Homemade Chicken Broth, Fresh and Simple
Serves 12
10 mins prep
120 mins cook
130 mins total
A go-to recipe for basic homemade chicken broth, perfect to stash in your fridge and freezer! Use this light, flavorful broth in soup recipes, add to pan sauces and enrich the flavor of just about everything you cook. This rich-tasting chicken broth simmers on the stovetop for 3 hours, or cooks in 1 hour in an electric pressure cooker.
Yield: About 3 quarts
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This recipe yields about 12 cups (3 quarts) of chicken broth. Scale it up or down as needed, using a 1:1 ratio of chicken per quart of water.
Stovetop method
Put the chicken parts in a large stock pot. Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, parsley, bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Pour the water into the pot and place over medium-high heat. If the water doesn't completely cover everything by at least an inch, add a bit more.
Bring to a boil, then immediately lower the heat to medium-low. Simmer the broth at a gentle bubble for 3 hours, without stirring. To ensure a clear (not cloudy) broth, keep your eye on the heat throughout the cooking to be sure the liquid doesn't come back to a full boil.
Spread a piece of cheesecloth over a colander, and set the colander over a large bowl. If you don't have cheesecloth, choose a fine mesh strainer. Strain the broth into the bowl and cool to room temperature. Transfer the broth to storage containers and refrigerate.
Pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot) method
Add all ingredients to a pressure cooker pot. Be sure the water doesn't come more than ⅔ of the way up sides of the pot. Cook on high pressure for one hour. Release the pressure naturally. Strain, cool and store the broth as directed above.
