Demystifying how to make chicken broth. It's really easy, delicious and acts as a base for tons of stuff like soups, stews and sauces. Or of course, classic chicken soup. How to make delicious broth and how to preserve it by pressure canning or freezing. Everybody calm down. It's easy.
With the chilly months (ass freezing cold) descending upon North America, all thoughts lead to soup. And gravy. And outrageously dry skin. This chicken broth recipe can help with 2 of those things, and if you're really careful, maybe even all three.
If you've always been confounded by the thought of making your own chicken broth get ready to be unconfounded. Once you learn how easy it is to make you'll have no more excuses. You'll have to make it. Why would you make your own broth you ask? Well 'cause it tastes better. A lot better. Loads better. Better.
I spent last weekend canning
Last weekend I used up every last jar in my house plus had to buy more making chicken broth so I thought now's the perfect time to talk broth. Especially for any American followers of mine who are getting close to Thanksgiving and therefore a turkey carcass.
Table of Contents
What's Chicken Broth?
Chicken broth is the broth that's made after simmering chicken carcasses that still have lots of meat on them. It takes a minimum of 3 hours of simmering to get a good tasting broth.
Then what is Stock?
Chicken stock is a thick, gelatinous substance that's made after simmering chicken carcasses and bones in water to extract both flavour and gelatin from the bones. It doesn't stay thin and liquidy like a broth. It sets up a bit. It takes a minimum of 6 hours of simmering and lots of bones to get a good stock. 12 hours is even preferable.
What is Bone Broth?
It's what hipsters call Chicken stock. Although I'm not sure they realize it's the same thing. The term became popular around the same time the paleo diet did, so I blame them.
What goes in it?
Add chicken, carrots, celery, onions, parsley stems, salt, pepper and water to a pot, simmer it for 3 hours and you have chicken broth. Once simmered, strain it and store it. That's all there is to it. Sure, sure, I grow my own carrots, celery, onions etc., but it makes ZERO difference in broth so if you're low on homegrown just use veg from the store.
It's really hard to screw it up.
Broth is just made with some chicken and whatever junk you have leftover in your crisper, but I know a lot of people prefer a proper recipe with measured ingredients as opposed to "throw whatever isn't weird & mouldy into the pot".
karen bertelsen
Last weekend I made and canned 74 cups of broth. It involved 2 stock pots, 1 pressure canner, a whack of vegetables, 2 full turkey carcasses and a few chicken ones as well.
That's a lotta broth. About 36 pint jars.
How I Make TONS of Broth
I just keep freezing letovers.
I start my chicken broth months in advance of making it. Every time I cook a chicken, turkey or debone chicken breasts I take all the leftover bits and bones and throw them in a plastic bag and chuck the whole lot in the freezer.
I just keep adding and adding to the plastic bag until I don't have room left in the freezer for any more. Or in the case of this weekend, I took one of the 2 turkey carcasses I had in there out to get to something behind it and I couldn't fit it back into the freezer no matter how I rearranged things.
When I can't shove the frozen chickens back in the freezer without the door popping open, that's how I know it's going to be a broth weekend.
But you don't need to have that much. You can also just go out and buy 2 stewing hens to make a good pot of broth.
When the day comes to make it, I give myself plenty of time to cook it down. It isn't a lot of work, it just takes a while to reduce. Like a hyperactive child that's bouncing off the walls after a big day, you have to give it time to simmer down. You want to make sure you aren't starting it at 10 o'clock at night, because it takes a minimum of 3 hours to turn chicken and bones into broth.
To make chicken broth, gather your ingredients. Some carrots, onions, celery, parsley stems, salt and pepper.
You'll also need that whack of chicken parts I was talking about. All this came out of my freezer, including the carcass from a Thanksgiving turkey. I have been known to auction off the turkey carcass after Thanksgiving dinner to the highest bidder at our family dinner.
Just throw everything into a large stock pot. It'll fit better if you break the carcass up. Which is gross and feels borderline psychotic. You have to crack the bones apart and smash it to separate everything.
