Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth
With just a few simple ingredients that are easy to find in your pantry, you'll be on your way to making Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth in a fraction of the time. Use this homemade broth or chicken stock as a base for hearty soups and other recipes.
Why this works
- "Zero Waste" - using the leftover bones instead of throwing them away along with your kitchen scraps is a great way to make your carbon footprint in your home smaller.
- Economical - by using what you have on hand you'll have less food waste, and will save dollars with homemade bone broth instead of expensive store-bought ones. The next time you make an Instant Pot Turkey Breast or Instant Pot Whole Chicken you'll want to save those bones!
- Quick - this simple recipe takes far less cooking time than the traditional methods of making homemade chicken broth. A little over 2 hours is a lot quicker than the 24-hour broths that are made in the slow cooker or on the stove.
- Good for you - as the bones and connective tissue cook the essential nutrients will release for a nutritious bone broth. The benefits of bone broth include getting lots of good collagen, amino acids, minerals, essential fatty acids, and good vitamins that are great for your immune system.
Ingredients you will need
Here is a quick snapshot of the ingredients you'll need. Scroll down to the recipe card where you'll find exact measurements.
Ingredient notes
- Chicken or turkey bones - the best bones to use are leftover chicken bones from roasted chicken or turkey bones that still have a little bit of meat left on them. Store-bought rotisserie chicken is a quick way to get the bones you need for the recipe. You can also add in some of the skin or the chicken feet as well.
- Vegetables- you can use a variety of vegetable scraps for your Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth. The basics are celery, onion, and carrots. You can leave them unpeeled if you like. I often will collect discards throughout the week in a bag to use.
- Seasonings - the sky's the limit based on your tastes. The basics are an assorted bunch of herbs, garlic cloves, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
- Apple cider vinegar - not shown but add this to help pull the nutrients from the other ingredients.
How to make this
Step 1: Prepare the ingredients and cook the stock
Remove any leftover meat from the chicken carcass. If you have large bones that don't fit be sure to break them so they do fit.
Put the bones of the chicken in the Instant Pot, and add to this the sliced celery, carrots, and onions. Add the fresh herbs, garlic cloves, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
Fill the pot with water until the ingredients are barely covered being careful not to overfill past the max fill line. Do not fill to more than ? full, and it is okay if stuff is sticking out above the water. The contents will produce more liquid as they cook.
Seal the lid according to your manufacturer's directions. Cook for 120 minutes on high pressure then follow with a full natural pressure release. It should take around 15-30 minutes for the float valve to drop.
Step 2: Straining and finishing the chicken bone broth
Once the chicken bone broth is done cooking strain the homemade chicken bone broth into a separate large bowl or pan to remove the bones, vegetables, and other items.
Strain the broth a second time to get the small impurities and pieces using some cheesecloth over a colander or a fine mesh strainer.
Expert tips
Leave some skin on the bones, and saute in the Instant Pot in some olive oil for a few minutes for an extra layer of flavor for your stock. If you choose to add salt to the broth be careful as the salt concentration can become high from this.
Avoid brassica or cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, collard greens, or kale as they can make the chicken stock bitter.
FAQs
Yes, if it is cooked for more than 18 hours it will become bitter. Since this is cooked in under three hours for this recipe there is no danger of this.
Yes, you can but with each use, you will get less flavor and gelatin each time they are used.
You bet you can! This makes the finished product have a deeper and richer flavor.
Serving suggestions
You can serve warm broth immediately as a comforting drink or a light course before the main meal. Often the finished Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth is used to make pasta, flavor vegetable dishes like Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, or in soups.
It's a great addition to Chicken and Dumplings to make them more robust. Use it for your mashed potatoes, to cook vegetables in, or as part of a base for delicious gravies and sauces.
Storage & Reheating
You can use the Instant Pot Chicken Bone broth immediately, or store it in an airtight container or mason jars for up to one week.
Reheat in the Instant Pot on warm, in the microwave, or on the stove. For longer storage freeze or can. Be sure to use current standard canning practices as the Instant Pot cannot be used for canning.
You can also freeze your stock in ice cube trays, or the silicon trays you use for egg bites. Once frozen pop into plastic freezer bags, date, and freeze for up to six months. Thaw the same way you would reheat the broth.
If you decide to can the broth remember that most models of Instant Pots are not to be used for pressure canning. Be sure you use proper equipment for canning food, and consult a canning guide in order to do this safely.
Recipes using chicken broth
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Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth
Ingredients
- 1 carcass or assortment of poultry bones with some meat and skin on
- 2 ribs celery sliced
- 2 carrots sliced, can be peeled or not
- 1 onion, large sliced
- 2 garlic cloves optional
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 bunch herbs assorted to your taste
- pepper to taste
- salt optional, can cause the final dish to be to salty
- 12 cups water
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the Instant Pot. Fill with water to barely cover contents being careful not to fill past the max line or ⅔ full. The vegetables will produce additional liquid. It is okay to leave some parts sticking out above the water.
- Seal the lid according to the manufacturer's directions, and cook on high pressure for 120 minutes then follow with a full natural pressure release. The full NPR will take around 20-30 minutes.
- Strain first through a collander to remove the large bits and pieces.
- Strain a second time through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
- Use immediately or store for up to one week in an airtight container. Can be frozen in ice cube trays, placed in plastic freezer bags, and kept up to six months.
Notes
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