Homemade Chicken Broth

Course: Base for soups, risottos, and gravies.

Cuisine: American / French / Italian

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 2 30

Chill time: 1

Total Time: 1 2 45

Servings:

Calories: 213kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

Homemade Chicken Broth is really very easy to make in your own kitchen, and the difference it makes in bringing a good soup to an off-the-charts delicious soup is incredible. Allow at 24 hours for the broth to cool so you can easily remove the congealed fat that will form on the surface of the liquid.

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Equipment

10 to 12 quart stock pan, plus another large pot for straining into

Ingredients

4 lbs chicken pieces, skin-on, bone-in
1 gallon water
3 bay leaves fresh, (if dried, use 2)
2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper optional

For the Bouquet Garni

2 sprigs rosemary fresh
2 sprigs thyme fresh
2 sprigs parsley fresh

For the Mirepoix

3 medium onions peeled and quartered
3 large carrots peeled and roughly chopped
4 stalks celery roughly chopped

Instructions

Add the chicken to a large stock pan and fill with water until the chicken is covered by about 1 inch (usually about 1 gallon of water). Add the bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
4 lbs chicken, 1 gallon water, 3 bay leaves, 2 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper
Bring water to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook for 30 minutes, skimming any impurities that float to the top.
Make the bouquet garni by placing the herbs on a square piece of cheesecloth and folding up the edges to form a pouch. Tie together with a string, allowing enough string to easily pull the bouquet garni from the pan when needed.
2 sprigs rosemary, 2 sprigs thyme, 2 sprigs parsley
Carefully add the mirepoix (onions, carrots, and celery) and bouquet garni into the pot. Simmer for an additional 2 hours, skimming impurities that rise to the surface.
3 medium onions, 3 large carrots, 4 stalks celery
Use a pair of tongs to remove the large pieces of chicken from the broth into a large bowl (the chicken can be pulled from the bones and saved for another use). Carefully strain the broth through a colander into a separate pot. Season with salt.
Place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Remove from the fridge and use a spoon to skim off the congealed fat that has formed on the surface. The broth is now ready to use.

Video

Notes

NOTE: Watch the video in the recipe card for visual guidance.

We use bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces to make this stock. Pull the meat from the bones once the broth is finished simmering. The meat is a little stringy, but still great for soups and casseroles.

If you don't have cheesecloth, you can make a pouch with a coffee filter. Or, just tie the herbs together by the stems with a long piece of string and submerge directly into the simmering broth.

For the bouquet garni, you can use a combination of any of the following: fresh thyme, rosemary, marjoram, parsley, or celery leaves.

Be sure to taste as you salt. We find that almost a tablespoon of salt is enough, but start with less than that, and then add until it's just simply seasoned.

The broth freezes beautifully for up to 2 to 3 months.

Nutrition