Instant Pot Chicken Broth

Instant Pot chicken broth is the easiest and cheapest way to make homemade chicken broth. Using whatever veggies and herbs you have, in just a few hours you'll have a delicious soup base or flavorful cooking liquid.

Homemade chicken broth is a staple in my kitchen, I  use it everywhere -  soups, stews, roast beef or lamb recipes, gravy, you name it.

It is made in a pressure cooker using a couple of chicken backs or chicken bones, veggies, kitchen scraps, herbs, and water. It's much more flavorful and cheaper than anything you can buy from the store!

Difference between broth, stock, and bone broth

Often times these terms are used interchangeably, but there are subtle differences between all three! 

Broth: This is made by simmering meat with water, vegetables, and seasonings. It has a clearer color and usually only simmered for a couple of hours. 

Stock: Bones are simmered for a long time. Stocks usually don’t contain any seasonings and can have a slightly darker color. 

Bone broth: A mix of bones, meat, vegetables, and seasonings simmered for a long time. Because it cooks for so long, the gelatin and minerals are released from the bones and into the broth. The bones become very soft and once the broth cools it can be jiggly and very gelatinous.

This recipe is closer to a bone broth because I like to cook everything for a long time for maximum flavor! 

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Homemade Chicken Broth Ingredients

Chicken bones or carcasses - I usually cook 1 - 2 chicken backs whenever I make chicken broth. We buy whole chickens whenever we go grocery shopping because it's waaaay cheaper than buying precut pieces. My younger sister or I will cut the chicken into 8 pieces leaving the back and wing tips for broth. The wing tips don't have much meat on them but they are rich in collagen and make the chicken broth more gelatinous.

You can find whole chicken backs at Whole Foods or ask your butcher. If you don't have backs use a couple of pounds of chicken thighs or legs instead!

Vegetables - Use whatever you have! Onions, garlic, zucchini, tomatoes, celery stalks, carrots, and ginger. Whatever vegetables you would normally put in a soup, you can add to your chicken broth.

On that note, I would stay away from leafy greens and vegetables in the broccoli and cabbage family because they will give the broth a weird flavor.

I like to use a couple of onions, garlic, 1 -2 carrots(too many can make the broth too sweet), and celery.

Herbs - fresh or dried. Dried rosemary, dried thyme, dried oregano, whole peppercorns, bay leaves, and a little bit of all-purpose seasoning. Use the herbs you like, just make sure to not add too much because the seasonings can take over the flavor of the chicken broth.

Apple cider vinegar (optional)- Sometimes I like to cook my broth with a splash of apple cider vinegar. It helps to bring out more of the minerals in the bones. You can't taste it in the final broth but it's completely optional.

Salt - So your broth isn't flavorless.  We don't want it to taste salty or anything. Just add enough so that your broth doesn't taste bland by itself.

Water - 4 - 6 cups filtered water. My younger sister likes to add less water because she wants her broth to be as concentrated as possible, and I add more water because I want more broth.

How to Make Homemade Chicken Broth In the Instant Pot

All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1. Add the chicken backs or chicken bones to the Instant pot or pressure cooker. Then add in the rest of the veggies, herbs, salt, apple cider vinegar(if you are using it), and water.

Step 2. Cover with the pressure cooker lid and seal. Push the Soup/Broth button and then cook on HIGH pressure for 4 hours.

Step 3. Once chicken broth is finished cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally for 30 minutes so the hot broth doesn’t get all over you and your kitchen!

Step 4. Set a strainer over a large bowl. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken back, and veggies. Everything should be very soft and falling apart - this is what we want. Discard bones and veggies. 

Step 5. Pour broth into quart-sized mason jars. Sometimes I like to filter the broth one more time through a fine mesh sieve, just to make sure any herbs or small chunks of veggies are filtered out so I’m left with a clear broth. 

Step 6. Allow the broth to cool completely. Then store in the refrigerator. At this point, you can scrape the fat off the top if you like. Now your homemade chicken is ready to use in your favorite recipes!

How to Use Homemade chicken broth

You can use this chicken bone broth for any recipe calling for broth. It adds a rich and savory flavor to almost any recipe. Check out some of these other recipes for more inspiration!

• Vegetable Lentil soup
• Red Lentil Soup
• Instant Pot Chili
• Loaded Baked Potato Soup
• Chicken Sausage Gravy and Biscuits
• Double Crust Chicken Pot Pie

Storing Instant pot chicken broth

Refrigerator: After straining the chicken broth into mason jars, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Freezer: After the broth has cooled you can pour the broth into plastic baggies to freeze. Make sure to seal them thoroughly and don’t overfill the bags because the broth will expand as it freezes. 

Broth ice cubes: You could also pour the broth into an ice cub tray. I like this method better than the baggies because I can add broth cubes to my recipes easier without always having to thaw a baggie full of broth. After the cubes are frozen you can store them in a freezer-safe gallon baggies in the freezer until you are ready to use them.

Recipe Notes:

• You can remove any meat from the chicken backs or bones and use it in soups and stews, or chicken pot pie.

• Instead of cooking the chicken broth for 4 hours on HIGH pressure, you can cook it for 2 hours with 4 cups of water. The bones won’t be as soft, but the broth will be more concentrated. 
• After the cooking time has finished, allow the Instant Pot to release the pressure naturally for at least 30 minutes. This is to ensure that hot cooking liquid from the vent doesn’t go all over your kitchen!

Recommended Tools

Instant Pot - 6 quart size

Quart-sized mason jars

Ice cube tray, for freezing the broth

Frequently Asked Questions

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