Instant Pot Chicken Broth
Homemade chicken broth is incredibly easy to make, rich in flavor, and so much faster when prepared in the Instant Pot. Not only is it budget-friendly, but making your own broth also allows you to customize the flavor with any vegetables, herbs, and spices you enjoy. The result is a concentrated, delicious broth that's perfect for a wide variety of recipes.
Servings: 14 cups
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot (pressure cooker) 6-8 quart
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 ½ lbs chicken I use about 4 chicken drumsticks, but you can use any part of the chicken, both bone and meat. Fresh or frozen chicken works great!
- Water fill to the max capacity of your Instant Pot, typically 6-8 quart size
- 1-2 dry bay leaves
- ½ tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 onion cut in half (keeping the peel on will give the broth a beautiful golden color)
- ½ to 1 head of garlic cut in half (adjust to taste)
- 1 carrot roughly chopped
- 1 celery stalk roughly chopped
- Salt to taste (For a 6-quart Instant Pot, I usually use 1 ½ to 1 ¾ teaspoons of salt, but feel free to adjust based on your preferences)
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients into the inner chamber of the Instant Pot, including the chicken, vegetables, herbs, and spices. Fill the pot with filtered water up to the maximum capacity line.
- Cover the Instant Pot with the lid and make sure the valve is set to "Sealing." Double-check that the sealing ring is securely in the lid. Cook the broth on Manual Mode, High Pressure for 35 minutes.
- Once the cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally. This will help avoid any splattering. (If you manually release the pressure, let it stand for 15-30 minutes first, then very carefully and gradually release the pressure.)
- Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a paper towel to remove any solids. This will give you a perfectly clear and flavorful broth. Save the chicken and remove from the bones to be used in other recipes, discard the veggies.)
- Store the homemade chicken broth in the refrigerator for up to one week, or freeze it for up to 6 months for future use.
Notes
- Chicken Parts: You can use any part of the chicken, including drumsticks, wings, chicken backbone, etc. Bone-in chicken gives the broth the best flavor and richness. Chicken breast dries out quickly, so cook it less and chicken thighs will be much more greasy, so I save those for other recipes.
- Frozen Chicken: You don’t need to thaw the chicken before making the broth. Just add it straight from the freezer!
- Flavor Adjustments: Feel free to add extra herbs or spices to customize the flavor. Fresh parsley, thyme, or dill work great in this broth.
- Vegetable Scraps: Save your veggie scraps (like onion peels, carrot ends, celery and leek tops) in the freezer for easy broth-making! They add extra flavor to your broth without any waste.
- Salt: Adjust the salt to your preference, but for a 6-quart Instant Pot, 1 ½ to 1 ¾ teaspoons of salt usually gives a well-seasoned broth. You can always add more later to taste.
- Broth Yield:When using a 6-quart Instant Pot, you can expect to yield about 14 cups of chicken broth. If you use fewer veggies and add more water, you'll end up with even more broth. If you're using an 8-quart Instant Pot, you'll get an even larger batch. The exact yield may vary based on the amount of ingredients and water you add.
