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For the best, most delicious homemade Chicken Broth recipe, start with a whole raw chicken or chicken pieces and simple vegetables and herbs. At the end of it, you’ll have 4 cups of delicious cooked chicken and 2 quarts of the best chicken broth you’ve ever tasted. Freeze it for your future soups, stews, and casseroles.
One of life’s simple pleasures is poaching a whole chicken. Here we do it to make homemade broth, but you can also do it to make chicken – and either way, you get both!
In my opinion, this is a fun, relaxing Sunday ritual that more people should try. We are always so busy on the weekends, and poaching a chicken forces you to press pause. It’s fulfilling to create with your hands, so enjoy the moments you chop your veggies and pull spices off their sprigs. You are creating something.
At the end, you’ll have big batch of broth that’s perfect for soups, sauces, and even gravy. And of course, you’ll have the chicken. It’s perfect in Chicken Tinga, Chicken Salad, or in a chicken soup recipe. Whether it’s Chicken Noodle Soup with chunks of tender chicken or creamy Chicken Soup with Wild Rice, nothing beats this cozy bowl of homemade comfort.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Chicken: This recipe uses a whole raw chicken or the equivalent of cut-up pieces (you can do 4 to 5 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken breast, thighs, drumsticks, necks, wings, whatever!).
- Organ meats: The heart and gizzard can be added to the broth if desired, but the liver should be discarded or reserved for another purpose.
- Cold water: Always start with cold water. This helps keep the broth clear, not cloudy. The amount of water used and the length of simmering time will determine the intensity of the broth.
- Vegetables: Some cooks save old vegetable trimmings to add to their broth. I prefer to start with new, fresh vegetables because I think the broth will taste better. So yes, we peel the carrots, and save your vegetable scraps for composting!
- Herbs and spices: A sachet is a fancy term for parsley stems, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, and optionally, garlic or cloves, tied up in a piece of cheesecloth with twine. You could also use a tea ball or loose-leaf tea bag to hold them. It makes it easier to pull these small ingredients out of the broth later. Or, you can just add everything straight to the pot since you strain the broth at the end.
Step-by-step instructions
- To a Dutch oven or large stock pot, add chicken and cold water to cover (see note 3). Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to low and skim the foam off the top of the liquid with a spoon.
- To the pot add onion, carrot, celery, and salt. If desired, tie parsley stems, thyme, garlic, bay leaf, and peppercorns to make a sachet or add loosely to the pot.
- Simmer gently (bubbles should barely break the surface at irregular intervals) until the chicken is cooked through, at least 1 hour or up to 5 hours. The longer the broth simmers, the more flavor it will have. (NOTE: After 1 hour, you should remove the chicken breasts from the pot to prevent them from drying out).
- Remove chicken from pan to a rimmed baking sheet or large bowl. Separate chicken, discarding skin and bones (you should have about 4 cups chicken).
- Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Place in a large bowl and chill covered overnight in the refrigerator.
- The next day, scrape off the accumulated fat from the top of the stock and discard. Divide the broth into freezer-safe containers (leaving at least 1/2-inch for expansion), label, and freeze. Or, refrigerate and use within 4 days.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 8 cups (2 quarts) homemade chicken broth. You’ll also get 4 cups cooked chicken in the process.
- Refrigerate: Store chicken broth in the refrigerator and use within 4 days.
- Freezer: Divide the broth into freezer-safe containers (I like to use 16-ounce glass jars, but freezer bags work too) and leave 1/2-inch head space for expansion. Label and date, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Leftover roasted chicken carcass: To make chicken broth from a roasted chicken, I recommend adding the leftover roast chicken carcass to a pot with raw chicken. If you boil just a leftover roasted chicken carcass on its own, the broth will be thin and lack body and flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Technically, stock is made with just bones, while broth is made with bones and meat.
You can flavor your broth with vegetables, herbs, and spices. If you don’t have much time or patience, add just a clove of garlic, a sliver of onion, and salt.
