Today I am showing you how to make chicken bone broth, a nutrient dense super food, and you can make it in the slow cooker, or my recent favorite – the Instant Pot (Amazon affiliate).
I sometimes call this chicken stock, even though using the two interchangeably is not completely accurate. Bone broth cooks the bones very long, until they become soft. Here is a great article that explains the difference, in case you are curious.
How to make chicken bone broth
First, gather your ingredients.
Ingredients
To make chicken bone broth you will need the following:
- chicken bones (I use the bones from roasted chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken)
- water
- apple cider vinegar
- salt and pepper
- bay leaf
- other aromatic veggie scraps – onions, celery garlic, carrot
Keeping a scrap bag in the freezer
The cool thing about chicken bone broth is that is a food that can be made from things that you normally throw away. You could store chicken bones in an airtight container in the freezer until you are ready to make it.
Heck, I even save the ends of my veggies (carrots, celery, onions, garlic, already used bay leaves). Talk about frugal! Those all can also be saved in the freezer in a freezer bag.
Cooking the chicken bone broth
Place all ingredients in a slow cooker, instant pot or in a stick pot on the stovetop, and fill with water.
For the slow cooker, cook on low for at least 12 hours, up to 24 hours.
In the Instant Pot, cook for 120 minutes on high pressure.
For the stovetop, after bringing to a boil, reduce to a simmer, partially cover, and cook for no less than 5 hours. (Note: For the stovetop method, you will likely need to add/ use more water as evaporation is much more of a factor.)
Once the cooking time is complete, use a strainer to separate the liquids from the solids.
How to Use Chicken Bone Broth
As for uses? When I am sick, I will drink a little bit warmed up, just straight out of a mug. It is actually pretty tasty, warm and comforting all by itself, if you ask me.
I use is to cook veggies in, like green beans, peas or lima beans. You can also use bone broths as the base for many sauces or gravies.
I also love to use it as a base for homemade chicken noodle soup. Chicken bone broth is a great base for many soups, actually.
Soup Recipes to Use Chicken Bone Broth
You may enjoy some of these recipes. They are some of my family’s favorites. You can make them with your chicken bone broth!🙌🏻 Some of them are Instant Pot recipes, some slow cooker and some are made on the stovetop.
- Chicken noodle soup from scratch
- Chicken tortilla soup in the slow cooker
- Chicken and corn chowder
- Turkey vegetable soup
- Lemon chicken orzo soup
- Slow cooker black bean soup (use in place of the vegetable stock)
- Instant Pot white chicken chili
- Ham and 15 bean soup (slow cooker or Instant Pot)
- Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup
- Broccoli cheese soup
- Instant Pot black bean soup (use in place of veggie stock listed in the recipe)
- Healthy lasagna soup (Instant Pot and stovetop instructions included)
- Pasta e fagioli soup (Instant Pot or stovetop instructions included)
- Irish potato leek soup (Instant Pot or stovetop instructions included)
- Instant Pot chicken and rice
Chicken Bone Broth FAQ’s
For about a week in the refrigerator.
As far as I can tell, yes. What makes it “bone broth” is the high levels of collagen. This is indicated by a gel-like texture once it is refrigerated. Mine gels every time I make it. Your bones-to-water ratio will determine how much collagen you get. For thicker stock, use less water or more bones.
If you are a stickler for the length of time, use the slow cooker method, provided in the recipe card. Either way works!
Yes! You can use any liquid that comes out from roasting that as well, as well as any skin, or any other part.
Yes. I often remove any leftover meat and set it aside. That being said, if you don’t plan on consuming the meat left on the bones, you can just go ahead and leave it on there.
I am not a medical or nutritional professional, and I do not pretend to be one on the internet. However, there are many potential health benefits reported to consuming bone broth.
They are both chicken broth by definition. However, chicken bone broth refers to a cooking process that extract the maximum nutrition, collagen, etc. out of the bones. This requires longer/ more cook time. Regular chicken broth can be made a bit quicker and will likely have less dense nutrition in the final product.
I do not find this necessary, especially if I am using the bones from an already-roasted chicken.
