How to Make Homemade Chicken Bone Broth

I’m showing you how to make homemade chicken bone broth. Immune-boosting and nutrient-dense, chicken broth is one thing that should be a staple in every household. There’s a reason why Grandma made chicken soup when illness hit. The benefits of bone broth are huge for your immune system. They help your gut health, digestive tract, joint pain, and so much more. You will want to drink and cook with this on a regular basis , especially if you have a leaky gut.

Here on 1898 Ranch, our homestead, we pasture raise chickens. If you are able to do that, I suggest doing it. Raising your own meat chickens guarantees you will have the most nutrients available in your chickens. If you can’t raise your own chickens, try to buy pasture-raised chickens from a local farmer. While this recipe works for conventional store-bought chickens, you won’t get as many health benefits. 

This recipe also works for turning your turkey bones into turkey broth, beef bones into beef broth, or any raw bones into a batch of bone broth.

Scroll down for the recipe card.

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Equipment Needed

Crockpot, Instant Pot, or Stock pot – In the past, I used to always make my bone broth in the crockpot. That was until I made it in the instant pot. While making it in the crockpot works phenomenally, I hated waking up in the middle of the night to the chicken broth smell. With the instant pot, the process is much faster. 

Fine Mesh Strainer

Funnel 

Containers

Ingredients Needed

Chicken Bones- these can come from any whole chicken you make. Whether you raised them yourselves or just bought a Costco rotisserie chicken, never throw your leftover bones away!

Filtered Water- about a gallon of water. We have a Berkey, which provides quality, great-tasting water. Once you taste Berkey water, you will turn into a water snob. At least that’s what happened to me. There really is a taste difference in water. 

Vegetables- I like to keep a freezer bag in the freezer to put all my vegetable scraps into. If you don’t have veggie scraps saved up, grab some carrots, onions, celery, and garlic. 

Apple Cider Vinegar – ACV is optional, however I have found it to make a difference. If you don’t have broth that gels up, this is key! ACV draws out collagen, gelatin, and minerals from the bones. 

Salt– if you don’t have real sea salt, I suggest skipping this step. Cheap salt won’t be beneficial for your health. 

How to Make Homemade Chicken Bone Broth

Add chicken bones, veggies, water, and apple cider vinegar into your instant pot, crockpot, or stockpot.

Next, here are different ways to make homemade bone broth.

How to Cook in Stockpot

1. Place the stockpot on the stove top over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil.
2. After about 20 minutes, scum will start rising to the surface. Skim off as needed. 
3. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer for up to 24 hours. Minimum 10 hours. The longer it simmers, the better. 

How to Cook in Slow Cooker

Turn the crockpot on low and let it cook slowly for 10-24 hours. Just make sure you have enough water to cover all the chicken parts and veggies. The long simmer of a slow cooker will provide the most health benefits.

How to Cook in Instant Pot

• Water and foods should only be filled up to the max fill line. 

• Select soup/broth and set the time to 120 minutes. 

• After the 120 minutes is up, let the pressure naturally release. 

What to Do After Chicken Broth Cooks

Grab a fine-mesh strainer and strain the liquid from the bones and veggies. 

Discard the bones and veggies. 

Cool to room temperature. 

Store in the refrigerator for up to one week. You may have a fat layer that rises to the top. That can just be skimmed off. 

For longer storage, freeze or can it in a pressure cooker. If freezing in mason jars, be sure to leave at least two inches of headspace to allow for expansion.

You can also freeze into ice cube trays for smaller portion sizes. 

Tips for the Best Chicken Broth

• To get the most gelatinous broth, throw some chicken feet or necks in with it. It sounds a little crazy, but those are the best for making broth.
• If you have chicken bones but no time to make the broth, just throw the bones into the freezer until you are ready to make. 
• Try adding more seasonings! Peppercorns, thyme, sage, rosemary, bay leaves, and coriander are all great additions. 
• Contact a local butcher to see if they have any chicken carcasses or other animal bones so you can have a great supply of your own bone broth.
• What if your bone broth isn’t gelling? Try soaking your bones first! Add your bones into a bowl, cover with water, and add about 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar. Cover and place in the fridge overnight.

Printable Recipe Card

Recipes to Use Chicken Bone Broth

Now that you know how to make homemade chicken bone broth, what do you do with it? Well, you can drink it or cook with it. Try cooking your rice or quinoa in it instead of water. Also, here are some amazing recipes to try out with your homemade broth:

Chicken Noodle Soup

Easy Lemon Garlic Chicken in the Crock Pot

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