Once you do that though it'll all fit into your pot a lot better than if you leave it whole.
Cover everything with cold water. The water should cover everything by at least 2 inches and YES - you should use cold water.
Why use cold water?
Certain proteins in chicken bones only dissolve in cold water. That means you'll get a clearer broth if you start with cold water.
Hot water on the other hand extracts more of the insoluble proteins from the chicken and they float around looking all lumpy and cloudy
So. Cold water for your broth.
Bring the whole thing just to a boil, and then simmer for a mimimum of 3 hours. Do not boil it for 3 hours .. simmer it. After 3 hours give it a taste. If it tastes like chicken broth, you're done. If you simmer it for another 3 hours or so, you'll end up with chicken stock. A more reduced, stronger, thicker version of broth. Also, the more bones in relation to meat you use, the more jelly-like your product will be.
After you've simmered the broth down, strain it through a collander into a bowl. Into a few bowls actually. You've just made a LOT of broth. Show off.
Then strain it again through cheesecloth to remove any little bits of stuff.
Once you have the broth fully strained stick it in the fridge overnight to allow the fat to rise and solidify at the top. Once it's done that, you can take it out off the fridge and remove the hardened fat with a spoon.
If the fat hasn't solidified entirely you can also use this trick to remove the fat. And yes. It's exactly as satisfying as it looks.
How to Store the Broth by Freezing
The fastest, easiest way to store your homemade broth is to freeze it.
Measure out 2 cup portions into baggies and lay them flat in the freezer. That way they take up the least amount of space, are easy to store in the freezer and are all kinds of convenient.
I do the same thing with soup.
However, as convenient as freezing is as a storage method I really REALLY like preserving chicken broth. Popping open a jar is even easier and it leaves more room in my freezer for storing those big old carcasses.
Canning Chicken Broth
There are two methods of canning - the water bath method which can be used for higher acid foods, and pressure canning which HAS to be used for low acid foods.
Chicken broth has to be pressure canned. That means you're going to need to use a pressure canner. Again I say, calm down.
I use this 22 quart Mirro pressure canner. It’s among the lowest priced pressure canners and has always worked very well but has the WORST instruction booklet probably ever made.
If you want to go high end, the best of the best, The All American Pressure Canner is the way to go.
How to Pressure Can Chicken Broth
Organize yourself. Get everything ready. New sealers bought, rings and jars washed. Funnel and tea towels at the ready.
Prepare
- Heat 3″ of water in a pressure canner.
- Check your jars for cracks or chips. Get rid of any that have either.
- Heat the good jars in the oven at 225 F / 105 C oven. Leave them in there until you're ready to use them.
- Heat your broth in a large pot making sure it comes to a boil then keep at a very low simmer
- Pull one jar out of the oven using tongs and then place a funnel in the top. Fill with hot broth using a ladle. Fill the jar so there is 1" of headspace.
TIP
In canning, the “headspace” is the amount of space you leave between the rim of the jar and whatever you’re filling it with. Each thing you can requires a different headspace. For example canning tomatoes might require a ½" of head space while canning chicken broth requires an inch. Usually the thinner the liquid the more headspace it requires because it pulls up towards the lid easier when under pressure. The reason you leave headspace is so the liquid isn’t pulled all the way out of the sealer when under pressure. This would prevent a seal from happening.
- Wipe the rim of the jar with a damp towel to make sure it's clean. If anything at all is left on the rim the jar will not seal.
- Place a new sealer on the jar and finger tighten a ring on.
Finger tighten means tighten the ring as much as you can while using only your index finger and thumb.
TIP
Don't over tighten your rings. As a side note, once your jars have sealed you can remove the rings. There’s no reason for them to remain on the jar. The seals are what keeps the jar sealed. The rings are only needed during the actual sealing process.
- Using the jar lifter, place your hot packed jars into the pressure canner. Different products and sized jars require different processing times.