Yes! I have never used chicken feet, but they are said to be highest in collagen, and they make great chicken bone broth. We have been happy with the results we have using bones from a whole roasted chicken.
We have a reverse osmosis, so I use that for all of our cooking liquids. That being said, use the water that is available to you. Filtering is not a requirement.
Tools You Will Need to Make Bone Broth
Note: These are Amazon affiliate links.
- A large stock pot, or slow cooker, or Instant Pot (my personal favorite)
- A mesh strainer
to separate the liquid from the solid bits
- Storage containers – I recommend glass to store the broth, like these mason jars
(Do not use these to freeze! They may crack.)
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Chicken Bone Broth
Ingredients
- Bones from a whole chicken (I used the carcass of a store bought rotisserie chicken)
- 2 stalks of celery roughly chopped
- 2 large carrots roughly chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic smashed and peeled
- 1 onion quartered
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Fresh herbs (optional – I used parsley and thyme from the garden)
- salt and pepper to taste
- inches Cold water covering the chicken carcass by about 3-4
- 2 leaves bay (optional)
Instructions
STOVETOP
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Place the chicken bones into a 12-quart stock pot, and cover with water. In the Instant Pot, do not exceed about 2/3 full.
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Add the veggies, herbs and apple cider vinegar.
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Bring to a low boil.
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Reduce heat to the lowest setting.
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Partially cover, and simmer for at least 5 hours. You can cook it longer, but I would say no less than 5 hours. The longer the better!
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Strain and store in the refrigerator.
INSTANT POT
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Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot, and add water until it is about 2/3 full.
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Place the lid on, lock it, seal the vent.
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Use the manual setting to cook for 120 minutes.
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Use the quick release valve when time is up, or feel free to let it release naturally. Both ways work!
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After releasing pressure, remove the lid, and use a strainer to separate the liquids from the solids.
SLOW COOKER
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Place all ingredients in a slow cooker, and fill with water.
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Cook on low for at least 12 hours, up to 24 hours.
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Use a strainer to separate the liquids from the solids.
Have you ever made bone broth?
Are there any additional uses for bone broth that I didn’t mention?
This post may contain affiliate links, which pay a referral fee to me at no additional cost to you. My full affiliate disclosure can be seen here.
Joanna says
Im just making this now but it was a broth pack including feet from a local farm. Yje bones were raw and I missed the part about roasting them. Im going to simmer for 24 hours at least. Will that be ok to eat?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yes, that will be fine. I have never used feet, but I hear they make the best broth! Lots of collagen.
Rebecca says
I’m excited to make this bone broth! About how much can I expect one recipe to make? It says 10 servings, but I’m not quite sure what that serving size would be! Thanks!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Rebecca! It will be very close, if not equal, to the amount of water (in cups) that you use. Especially if you are making it in the slow cooker or Instant Pot. It may have some evaporation making it on the stovetop, so it will yield a little less than the cups of water you put in. I hope you enjoy it!
Mary says
i maade chicken broth soup little differently today with carrots celery with leaves, onion green onion whole garlic ginger. i sauteed them with olive oil and added some oregano, rosemary italion seasoning chinese spice whole star aniseed and little bit korean paste and i slow cooked for 12 hours it was really tasty.
our whole enjoyed it. befkre serving i grated little parmesan on it and in my bowl ibroke soem croutons. soo goood….
Mary
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Glad you enjoyed it Mary!💖
Chris says
Thank you for sharing!
Crol L says
Hello. I just made this and I had some issues with it: I cooked two chickens in the I.P.as directed. I then removed all of the meat and put the bones BACK into the pot with all of the broth, and NO water, just broth. (the broth at this point was thick and gelled, as if it was already “bone Broth”) I then cooked as these directions said to, but this time, when refrigerated, the broth is NOT gelled!!! What did I do wrong? Should I not have re-cooked it, because at the first point it WAS ALREADY bone broth?
Thanks for the help! I’m a bit new to the I.P, but I LOVE IT!!!
