Learn how we make our homemade chicken broth from literal scraps. Amp up your favorite dishes with this one simple ingredient!
Chicken Broth and stock…it’s fairly cheap, adds flavor to your dishes and easily purchased. But do you know how much of it we use here at Farmhouse 181? Short answer…a lot and especially in the cooler seasons. So much so, that I pressure can my own in vary large batches. You don’t have to go to that extent though if you don’t want to. I will show you how you can make your own broth for basically free with your bone and meat scraps and a few seasonings.
There is a technical difference between a broth and stock, but when I use the word broth or stock just know that I use them interchangeably. This broth can be stored in the fridge for the week, or you can take it a step further and learn how to can your homemade chicken broth. Learn about pressure canning your homemade chicken broth by reading our quick resource guide.
See full recipe card at the bottom of the page with detailed ingredients list and full instructions to make this Simple Homemade Chicken Broth. Print to save in your cookbook binder or bookmark this page for future use!
Why I love Making Homemade Chicken Broth
- We are using mainly chicken bone and meat scraps…It’s basically free to make
- A ton of broth gets used in my kitchen on the regular
- I always have broth on hand to use as I please
- A homemade broth gives you more nutrients and a taste that store bought cannot really mimic
- Store bought broth has yeast extract and natural flavors…homemade does not, or at least we know what is in it
- If you can’t leisurely babysit a broth on the stove, this can be made in the crock pot or instant pot
- A broth utilized in simple homemade recipes can seriously stretch your food and decrease your food budget
I mentioned better ingredients above. Like I always like to say, we are not food snobs around here, but we do want to try and do better when it comes to whole and better ingredients where we can. Visit the Our Philosophies page where I am able to expand that little more.
Homemade Chicken Broth Ingredients
- Chicken Bones and Meat Scraps
- Water
- Salt
- Bay Leaf, Cloves, Garlic or whatever seasonings you’d like
- Onion
- Apple Cider Vinegar
This round of homemade chicken broth was made from a whole chicken that I roasted and a pile of chicken wing bones…yes we slobbered on some chicken wings then I reused them. Sorry not sorry…the boiling takes care of any concerns there. Waste not, want not! I stripped the roasted whole chicken of its meat and used it in our Savory Chicken Salad recipe. So, two plus dinners were made, then I used the bones, carcass and scraps in broth. Good home cooking doesn’t have to be complicated!
I canned this round of homemade chicken broth in my pressure canner, so I did not add a ton of spices. I just used an onion, single bay leaf, splash of apple cider vinegar and some salt. There might have been some traces of the Farmhouse 181 Seasoning that I used for our roasted chicken and some of the wings. It was probably pretty minimal as we did eat the skin on our roasted chicken wings.
Homemade Chicken Broth Instructions
Take all of your chicken bone scraps, seasonings, and onion and put them into your stock pot. I boiled this broth for probably an hour and a half on high heat. Then turned down and continued to simmer on low for another 3 hours or so. The longer you cook your broth, typically the richer it will be. I did add more water as it evaporated during the cooking process.
Now again…I canned this broth. If I had not been canning it I would have put it into my pressure cooker and pressure cooked on high for about 2 hours or put it into my crock pot and cooked all day on high. I wanted more homemade chicken broth than what my crock pot or pressure cooker would yield, so stock pot version it was!
Once your homemade chicken broth and pot is at a temperature that you are comfortable handling, use a strainer and transfer the broth to whatever storage container you want to use. If I am just keeping my broth in the fridge, 2 half gallon mason jars is what I will store it in. If I am planning to pressure can my homemade chicken broth, I store it in a larger plastic Rubbermaid container overnight. This makes it easier to separate the fat from the broth by skimming the top.
Storage of Homemade Chicken Broth
Store your broth in the fridge for about 5 days…I usually push it to a full 7. Use the broth as you wish in any recipe needing chicken broth. If you want to enhance a recipe, use it as a substitute for your water like in my Black Eyed Peas Recipe. Make a savory soup or a tasty gravy…just do it! I have never regretted making chicken broth to have on hand since we use so much of it around here! By utilizing a crock pot or instant pot, you can really make the process completely hands off!
If you want to pressure can your homemade chicken broth, follow this guide onHow to Can Chicken Broth.
Related Farmhouse 181 Posts
The best way I have found to really enjoy home cooking is by utilizing everything in our weekly meals. Making our meals more efficient from beginning to end keeps me loving my kitchen and cooking better meals for my family. See a few ways I like to season our chicken, roast chicken, use a whole chicken below where nothing goes to waste!
- One Pan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables with Legs or Thighs
- Farmhouse 181 Substitute for Poultry Seasoning No Sage!
- Quick Black-Eyed Peas Recipe (Pressure Cooker-Instant Pot)
Homemade Chicken Broth
Ingredients
- Chicken Carcass and/or Bones and Meat scraps
- 8-10 Quarts Water
- Salt to taste
- 5 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1-2 Whole Onions quartered
- 1-2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
- Add your chicken carcass, bones and meat scraps into a stock pot, crock pot, or instant pot and fill it with the water.
- Cut your onion into quarters and add to the pot.
- Add in your desired seasonings. Typically the longer you cook your broth the more flavor you gain. Add water as needed from evaporation.
Stock Pot
- Cook over high heat for an hour and a half or so, then turn to lower heat and simmer for another 2-3 hours.
Instant Pot
- Cook in your instant pot on high for 2 hours.
Crock Pot
- Cook in your crock pot on high for 8-12 hours.
Storage
- When your cooking pot is at a temperature you are comfortable handling, strain the broth and store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
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