This homemade Instant Pot Chicken Broth is quick to prepare yet tastes like it simmered all day. A whole chicken with carrots, onion, and celery creates a rich, well-balanced broth that works wonderfully in soups, sauces, grains, and more.
Homemade Chicken Broth in the Instant Pot
Have you ever started a recipe only to find you’re out of chicken broth? Making your own is economical and lets you control the ingredients, salt level, and flavor profile. This Instant Pot method is fast, reliable, and produces a clear, flavorful broth you can keep on hand.
Using a whole chicken gives you both broth and cooked chicken meat. Remove the meat from the bones once cooked and reserve it for sandwiches, casseroles, soups, or salads—an added bonus that makes this recipe doubly useful.
What Is the Difference Between Broth and Stock?
Broth and stock are often used interchangeably, and you can substitute one for the other in most recipes. The main difference is the ingredients and cooking time. Broth is typically made from meat and is cooked for a shorter time, producing a lighter, clearer liquid. Stock is made primarily from bones and is simmered longer to extract gelatin and deeper flavor, often resulting in a thicker, richer liquid that can gel when chilled.
What about bone broth?
“Bone broth” is essentially a long-simmered stock. It’s cooked for an extended period—sometimes many hours—and often includes an acid like apple cider vinegar to help draw nutrients from the bones.
What You’ll Need
This basic list is a great starting point; feel free to customize with additional herbs or aromatics. The simple combination below yields a smooth, classic flavor.
- Chicken: A small whole chicken (about 2 pounds) or 2 pounds of chicken parts (wings, thighs, etc.).
- Carrots: 3 large carrots, scrubbed and halved for gentle sweetness.
- Celery: 3 stalks, halved, for that classic chicken-soup aroma.
- Onion: 1 large onion, white or yellow, halved or quartered.
- Bay Leaves: 2 bay leaves.
- Thyme: 1 teaspoon dried thyme or a few fresh thyme sprigs.
- Salt and Black Pepper: Season to taste; the recipe suggests about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
- Water: 8 to 10 cups, enough to submerge the chicken without exceeding the Instant Pot’s max fill line.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Broth
The Instant Pot reduces simmering time significantly, but plan about an hour for cooking and additional time for cooling and storing the broth.
- Add the ingredients to the Instant Pot. Place the chicken, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper in the inner pot. Pour in water until the chicken is submerged, taking care not to exceed the max fill line. Adjust water as needed for the bird size.
- Pressure cook on high. Lock the lid and set the valve to “sealed.” Pressure cook on high for 45 minutes, then perform a quick release. When pressure is fully released, open the lid and let the broth cool slightly; covering the pot with a towel can help keep it clean while cooling.
- Strain the broth. Once cooled enough to handle, skim fat from the surface with a spoon. Remove the chicken and large vegetable pieces, reserving the meat. Pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a large bowl to remove small solids and any bone fragments.
- Store. Transfer strained broth into clean glass jars or airtight containers, seal tightly, and refrigerate for 4–5 days or freeze for longer storage.
Make It on the Stovetop
- Combine the ingredients. Place chicken, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover the chicken by about 1 inch (10–12 cups).
- Bring to a boil, then simmer. Heat to a boil, then reduce to low and skim any foam that appears.
- Simmer gently. Partially cover and simmer 2 to 2½ hours until the chicken is very tender and the broth is flavorful. For deeper flavor, simmer up to 3 hours.
- Strain, cool, and store. Strain the liquid, cool, and refrigerate or freeze as desired.
Tips for Successful Homemade Broth
Read these practical tips to ensure the best results when making broth.
- Safety first: Straining a full inner pot can be heavy. If lifting is difficult, ladle out a portion into the strainer first, then pour the rest.
- Use a funnel: A large funnel makes transferring hot broth into jars cleaner and easier.
- Customize flavors: Add mushrooms, garlic, bacon, or other aromatics for extra depth. Fresh herbs like rosemary, sage, or basil can change the character of the broth, while a small splash of lemon or vinegar brightens the flavor.
How to Use Homemade Chicken Broth
Homemade chicken broth is versatile and adds flavor to many dishes. Use it to cook grains, enrich mashed potatoes, build soups, make gravies and sauces, steam vegetables, deglaze pans, or add liquid and flavor to Instant Pot recipes.
Instant Pot Chicken Broth
Ingredients
- 2 pounds whole chicken, or 2 pounds of chicken parts
- 3 carrots, cut in half
- 3 celery stalks, cut in half
- 1 large onion, white or yellow
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or fresh thyme stems
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 to 10 cups water
Instructions
- Load the pressure cooker. Place the chicken, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper in the Instant Pot.
- Add water. Pour in water until the chicken is submerged. Watch the max fill line and adjust water as needed.
- Cook. Lock the lid, set the valve to sealed, and pressure cook on high for 45 minutes. Perform a quick release when cooking finishes, then let the broth cool slightly.
- Clean out the pot. Skim fat from the surface, remove the chicken and large solids, and reserve the meat for other uses.
- Strain. Strain the broth through a mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a large bowl to remove remaining solids.
- Pour into jars. Transfer strained broth into glass jars and seal.
- Store. Refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 6 months.
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Notes
- Makes about 2.5 quarts of broth.
- To freeze, pour into freezer-safe containers or bags and leave room for expansion. Freeze up to 6 months.
Stovetop Instructions:
- Add all ingredients to a large stockpot with enough water to cover the chicken by about an inch. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, skim foam, then simmer gently 2 to 2½ hours (up to 3 hours for a richer broth). Strain, cool, and store.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Values may vary based on ingredients and preparation.
Storing Broth
Storing homemade broth is straightforward: refrigerate, freeze, or can it for long-term shelf stability.
- Refrigerate: Cool the broth and pour into jars or airtight containers. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Pack into freezer-safe containers or bags, leaving room for expansion, and freeze up to 6 months. Smaller portions can be frozen in ice-cube trays and transferred to freezer bags for easy use.
- Canning: Proper pressure-canning methods can render broth shelf-stable; follow tested canning guidelines if you choose to can.
More Instant Pot Favorites
- Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potatoes
- Easy Instant Pot Ribs
- Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
- Instant Pot Mongolian Beef