Mark Perkins says
I Enjoy making bone broth, Is it alright to out the chicken skin in the pot of broth? I am thinking that would enhance the flavour and nutrients…? Also thinking the fat from the skin decreases nutritional value.So,,,can chicken skin be used?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yes, I always include the skin and all parts of the chicken. Fat can be skimmed off the top once it cools, if you wish.
Barbara Lam says
I have developed extremely painful arthritis in my legs the past few years. Has anyone found the bone broth to help arthritis? Thanks for the recipe!!!
PS
My caps won’t work in this comment- sorry.
Cheryl says
I have been drinking bone broth for about a month and it has really helped my knee pain
Clotilde says
I really enjoy drinking bone broth! It has helped
my osteoarthritis and overall pain a lot. I used to be sensitive to specific food types.
I feel that the bone broth has improved my digestion.
It appears I have more energy now that I have included bone broth into my
daily diet. What do you think about drinking it with a collagen pill for more benefits?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am so glad that the bone broth is helping you, Clotilde! I do not have any experience with taking collagen pills, since I have never tried them myself.🤔
Steventoney17@gmail.com says
I cooked a whole chicken in my crockpot without any water for 4 hours or so with red onions, tspn garlic powder, tspn ginger, tspn turmeric, n after 4 hours I took all meat off the bones n put the bones back in the pot n added 8 cups of water n let it cook for 16 hours n I strained the juice n put it in a mason jar n put in the fridge but it’s dark colored. WOuld u recommend to drink or is there something else I needed to do before DRINKING??
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Sounds delicious! Dark broth is great.👌🏻 FYI: Sometimes the seasoning from the chicken can affect the broth color, but you should be good to drink it. I also use mine in soup recipes that call for chicken broth. It makes them SO much better tasting, plus you still get all the nutritional benefits of the bone broth.
Jess Poole says
This was my First time making bone broth and it was delicious 😋
i cooked in the slow cooker on low for 24 hours
Thank you for sharing this recipe
Jess
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Awesome, yay! SO happy to hear that you enjoyed it Jess.🙌🏻
elizabeth buhl says
I thought bone broth had to be cooked 25-72 hours? Isn’t this just chicken broth not bone broth? Bone broth is supposed to be amazing it can cure your gut & help arthritis. So wouldn’t it be great to cook it 25 plus hours? I pray that the LORD blesses and keeps you and your whole family. besides that it seems like a wonderful recipe. Elizabeth Buhl
Mary Haden says
By following the above link (https://nourishedkitchen.com/bone-broth/) you will find definitions of BROTH, stock and bone broth.
I’ve c/p the main comparison here for you:
Broth is typically made with meat and can contain a small amount of bones (think of the bones in a fresh whole chicken). Broth is typically simmered for a short period of time (45 minutes to 2 hours). It is very light in flavor, thin in texture and rich in protein.
Stock is typically made with bones and can contain a small amount of meat (think of the meat that adheres to a beef neck bone). Often the bones are roasted before simmering them as this simple technique greatly improves the flavor. Beef stocks, for example, can present a faint acrid flavor if the bones aren’t first roasted. Stock is typically simmered for a moderate amount of time (3 to 4 hours). Stock is a good source of gelatin.
Bone Broth is typically made with bones and can contain a small amount of meat adhering to the bones. As with stock, bones are typically roasted first to improve the flavor of the bone broth. Bone broths are typically simmered for a very long period of time (often for 8 hours, and sometimes in excess of 24 hours), with the purpose being not only to produce gelatin from collagen-rich joints but also to release a small amount of trace minerals from bones. At the end of cooking, the bones should crumble when pressed lightly between your thumb and forefinger.
Donegan Kelly says
I have only made one pot of bone broth, but I use all of the vegetable that I stuffed the bird with as well as the skin and juice from the crock pot. one more thing is to use a vegetable with lots of flavor ; such as turnip , parsnip, or even a fresh scrubbed beet. yes it will be red but the flavor is incredible. You just have to convince the family that it’s just Beet juice. thank-you for all of your wonderful recipes.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
You are so welcome! I have never tried that with adding a beet. Great tip!