Learn how to make delicious homemade Chicken Broth with simple, healthy ingredients. This recipe is easy, hands-off, and a great replacement for store-bought broth! It’s perfect for adding flavor to soups, side dishes, and your favorite dinner recipes.
When I can, I prefer to stock my pantry with healthy homemade staples. This way, I know exactly what’s in them, and they’re free from preservatives. I like to make my own Tomato Sauce, Vinaigrette, Turkey Broth, and Vegetable Broth to have on hand.
Since I just made a delicious Air Fryer Whole Chicken, I thought I’d use the scraps to stock up on savory Chicken Broth. I’ll store half in the fridge to use this week, and keep the rest in the freezer for all of the cozy winter meals I’ll be making until it warms back up here.
To make this flavorful broth, all you need is a cooked chicken carcass, vegetables, herbs, and water. Toss everything into a large stockpot and leave the broth to gently simmer and build flavor. It really is that easy!
How To Make Chicken Broth
Ingredients
- Roasted chicken carcass — To prep the chicken carcass, I’ll remove as much of the meat as I can, and then divide it into pieces.
- Vegetables — Aromatic veggies give the broth layers of flavor! I recommend a combination of garlic, onions, carrots, and celery.
- Black peppercorns — I suggest using whole black peppercorns so they’re easier to strain out.
- Fresh herbs — Feel free to toss the herbs right into the pot or place them in a sachet for easy removal.
- Bay leaves — Don’t forget the bay leaves! They’re small, but add so much flavor.
- Chicken bouillon — I like to add a few chicken bouillon cubes or paste to enhance the flavor.
Instructions
Place the ingredients in a Dutch oven:
- Place the pieces of chicken carcass in a large Dutch oven or stockpot. Then, add the quartered onions, chopped celery, and peeled carrots.
- Next, add the garlic, black peppercorns, fresh herbs, bay leaves, and chicken bouillon cubes or paste. If you’re using bouillon cubes, you can either crush them or dissolve them in hot water before adding them to the pot.
- Fill the pot with enough cold water to cover all the ingredients. The amount of water that you’ll need will depend on the size of your pot and chicken carcass, but it’s typically about 10-12 cups.
Simmer and skim the broth:
- Place the pot on the stove over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Let it gently simmer for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours to allow the flavors to meld together.
- As the broth simmers, use a slotted spoon to skim off any foam or impurities that rise to the surface.
Strain and cool the broth:
- After the broth simmers, remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool slightly. Then, strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a large bowl or another pot. At this point, you can discard or compost the solids.
- Allow the strained broth to cool to room temperature, then separate it into airtight containers or mason jars and refrigerate.
- Once it’s chilled, you can skim off any fat that solidifies on the surface.
- Your homemade chicken broth is now ready to use in soups, sauces, and other recipes!
Expert Tips
- This recipe doesn’t require much, but it does take patience. The longer you let the broth simmer, the more flavorful it will be.
- For a nice clear broth, I suggest straining it twice. I like to pour it through a fine mesh strainer first, and then again through a cheesecloth to catch any leftover particles.
- You can still make delicious chicken broth even if you don’t have a whole chicken carcass. I have also made this recipe with chicken wings and it’s just as tasty!
- Always remember to label and date your containers so you know exactly how long they’ve been in the fridge or freezer.
How To Store Leftovers
- To Store: Allow the chicken broth to cool and pour it into an airtight container or mason jars. I personally prefer mason jars because they take up less space than a large container. The chicken broth will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To Freeze: I almost always have chicken broth on hand in the freezer, and it lasts for up to 6 months. Store it in a freezer-safe container, leaving at least an inch of space for the liquid to expand as it freezes. You can also freeze the broth in an ice cube or soup cube tray and then store the cubes in a freezer-safe bag.
- To Reheat: If frozen, allow the chicken broth to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then, reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop until it is heated through.
How to Use Chicken Broth
- Soups and stews: Homemade chicken broth is perfect for soups, stews like my classic chicken noodle soup, chicken stew or hearty Instant Pot chicken stew.
