Instant Pot Chicken Broth
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Save time with your meal prep by making Instant Pot chicken broth. This easy recipe costs less than using store-bought broth, and it’s a versatile pantry staple!
Why This Recipe is a Favorite
Soups and sauces are staples in just about everyone’s kitchen, and many of them start with a base of flavorful chicken broth.
When I’m prepping and freezing garlic and making things like roasted carrots and parsnips, I save the vegetable scraps to use in other dishes. I use them to make homemade vegetable broth and chicken broth in the Instant Pot.
The convenience of buying broth from the store is offset by the fact that it’s less expensive to make at home, and you can control the ingredients that are in it!
Plus, some of them don’t have the best flavor. So making a few quarts of Instant Pot chicken broth ensures that everything you make with it will taste better.
Making this is also great way to reduce food waste. Instead of throwing away veggie scraps and discarding chicken parts, you can repurpose them.
Did you know that you can cook rice, dried beans, and lentils in broth instead of water? It’s a great way to improve the flavor! There are so many ways to put homemade broth to good use, and the process to make it is really simple.
So, the next time you cook a whole chicken, keep the bones and use them with your frozen veggie scraps to make this recipe!
Happy Kitchen Secrets
Here are my important mom-tested cooking tips for making this recipe! I’ve made it countless times to save you from a failed attempt.
- Use distilled water for the best flavor. If you don’t use filtered water, your bone broth may end up tasting like whatever chemicals are in your tap water.
- While peeling the vegetables is optional, be sure to scrub the veggies well.
- Be very careful when straining the broth; it will be hot! Ladle most of the broth from the Instant Pot, then use a slotted spoon to remove the bones and scraps.
- Let it cool completely before refrigerating or freezing. To speed up the cooling process, strain the chicken broth into a large metal bowl that’s been set over an ice bath.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Vegetables: Carrots, onion, and celery (also known as mirepoix) are typically used to make chicken stock. But, don’t worry if you don’t have all of them on hand – just use what you’ve got.
Also, if you don’t have scraps, you can use roughly chopped fresh veggies.
Optional ingredients for extra flavor
- Acidity: A little splash of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar adds a bit of tang
- Bay leaf: Although it’s really best to add spices and herbs when you make chicken soup, you can definitely add them for the Instant Pot chicken broth as well.
- If you have chicken feet, they are a fabulous addition for even more chicken flavor.
How to Make Chicken Broth in the Instant Pot
Once you learn how to make chicken broth at home, you will never want to use store-bought again. It’s so easy!
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full step by step instructions! ⬇️
- Remove the meat and skin from the bones. If you have enough cooked meat left behind, use it to make something like pesto chicken salad.
- Add the chicken bones, veggie scraps, water, and spices into the inner pot of your Instant Pot. The order doesn’t matter, just stir everything together.
- Lock the lid on the IP and close the pressure valve. Manually set the cook time to 2 hours to make chicken broth using the pressure cook setting. If you want to use the slow cooker function, set the cook time to 10 hours.
You can use either the slow cooker mode or pressure cook mode, whichever works best for the time frame you have!
- Lock the lid on the IP and close the pressure valve. Manually set the cook time to 2 hours on high pressure to make Instant Pot chicken broth. If you want to use the slow cooker function, set the cook time to 12 hours.
- When the pressure cook time ends, let the pressure release naturally, then unlock and remove the lid.
- Strain the chicken broth to separate the solids from the liquid. Set a fine mesh strainer on top of a large heat-safe bowl. Use a ladle to pour the broth through the strainer and into the bowl underneath. When all of the chicken broth is strained, discard the bones and scraps.
- You can use it immediately or allow the broth to cool completely so that it can be refrigerated or frozen.
Storing Chicken Broth
Allow the broth to cool, then pour it into large glass container with a lid. Mason jars are the perfect storage containers. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze chicken broth in a freezer-safe container, zip top freezer bags, an ice cube tray, or Souper Cubes silicone molds.
Once frozen in cubes, transfer them to a zip top freezer bag. Freeze for up to 4 months and thaw in the fridge before using.
Uses and Recipe Ideas
- Soups: Homemade soups taste exponentially better with homemade broth! My favorites include chicken and wild rice soup and Instant Pot Mexican vegetable soup.
- For sipping: Warm broth is such a comforting drink when you're feeling under the weather. I pair it with lemon ginger shots to give a kick to my immune system.
Chicken Broth Recipe FAQs
Yes, because it has no preservatives, homemade broth does go bad. You can safely store it for 3-4 days in the fridge or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
You will know if your broth has gone bad if it has a rancid smell. If it smells okay, carefully do a small taste test. If it tastes sour or bitter, then it has gone bad.
Cooking broth in the Instant Pot on the slow cooker mode overnight is perfectly fine. When you wake up in the morning, it will be ready to strain.
If your homemade chicken broth congeals after chilling, don’t worry! It’s a sign of richness from the natural collagen in the bones and connective tissue. There’s no need to do anything because it will melt back into a smooth liquid when reheated and adds extra body and is a natural sign of a well-made broth.
I'd love to hear about your experience making this recipe! Please leave a comment and rating below!
Instant Pot Chicken Broth
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 whole cooked chicken
- 1 cup veggie scraps onion, carrots, and celery
- 8 cups distilled water
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Video
Instructions
- Add all the chicken bones, vegetable scraps, water, salt and pepper in the inner pot of the Instant Pot.
- You can cook this using the slow cooker mode or pressure cook mode depending on how much time you have. Set the timer for 12 to 18 hours for the slow cook method. For a shorter cook time, cook on high pressure mode for 2 hours.
- Allow pressure to naturally release if using high pressure mode. Once the steam has released, carefully open the lid.
- Set a fine mesh strainer on top of a large heat-safe bowl. Use a ladle to pour the liquid through the strainer. Discard the bones and scraps.
- Use immediately, or allow the strained broth to cool completely before refrigerating or freezing.
Notes
- Use distilled water for the best flavor. If you don’t use filtered water, your bone broth may end up tasting like whatever chemicals are in your tap water.
- While peeling the vegetables is optional, be sure to scrub the veggies well.
- Be very careful when straining the broth; it will be very hot! Ladle most of the broth from the Instant Pot, then use a slotted spoon to remove the bones and scraps.
- Let the chicken broth cool completely before storing in the fridge. To speed up the cooling process, strain the chicken broth into a large metal bowl that has been set over an ice bath.
Nutrition
2025 Update: This recipe is still a family favorite and has been updated to simplify the cooking instructions and add extra recipe tips for our readers. We hope you love it as much as we do!