Yes, absolutely! Plain chicken broth is an absolutely delicious drink. If you want to spruce up your cup of cozy broth, try hot sauce, fresh lemon juice, and some fresh cilantro sprigs.
If your recipe calls for chicken broth, it’s looking for that extra savory flavor. You could substitute bouillon paste or cubes which will give you the same effect. But in some cases, depending on the recipe, you don’t absolutely need chicken broth and could just substitute water. But, you’ll lose flavor that way. It just depends on what you are cooking.
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How to Make Chicken Broth
Equipment
- Mason jars (I love storing my leftovers in them)
Ingredients
- 1 4- to 5-pound whole chicken cut into pieces and giblets removed (see note 1 & 2)
- Cold water about 12 cups (see note 3)
- 1 medium onion peeled and halved
- 1 large carrot peeled and coarsely chopped, or 2 medium carrots (see note 4)
- 1 celery rib coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon salt
Sachet (see note 5):
- 6 fresh parsley stems
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
Instructions
- To a Dutch oven or large stock pot, add chicken and cold water to cover (see note 3).
- Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to low and skim the foam off the top.
- To the pot add onion, carrot, celery, and salt. If desired, tie parsley stems, thyme, garlic, bay leaf, and peppercorns to make a sachet or add loosely to the pot (see note 5).
- Simmer gently (bubbles should barely break the surface at irregular intervals) until the chicken is cooked through, at least 1 hour or up to 5 hours. The longer the broth simmers, the more flavor it will have. (NOTE: After 1 hour, you should remove the chicken breasts from the pot to prevent them from drying out).
- Remove chicken from pot to a rimmed baking sheet or large bowl. Separate chicken, discarding skin and bones (you should have about 4 cups chicken).
- Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Place in a large bowl and chill covered overnight in the refrigerator.
- The next day, scrape off the accumulated fat from the top of the stock and discard. Divide the broth into freezer-safe containers (leaving at least 1/2-inch for expansion), label, and freeze. Or, refrigerate and use within 4 days.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Chicken: This recipe uses a whole raw chicken or the equivalent of cut-up pieces (you can do 4 to 5 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken breast, thighs, drumsticks, necks, whatever!).
- Organ meats: The heart and gizzard can be added to the broth if desired, but the liver should be discarded or reserved for another purpose.
- Cold water: Always start with cold water. This helps keep the broth clear, not cloudy. The amount of water used and the length of simmering time will determine the intensity of the broth.
- Vegetables: Some cooks save old vegetable trimmings to add to their broth. I prefer to start with new, fresh vegetables because I think the broth will taste better. So yes, we peel the carrots, and save your vegetable scraps for composting!
- Herbs and spices: A sachet is a fancy term for parsley stems, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, and optionally, garlic or cloves, tied up in a piece of cheesecloth with twine. You could also use a tea ball or loose leaf tea bag to hold them. It makes it easier to pull these small ingredients out of the broth later. Or, you can just add everything straight to the pot since you strain the broth at the end.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 8 cups (2 quarts) homemade chicken broth. You’ll also get 4 cups cooked chicken in the process.
- Storage: Store chicken broth in the refrigerator and use within 4 days.
Love the recipe, thanks!
To those asking about freezing. A better technique is to use freeze ziploc bags. Using the gallon (or smaller, your choice) you can fill them such that you can lay them flat, without any air, and stack them on top of each other.
As for shelf life you can keep frozen stock in the freeze for much longer than 3 months.
If this is chicken broth, then what is chicken soup? I needed chicken broth to make spanish rice, so I found this recipe, and lemme tell you…. the finished product is better than any canned chicken soup you will ever find in the market. It’s a waste to use it as broth imo. All you need to do is add some noodles, and you’ll have the best chicken noodle soup you ever tasted. Definitely will be my go-to soup recipe for the winter.
I see several people freeze items in canning jars. I have tried this twice. My jars cracked in the freezer. I’m leaving plenty of headspace and the contents are cool. I’m 58 and can often, so I’m a little baffled.