- Rice and potatoes: I recommend using chicken broth instead of water to elevate simple side dishes like fluffy rice, quinoa, or mashed potatoes.
- Flavorful sauces: A delicious sauce or gravy will make a good dish even better. The sauce is my favorite element of these lamb chops with creamy mustard sauce!
- Casseroles: I use chicken broth for SO many recipes, even casseroles! I like to steam the veggies for this broccoli and cauliflower casserole using chicken broth for extra flavor.
Recipe Variations
- Brighten it up: When I want to brighten up the flavor, I’ll add a zesty ingredient like lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or a piece of fresh ginger.
- Swap the herbs: My go-to herbs for chicken broth are parsley, rosemary, and thyme. You can easily customize the flavor with other herbs like oregano, chives, or sage.
- Add more veggies: More vegetables mean more flavor and nutrients! I recommend neutral savory vegetables like parsnips, leeks, shallots, and mushrooms.
Recommended Tools
- Dutch oven: I like to use my large Dutch oven to make chicken broth, but you can also use a large stock pot.
- Cheesecloth: I recommend straining the broth through a cheesecloth to separate out any food solids or particles.
- Storage containers: If I’m storing chicken broth in the fridge, I like to keep it in a mason jar. If I’m freezing it, I’ll go with a freezer-safe airtight container.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken broth and chicken stock are very similar, and I sometimes use the two interchangeably in recipes. The main difference between broth and stock is in the cooking time. Chicken stock is typically bones and water simmered for 4-6 hours. Chicken broth has other ingredients, like vegetables and herbs, and cooks for 1-3 hours.
I recommend vegetables with a neutral, savory flavor. I typically use garlic, onions, carrots, and celery, but I’ll also rotate other veggies, like leeks, mushrooms, or parsnips. When I make recipes like my easy roasted vegetables, I save the scraps and store them in a freezer-safe bag to use later for broth. I also suggest avoiding starchy or overpowering ingredients, such as potatoes, asparagus, or beets.
Yes, homemade chicken broth is better for you than store-bought because is free from preservatives, artificial flavorings, and other additives. I prefer to use homemade chicken broth because I know exactly what’s in it and I can customize the ingredients to my preferences.
Watch the Chicken Broth Web Stories here.
More Homemade Staples
Chicken Broth
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Primavera Kitchen.
Ingredients
- 1 cooked chicken carcass meat mostly removed
- 1 large onions peeled and quartered
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 3 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 sprigs of fresh parsley rosemary and/or thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 chicken bouillon cubes
Instructions
- In a large stockpot or a large Dutch oven, place the chicken carcass pieces. Add the quartered onions, chopped celery, and peeled carrots to the pot.
- Add garlic, black peppercorns, fresh herbs, bay leaves, and chicken bouillon (paste or cubes). If using chicken bouillon cubes, you can either crush them and sprinkle them into the pot or dissolve them in a cup of hot water and pour the mixture into the pot.
- Pour enough cold water into the pot to cover all the ingredients. The amount of water needed will depend on the size of your pot and the amount of chicken carcass, but generally, it’s about 10-12 cups of water.
- Place the pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer gently for at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours. This will allow all the flavors to meld together.
- While the broth simmers, skim off any foam or impurities that rise to the surface with a slotted spoon.
- After simmering, remove the pot from the heat. Let it cool slightly, then strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer or a cheesecloth into a large bowl or another pot. Discard the solids.
- Allow the strained broth to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate it. Once it’s chilled, you can skim off any fat that solidifies on the surface. Your homemade chicken broth is now ready to use in soups, sauces, or other recipes.
Tips
- Allow the broth plenty of time to simmer and develop flavors.
- For a clear broth, strain it once through a fine mesh strainer and then again through a cheesecloth.
- You can also use chicken wings to make this delicious broth.
- Always remember to label and date your containers.
- To Store: Once cooled, pour chicken broth into an airtight container or mason jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To Freeze: Store in a freezer-safe container, leaving an inch of space for the liquid to expand and freeze for up to 6 months. You can also freeze the broth in an ice cube or soup cube tray and store the cubes in a freezer-safe bag.
- To Reheat: Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
Leave a Comment