the pot, if you turn on the heat to bring it to a boil, it can get to a fierce boil without you noticing (speaking from several experiences) 😉
Liz , my Grandmother told me to add to all stock pots a egg shell (just shell ) it keeps the broth clear . I have been doing this for 40 years and it seems to work on chicken and beef broth.
I love your blog and have recommended it to probably hundreds of people at this point 😊I am so excited your have an IP! It’s an amazing piece of kitchen equipment. It’s been a dinner saver for my family counless times. There is a great FB group for IP recipes, join us 😉 – Instant Pot: рецепты, идеи, советы
Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I will have to check it out! 🙂
Elena, can you post a link to FB group for IP recipes? Thank you
Hey, this looks good I should try it!!!!
I vote yes!! 🙂
Really Good!!!
Este site é excelente, sempre que visito tem novidades, deveria ter mais sites assim, parabéns.
¡Me alegra que estés disfrutando tanto de las recetas! ¡Gracias por seguir!
How do you make chicken broth?
Hi Lana, I use this method whenever I make chicken stock or broth. The lengthier cooking time just makes it way healthier 🙂
Natasha you are my favorite blogger out there! Your recipes so easy to follow. Love love your blog!! I dont have a Instant pot but want to get one. Which one do you have or recommend? Also, the chicken in this recipe what did you Do to it? Buy a whole one and removed the meat? Thanks
Hi Olya, you are so sweet! Thank you for that amazing compliment! I have a link to the Instant Pot I received for Christmas. I love it!! Also, I do buy a whole chicken and cut it into pieces. I’m so glad you asked! I have a tutorial on how to cut a whole chicken that I will be posting on Friday so stay tuned 🙂
Do you have a recipe for vegetable broth/stock?
Hi Heather, I don’t yet but that would be a great one to add! It would take quite a bit less time since you don’t have to wait for bones to soften. Thanks for the tip! 🙂
I tried feijoida tonight and my husband, me, and oldest really liked it. Our favorite thing we have made since we got it at Christmas was meatloaf and potatoes…so good!
That sounds yummy! I’m loving my instapot as well! 🙂
We’ve started buying chooks and cutting them up ourselves (so much cheaper). We always keep the bones for stock but they usually build up and go to the dog. With a nasty cold doing the rounds in our family, I decided finally give it a shot in our slow cooker and Omg the recipe is amazing! We have a bay tree in the garden and threw in some rosemary and thyme for a lil something extra. Also ran the stock through the muslin cloth for extra clarity. Pretty sure I’ll be making this every week from now on.
I am SO excited for your first Instant Pot recipe, this means I have more (IP recipes) to look forward to!:)
Making bone broth in the IP has been my favorite method since I got my appliance. I make it pretty much the same but I do omit the carrots since carrots give the broth a sweetness which I’m not fond of. But we all have our preferences!
Looking forward to your next post, I know it’ll be great!
I’m happy to hear that Marina! I’m loving my instapot too! Thanks for following Marina!
Looks so perfect and delicious👌🏻
I have to try this instant pot method, I got excited when I seen that u have that method. I love my instant pot so I’m definitely looking forward to more recipes that u will come up with so I can use it even more😄 Thank you once again!
Love how rice turnsout in the instant pot, jasmine rice or basmati rice is one of my favorite rice. I don’t have to count, how long I have cooked my rice on the stove or is it done already.?!
You know I haven’t tried rice yet but was definitely planning on it! I was going through the manual and was shocked at how quick that cooks! And especially brown rice – it’s like 1/3 of the time! I imagine the instant pot will save me so much time in life and in my work with cutting down my prep time in case I need cooked rice for a recipe 😉 Let me know what your favorite recipes are for the instant pot so far! I’m so eager to try more! 🙂
Plov recipe: I go by your recipe for the ingredients. For the instant pot method just fry the meat to brown and then cook for about 25mins meat setting(in the instant pot), it’s nice that it has the sauté function, then I fry onions and carrots a little, add the basmati rice and water( by the instructions in the book for basmati rice) also I add all the spices and garlic, and cook for 6 mins if I’m not mistaken for (basmati). ( the key is to turn off the pressure cooker right away when it’s done cooking ur rice for plov( since it cooks rice so quick, if u leave it on warm button right away, it might make the rice mushy, ( that’s what my mom found best way is to unplug it right away when it’s done cooking), the plov sure Will stay hot for a good bit)
My mom likes to make plov Sunday morning before she heads to church when it beeps that it’s done she just unplugs it and heads to church…
She also uses the pressure cooker for her braised potatoes recipe which basically cooks the
Meat first which is pork or baby ribs, fry
The onions, adds the potatoes and spices, and the ajvar spread(from Russian store) instead of tomato paste, it adds delicious flavor, and she says that Idaho potatoes are the best for braised potatoes* after all she cooks that for 10 mins but for instant pot mine takes 8mins on soup mode* ( she has different namebrand pressure cooker that’s why hers takes little longer) and also unplug the pressure cooker right away after it’s done cooking… the braised potatoes are one of my favorite and when she taught me how to make them fast in the pressure cooker, I love them even more. It’s nice to have a recipe that can be made quickly for lunch or dinner when ur short on time😊
That is so awesome of you to share!! I’ve been working on a plov in the instant pot where you only have to set it once and I’ve almost got it nailed down :). I can’t wait to try your braised potatoes recipe! Thank you! Thank you!!
I’ve been making bone broth in my instant pot for several years now. It’s so delicious! I always add peppercorns all red pepper flakes if I want it a little spicy, it’s the best remedy for cold or flu!!
Thanks for sharing your tip with other readers Marina!