For chicken broth in 500 ml jars (pint) you process for 20 minutes.
If you are using 1 litre (quart) jars, process for 25 minutes.*
Before processing you need to “vent” your canner. Get rid of the air/steam inside so you can build up the proper pressure. To vent your canner:
- Put the lid on your canner (without the weight on it) and turn it up to medium/high. When steam starts coming out of the top, set your timer for 10 minutes. Once those 10 minutes are up your canner has been properly vented and you’re good to continue.
- Put your 10lb weight on the canner* and wait for it to come to pressure. When the weight jiggles or knocks a few times every minute, your canner is up to pressure. Only start your timer for processing once your canner is up to pressure. This can take several minutes.
* NOTE: If you live anywhere above an altitude of 1,000 feet you’ll need to change the weight used when canning. This page has a great adjustment chart and link to finding out your altitude.
- When your timer goes off and your jars have finished processing, turn the stove off. Leave the lid on and allow the pressure canner to return to normal pressure. Once the pressure is down to normal you can remove the lid. Wait another 10 minutes and then remove your jars.
Chicken Broth
Ingredients
- 2 chickens
- 3 medium onions cut in half
- 4 large carrots
- 1 bunch celery use 4" of the root end. Just cut it off.
- 1 cup parsley stems only (I tie them together, you don't have to)
- 4 Tbsps salt
- cold water to cover ingredients by 2 inches
- 12 peppercorns
Instructions
- Put everything into a large stock pot. Cover with cold water by 2 inches and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 3 hours. Skim surface guck for the first 15 minutes if necessary.
- Your broth will have reduced by about ⅓rd by the end of 3 hours. Strain everything through a colander and then again through cheesecloth. Add salt if necessary.
- Refrigerate broth overnight to solidify the fat. After refrigeration, remove fat from top of broth with a spoon or paper towel. Measure into baggies and freeze or continue on to pressure canning instructions.
PRESSURE CANNING
- Heat 3″ of water in a pressure canner.
- Check your jars for cracks or chips. Get rid of any that have either. Heat the good jars in the oven at 225 F / 105 C oven. Leave them in there until you’re ready to use them.
- Heat your broth in a large pot making sure it comes to a boil then keep at a very low simmer.
- Pull one jar out of the oven using tongs and then place a funnel in the top. Fill with hot broth using a ladle. Fill the jar so there is 1″ of headspace.*
- Wipe the rim of the jar with a damp towel to make sure it’s clean. Place a new sealer on the jar and finger tighten a ring on.*
- Using the jar lifter, place your hot packed jars into the pressure canner.
- Vent your canner for 10 minutes.
- Add 10 lb weight to canner and heat until at pressure.
- Process 500 ml jars for 20 minutes or 1 L jars for 25 minutes once the canner is at pressure.
- Once the time is up, turn the stove off and wait for the pressure to reduce. Once it does you can remove your lid. Wait 10 minutes and then remove the jars with tongs. Leave the jars undisturbed for several hours while they seal and cool down.
- Before storing, remove the rings from the jars.
Notes
- In canning, the “headspace” is the amount of space you leave between the rim of the jar and whatever you’re filling it with. Each thing you can requires a different headspace. For example canning tomatoes might require a ½″ of head space while canning chicken broth requires an inch. Usually the thinner the liquid the more headspace it requires because it pulls up towards the lid easier when under pressure. The reason you leave headspace is so the liquid isn’t pulled all the way out of the sealer when under pressure. This would prevent a seal from happening.
- Finger tighten means tighten the ring as much as you can while using only your index finger and thumb.
- Don’t over tighten your rings. As a side note, once your jars have sealed you can remove the rings. There’s no reason for them to remain on the jar. The seals are what keeps the jar sealed. The rings are only needed during the actual sealing process.
- If you live anywhere above an altitude of 1,000 feet you’ll need to change the weight used when canning.