Hi Karen, thank you for your question. I’m so sorry you’ve had jars crack in the freezer. I would make sure the jars you are using are suitable for both canning and freezing. Some brands recommend not freezing their jars that have “shoulders” and instead recommend using their tapered ones which allow expansion easier. Also some may recommend leaving quite a bit of headspace (1 to 2 inches). Also, be sure the jars have space between them in the freezer to prevent them from bumping into each other, which could also lead to the jar breaking. I hope this information helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! Take care – Meggan
silly Question, what do you do with the chicken meat when done? Surely you do not throw it away??
Hi Susie! Thank you for your question. I like to separate the chicken meat from the skin and bones, shred it, and use it in other recipes. Take care! – Meggan
Hi Meggan,
I just used your recipe to make the broth and it turned out so tasty. I’m hoping you can explain something to me: when I took my broth out of the fridge, it has completely jelled, like chicken flavored gelatin. I’ve had this happen before with other recipes and it does turn back into a liquid when it’s heated up. I used 4 legs, 4 wings and 2 backs totaling 4 lbs. I cooked this for probably 3.5-4 hrs. Could it be the fact that my chicken parts had a lot of bones? Just thought maybe you could shed some light on this. Thanks for sharing your recipe. Can’t wait to make your chicken noodle soup 🙂
Cheri’
Hi Cheri’! Thank you so much for your question, and yes! Collagen is released from skin and bones when the chicken is simmering and becomes gel-like once it cools. It’s a sign that your broth is well-made! I hope you love the chicken noodle soup! – Meggan
I have a silly question since I am making chicken soup for the first time: you say to simmer for 1-5 hours. But take chicken breasts out after 1 hour. Earlier on you said to use a whole chicken (breast, thighs etc.). I assume you mean to take all chicken out after 1 hour, not just breasts. Correct? Also, 1-5 hours is a big difference. What is the ideal summer time overall? Thank you!!
Hi Denise! Thank you so much for the question. I’m sorry for the confusion! The whole chicken, cut into parts or its equivalent (say 4 to 5 pounds of thighs) is what is used here and the parts with bones can simmer longer than the breasts. That’s why you should pull out the breasts after an hour so the chicken isn’t dry. You can pull everything out after the hour, but the longer you can let the rest simmer, the more flavorful your broth will be. I hope this clarifies it for you!
Also, if you haven’t found a recipe to make the chicken soup with, I hope you try my Chicken Noodle Soup! – https://cash-surge.live/chicken-noodle-soup-recipe/%3C/a%3E. Thank you again and please write back if you have any more questions, I would love to help! – Meggan
This was the best chicken broth I’ve ever made. Turned out great. I did add 4 cups of water at the end and simmered about 15 more min. It didnt jeopardize the flavor at all. I also only had dry Thyme and it worked great. I was reading comments. If anyone is asking about chicken I used 1/2 of a small chicken and 2 breasts. That’s what I had on hand. Seriously love this recipe. Passing it on to my kids.
Hi Kim, so happy it turned out well! Take care! – Meggan
Can this broth be canned?
Hi Lenora, this recipe hasn’t been tested for canning. I unfortunately am not a home preserving/canning expert, and for safety reasons, I think you should follow recipes that have been developed and tested for canning. Sorry about that – Meggan
Can you then use the bones to make bone broth?
Hi Jules, I believe you can, but I haven’t tried it myself. If you do, I would recommend following a recipe that has been written and tested with chicken bones that were already used to make broth. Hope this helps! – Meggan
I have a bad habit of rarely following recipes; however, I need to up my game in the broth making department so I’m going to make this one as written. Just have a couple things I want to clarify:
1. The pot stays uncovered throughout the whole process? No lid?
2. Is the 1 tbsp of salt regular or kosher salt?
Hi Katie! Happy to help! The pot remains uncovered while simmering. I prefer kosher salt, but regular table salt will also work. I would say just use what you have on hand. Take care! – Meggan