Making homemade chicken broth is so easy. Simply place the ingredients in a large pot, bring them to a boil, then simmer.
The longer you simmer, the richer the broth. You can enjoy it as is or use it as a base for many different recipes.
Once you've made this amazingly flavorful broth from scratch, you won't be able to ever go back to the canned version, except as a base for other recipes. There's no comparison!
The best part? This recipe is so easy. You simply dump a few ingredients into a large pot, fill it with water, and turn on the heat. A few hours later, enjoy a cup of a rich, warm, comforting broth!
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Fresh chicken: For the richest and most flavorful broth, use bone-in and skin-on chicken pieces and dark meat. I often use chicken drumsticks or chicken thighs.
- Vegetables and herbs: Onion, garlic cloves, carrots, celery, and parsley.
- Kosher salt and whole black peppercorns: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.
Variations
The best way to vary this recipe is to use different vegetables. I almost always use onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and parsley. Other options that I tried and liked include leeks, mushrooms, and fresh herbs such as oregano and thyme.
These variations produce a broth that tastes quite different from my childhood broth, but they are a nice variation on the classic recipe.
Instructions
The detailed instructions for making this homemade chicken broth are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of the steps:
Place the chicken in a large stockpot. As you can see, I often use chicken drumsticks.
Add the vegetables, herbs, salt, and pepper. Cover the ingredients with water.
Bring to a boil. Using a spoon, skim the foam from the top of the broth (this ensures clearer broth). Reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer the broth for 3 hours.
Remove the solids from the broth with a large slotted spoon, then strain it using a colander.
Here's the broth after being strained:
Expert Tips
Use Bone-In Chicken
It's important to use bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces in this recipe. They give the broth flavor and richness. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, such as those I use to make baked chicken breast, will not work in this recipe. They are too lean.
Skimming the Fat
This is what the broth looks like when it's ready. You can see the fat droplets on its surface:
Many people remove this fat. I don't. It's delicious. If you want to remove it and do it efficiently, it's best to chill the soup first. Once chilled, you can easily remove the congealed fat layer from the top.
Here are my refrigerated jars of broth. You can see the fat layer on top. It's easy to remove with a spoon.
Recipe FAQs
That's up to you. The longer you simmer the broth, the richer and tastier it will be, and the drier the meat.
One option is to just throw the chicken out. But if you can't bring yourself to do that, use it in recipes such as chicken patties or turkey patties (replacing the turkey with chicken).
The same goes for the vegetables - they will be limp and lifeless at this point. If you want to serve your broth with vegetables, it's best to add them to it after it's ready and cook them just until they are tender-crisp.
It is. The homemade version is richer and far more flavorful than store-bought broth. There's truly no comparison.
Yes, of course. It's excellent in a soup bowl with different add-ins, such as noodles, rice, or tender-crisp vegetables. But it's also enjoyable to simply sip it from a mug.
It's a warming, comforting drink, especially in the winter or when you're under the weather. After all, it's called Jewish Penicillin for a reason (my grandmother Chava wholeheartedly agreed!)
Serving Suggestions
This rich broth is excellent as is. I keep portions of it in mason jars and reheat them in the microwave. I simply drink it from a mug. But you can serve it in a bowl and add all kinds of things to it.
My Israeli grandma used to serve hers with egg noodles:
Or matzo balls:
My Dutch grandma served it with tiny cooked meatballs and no starches or veggies.
My father loads his with cooked shredded chicken and lots of vegetables.
And my mother-in-law serves hers with cooked white rice.
Want more ideas? Add plain cooked shirataki noodles (omit the butter and Parmesan) or zucchini noodles (add them raw, and they will cook in the hot broth).
You can also turn this chicken broth into egg drop soup.
Storing Leftovers
Chicken broth keeps well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for about five days. You can also divide some of it into individual portions and freeze them in 1-cup containers. 8-ounce mason jars work well for this purpose.
More Soup Recipes
Recipe Card
Homemade Chicken Broth
Ingredients
- 4 pounds chicken pieces bone-in, skin-on
- 1 large onion quartered
- 4 garlic cloves unpeeled
- 2 large carrots
- 2 celery stalks cut into thirds
- 1 small bunch parsley
- 2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1 tablespoon of any other salt
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 3 quarts water
Instructions
- Place the chicken, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, parsley, kosher salt, black peppercorns, and water in a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot. Bring to a boil. It should take about 20 minutes for the water to reach a boil.
- Skim the foam layer from the top with a spoon, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Partially cover the pot and simmer the broth for 3 hours. Check the soup periodically to ensure it maintains a slow, steady simmer rather than reaching a boil.
- Remove the solids using a large slotted spoon.
- Strain the broth through a colander. If you can’t bring yourself to discard the chicken, keep it and use it (without the skin) in these chicken patties.Â
- You can serve the broth immediately or cool it completely and refrigerate it overnight. The next day, remove the fat layer from the top before reheating the broth.
Video
Notes
- Nutrition info is from the USDA database.Â
- It's important to use bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces in this recipe, such as chicken drumsticks or bone-in thighs. They give the broth flavor and richness. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, for example, will not work in this recipe. They are too lean.
- This broth keeps well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for about 5 days. You can divide some of it into individual portions and freeze them in 1-cup containers. 8-ounce mason jars work well for this purpose.
Nutrition per Serving
Made this Recipe?
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Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Terri
I followed the recipe as written and the broth turned out awesome! I plan to use it to make chicken noodle soup but it is so delicious that it could be used as a beverage. The recipe is easy to follow and easy to make. I highly recommend it.
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Terri! Thank you for taking the time to write a detailed review.
Terri
When using the prepared broth to make chicken noodle soup, do I need to use noodles that are already cooked or can I cook the dried noodles in the prepared broth? The recipe looks delicious and easy to make. Plan to make it soon.
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Terri,
I usually cook the noodles separately. I follow the package instructions but reduce the cooking time by two minutes.
I then add the cooked noodles to the prepared broth.
ruth
Can I can this broth?
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Ruth,
I've never experimented with homemade canning, so I can't help you here. Sorry!
Grace
If using this for the broth for chicken noodle soup do I need to dilute it? Three kids and they all like different parts of the soup. My oldest (8) just likes the broth so I plan on giving her a cup of this to help with sickness, my middle (4) just likes the broth and noodles and my littlest (2) likes all of it together. So I know I want to make this again to have in hand for my oldest during these cold months but I wasn’t sure if I can use it as is for the soup or if I need to add some water.
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Grace,
You can use it as is. No need to dilute it.
Tim
Hi this might be a silly question, but is this broth recipe considered low sodium? In other words if a recipe calls for low sodium broth could I just use this recipe or should I adjust the salt? Thank you.
Vered DeLeeuw
Not silly at all. Interesting question. I looked it up, and it looks like low-sodium chicken broth has 50 milligrams of sodium per cup, while this one has over 300 milligrams according to my calculations. So, I wouldn't say it qualifies as low-sodium.