Nutrition
The only time canning is dangerous is when you don’t follow the directions. You MUST follow the instructions exactly. If you under process you’ll be in trouble. If you don’t use the proper headspace you could be in trouble. If you don’t use the exact ingredients called for you’ll be in trouble.
But as long as you can follow the rules … no trouble. Just don’t wing it.
Buying Guide
Home Canning kit (with tongs, funnel etc.)
Shafawn Pinn
I followed this recipe exactly, and I found it far too salty. The rest very tasty, but I would definitely do half the recommended salt next time.
Robin Carter
Here's a trick I use when making broth/stock or soup w/chicken. I wrap all the chicken in cheesecloth and tie it up then throw it in the pot. When it's done I just fish the cheesecloth wrapped chicken out of the pot, let cool, unwrap and debone! I rarely end up with a bone in my soups. taaa daaa!
Kirsten
Hi!
Remove the hardened fat with a spoon and....? Discard?
Karen
Yep. Unless you want to save it for something else. ~ karen!
Maria Barragan
I love your chili sauce, and chicken broth recipes. I just spent some days in Italy, and my Italian host cooked everything with chicken broth. Her food was delicious! I also love your flower arrangements. I have dahlias and plenty of greenery in my garden. And also chicken wire somewhere in my storage room. I am ready to start your flower and kitchen projects!
Karen
Thanks Maria! And yes, chicken broth makes everythingggg better. Except maybe breakfast cereal. ;) ~ karen!
Liam
I make my own stock, and I've learned through trial and error. The only problem I ever had was adjusting my water as I was greedy, and tended to use too much at first. I have 2 questions:
Number 1. What is your take on cracking the bones prior to boiling to get all that marrowy goodness? I tried this once, and I got a darker, richer looking broth, but it wasn't necessarily tastier. However, this was a while ago, during my H2ONo stage. Is this worth my time, or does the marrow already get extracted somehow during the boiling process?
Number 2. (hee, hee) Somebody mentioned the pressure cooker method here, and my sister swears by it and its "superior" flavor. What is your take on stockpot versus pressure cooker broth / stock? Thanks for your time, and have a great day!
Elissa
RE: Marti's post from 11/1:
I too save the carcasses from the Costco rotisserie chicken, and make wonderful stock from it. I have an ulterior motive, other than just making delicious stock. My almost 11 year old cat Darwin has become a diabetic. With that, (and after I stopped crying and then learned how to test his blood glucose and give him injections)I'd like to say that his tastebuds have changed. And now, Darwin the diabetic cat lives almost exclusively on Costco rotisserie chicken, moistened with my rotisserie chicken carcass stock!
So if this whole "working all the time in our family biz for the past almost 40 years" thing doesn't work out, I can become a famous rotisserie chicken carcass stock chef and will feed all the diabetic cats in the world.
Mary
I make all my chicken stock in the pressure canner. It only takes about 30 minutes once the pressure comes up. I strain it, leave it in the fridge overnight for the fat to solidify & then the next day I skim off the fat & pressure can it like normal. WAY easier than simmering for hours. You should have a recipe in the Ball Blue Book & I know that there's one in the instruction manual/recipe guide that came with my canner.
Alisha
Make it a little richer tasting and add saved rinds from parmesan cheese! It's the best food hack ever.
Karen
Hi Alisha! You're right. Paremesan rinds in soup is delicious! I do it with Tortellini En Brodo all the time! I'd rather leave the parmesan until after you've made your basic broth though because not everything would benefit from the parmesan flavour in the broth. Now I want Tortellini En Brodo. ~ karen!
sara
I know somebody said this earlier, but I'm saying it again- now that you have your garden, you should consider saving the extra parts of your vegetables you don't eat! Whenever I cook, I throw the ends and peels of carrots, ends and skin of onions, ends of zucchini, stems of peppers, celery scraps and leaves, even potato peels in a container in the freezer, and once it's full, I make broth out of it. That way, it's for free!
mmarg
Another way to add flavor to your chicken broth, is to brown the bonew and scraps in a hot (400) oven for 20 mins before you put them in the soup pot.
