Homemade Chicken Broth
This spectacular Homemade Chicken Broth recipe has a full flavor that is far superior to store-bought. It will simplify your soup making all winter!
Once you make your Homemade Chicken Broth, you’ll never return to canned (or boxed) broth again! Starting with bone-in chicken, this delicious, herb-infused stock is seasoned with onions, celery, carrots and a profusion of pantry spices! Brew up a big batch for your soups, stews and chicken casseroles!
Homemade Bone Broth Beats the Boxed Kind!
Break out your big soup pot and spend 25 minutes putting together the tastiest, most tantalizing chicken broth for all those wonderful winter soup recipes! Homemade broth is simple and straightforward, plus this recipe yields TWELVE cups of rich broth, so you will save yourself a bundle in bought broth (that always tastes like the can. Blech.)
Perk: Once the homemade broth has been cooked and strained, you’re left with a tender, juicy, fall-off-the-bone chicken! (Note: the chicken from the broth will not be very flavorful as all the goodness has gone into your broth!) So use it in recipes – like the ones below – with lots of other flavors!
Recipes for Leftover Chicken Broth Chicken
- BBQ Chicken Dip is the perfect recipe for the leftover chicken broth chicken! It’s everything you love about barbecue chicken, but in dippable form!
- Buffalo Chicken Pizza Bites – a poppable party app that’s always a crowd-pleaser!
Ingredients
Chicken: To make a flavorful homemade broth, you absolutely need skin-on, bone-in chicken. Use breasts, legs, or a whole-quartered chicken. (Dark meat gives a richer broth, but breast meat has less fat.)
Veggies: Chefs call it mirepoix, a combination of chopped carrots, onion, and celery that adds incredible flavor to homemade broth!
Seasoning: We’ll load this soup stock up with herbs and spices like garlic, parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, salt, and peppercorns.
How to Make Homemade Chicken Broth
STEP ONE: Place ALL the ingredients into a large stock pot and cover with enough water to submerge the chicken. Easy!
STEP TWO: Bring the contents of the pot to a rolling boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for 2-3 hours. If needed, add more water to keep the solids fully covered. Stir every 30 to 45 minutes.
STEP THREE: Remove the pieces of chicken and large vegetable with a tongs. Then strain the broth into a second large container or pot using a very fine strainer to catch all the remaining solids (you don’t want any bits left in the broth.)
STEP FOUR: Allow the broth to cool to room temperature. Then, transfer it into mason jars or storage containers. Now you’re ready for all your favorite chicken soups and casseroles!
Tips for Success
- Don’t use boneless, skinless chicken. The skin and bones give the broth most of its flavor and nutrition!
- If you don’t mind spending a few extra minutes, you can roast some of the chicken (or even chicken bones) on a tray in the oven. Roasting develops a deeper, more layered flavor for your stock.
- Add in a spoonful of apple cider vinegar to help draw the nutrients out of the chicken bones.
- If you prefer, you can use pre-chopped onions, carrots, and celery or even a box or two of mirepoix from the fresh veggies section in your market.
- Use all the lovely chicken meat you just boiled! Remove the skin from the chicken pieces, and pick the meat off the bones. It’ll be flavorful and delicious – great for everything from salads to casseroles.
What’s the Difference between Chicken Broth & Chicken Stock?
So, are chicken broth and stock the same thing? Mostly yes, with a small distinction. The broth is made using meat, meaty bones, vegetables, and various herbs and spices, so it is generally more flavorful. Stock is made almost exclusively from bones and is sometimes called “bone broth.” Ironically, the stock is thicker (gelatinous) and darker because the chicken bones release protein and collagen when cooked.
How Long Does Chicken Broth Last?
Once a store-bought container of broth has been opened, it should be used within 3 days. In the refrigerator, homemade broth, sealed in an airtight container, will last up to 7 days.
If freezing chicken broth, portion it out into smaller quantities (one—or two-cup portions) in freezer bags or Mason jars, leaving a half-inch space for expansion. (Be sure the broth has cooled before doing this!) Label and date the bags/jars and freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Spectacular, Savory Chicken Soup Recipes
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
- Crock Pot King Ranch Soup
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Spinach Artichoke Chicken Soup
Homemade Chicken Broth
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts and legs (or a whole chicken cut into quarters)
- 3 large carrots chopped into 4-inch pieces
- 2 stalks celery chopped into 4-inch pieces
- 2 medium yellow onions quartered
- 4 cloves garlic
- 10 stems fresh parsley
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 black peppercorns (or 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 4 quarts water
Instructions
- Place the chicken, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt in a stock pot. Pour water over the top until the chicken is submerged.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low so it is at a gentle simmer.
- Simmer for 2-3 hours, adding more water as needed to keep the solids submerged. Stir every 30-45 minutes.
- Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the large pieces of chicken and vegetables. Then pour the broth through a fine mesh sieve into a large container or pot to remove any remaining solids.
- Allow the chicken broth to cool to room temperature. Transfer the broth into mason jars or storage containers. Refirgerate for up to 5 days or freeze for upt o 3 months. (see note)
Notes
- If freezing the chicken broth, remember the the liquid will expand as it freezes so you want to leave extra room at the top of the container. You can also freeze the broth in ice cubes trays. Each cub will be about 1 ounce/2 tablespoons. Then you can grab however many cubes you need for a recipe. Thaw large containers of chicken broth overnight in the fridge before using.