Marg
Karen
Marg - True. But since my soup bones are from already cooked roasted chickens there's no need for me. ~ karen!
Mary Werner
I keep frozen peas for nibbling - similar to having a snack of ice cream for me and I love the LONG time it takes to eat them. Usually only have 3 peas on the spoon at a time since I have cold sensitive teeth but they are good for diabetics - low on glycemic index. Kids seem to enjoy this strange tasty treat also BUT never if asked do you want ice cream or pea balls. Just ask if they want frozen pea balls. Their expression is so funny.
Mary W
I forgot about this comment but I'm still eating pea balls and now have a couple of the grands eating them as a treat, also. It was novel at first but when my freezer was void of ice cream, they began reaching for the tiny frozen peas and eating them while watching TV. I still love them, also.
Angela
Great broth!! Thanks for the directions!!
Karen
No problem! ~ karen
Tricia Rose
I make a small quantity of stock each week or so with the carcass of the Costco barbeque chicken - my freezer is way to small to stuff up with bones unfortunately. I'm going to try the vinegar trick though.
Lindsay
I just made my first homemade broth a few weeks ago. I bought "whole cut chicken" (total oxymoron) on sale - it was about 1/2 the price of boneless skinless breasts. I boiled the whole thing with my veggies and once cooled I pulled all of the meat off and used it for various meals that week, plus I have a bunch of broth in my freezer, I love it!!!!
Jen
We do the exact same thing, and it is great. When we need a quick meal, we can pull out the meat we've divided into servings, thaw it (which is quick) and toss it into a stir-fry, rice dish, or anything else we happen to come up with. Two birds with one stone- homemade broth and cooked chicken ready to toss into a quick dinner.
Susan
Easy way to get the fat off the top:
Put in fridge until fat hardens on the surface, then lay a paper towel on it carefully. Then lift it off and the fat sticks to it and comes off with it. xx
Jessica
I always add a splash of vinegar to the pot when I'm making stock. Supposedly the acid in the vinegar helps to pull more calcium and nutrients out of the bones.
I don't know if it actually works, but it doesn't change the flavor, and I might as well try to make a healthier stock or broth!
Jamieson
I've been soaking in this stock for hours now and still no dry skin relief. What am I doing wrong?
Sara
You need to soak in it BEFORE you remove the fat, not after. Congrats on becoming a soggy dumpling, though.
Nancy
Only you would think of attacking people with frozen food Karen..I woke up this morning thinking "I am hungry for chicken corn soup"..I will take your post as a sign that I am indeed supposed to make the soup..I also make my own broth which is much yummier than anything in a can..Since this our month for Thanksgiving turkey I will have a bag in the freezer to save odds and ends of bread for stuffing also..
Kate S.
I use a vinegar and water base for making stocks and broths; I've read that acidic wine or vinegar actually helps draw minerals, particularly calcium, magnesium and potassium, out of the bones and into the broth. I use a tablespoon of vinegar for every two quarts of water and let the meat/bones soak in it for 30-minutes to an hour before heating.
Also, somewhat interestingly, yours was the third blog I've read today to feature a stock recipe. I guess it's that time of year!
Liam
My wife tells me a good use for vinegar on bones is to soak the wish bone in it long enough to saturate it, take it out, dry it off, and give it to the kids to break. The thing is like rubber, and 99 times out of 100 it just won't snap. She says hilarious watching them tug and tug with all their might, all for naught. She was a victim of this as a child, and I think it still haunts her to this day, lol! Hey, sometimes parents can use a good laugh too!
Juliette
Liam, thanks for sharing this jewel of an idea. Hope you don’t mind it I steal it and make it part of our tradition! Love this idea I am also a bit nerdy about these things😁Giggling with delight🥰
lori
Hey Karen you are the best!! you should consider writing a book. bet it would be a best seller!!
love your blog!