Easy Homemade Chicken Broth

Introduction: Why Make Chicken Broth at Home

Making chicken broth at home is one of the simplest ways to elevate everyday cooking.
Why choose homemade? Store-bought broths can contain unnecessary sodium, additives, and a muted flavor profile. By simmering whole chicken pieces or bones with aromatics and vegetables, you gain a clean, customizable base that enhances soups, risottos, sauces, and braises.
Flavor benefits: when you control the ingredients and cooking time, you extract gelatin and amino acids that add mouthfeel and depth to dishes. Homemade broth also allows you to adjust salt, herbs, and clarity to match the recipe you plan to cook.
Health and sustainability: using leftover bones and vegetable scraps reduces waste and concentrates nutrients. It’s an economical way to use whole chickens fully and can be made with organic or pasture-raised poultry when you prefer a higher-quality base.
This article will walk you through ingredients, equipment, step-by-step preparation, simmering and skimming techniques, straining and cooling for a clear result, and how to store and use your broth. Follow these guidelines and you'll consistently produce a clear, flavorful broth that tastes far superior to most commercial alternatives.
By the end, you'll have practical tips and troubleshooting advice so making broth becomes a reliable part of your kitchen routine.

Gathering Ingredients: What You Need

Choosing ingredients matters for both flavor and clarity. Start with a quality chicken source: a whole chicken, carcass, or a mix of bones and meaty parts.

• Chicken: 3–4 pounds of bones or a 3–4 pound whole chicken for a richer stock.
• Vegetables: 1 large onion (unpeeled for color), 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks.
• Aromatics: 2–3 garlic cloves, a few sprigs of thyme, 1–2 bay leaves, and several parsley stems.
• Seasoning: Salt to taste (better to add later), 10–12 whole peppercorns.
• Optional: leek greens, parsnip, or a small bit of ginger for a warming note.

Tips for clarity and flavor: Roast bones briefly at 400°F (200°C) for 20–30 minutes when you want a deep brown stock; for a light, clear broth roast is unnecessary and you should use cold water to start extraction slowly. Keep vegetables roughly chopped — you’re extracting flavor not making a mirepoix for sautéing. Also, avoid starchy vegetables like potatoes if you want an ultra-clear stock.
Sourcing: Save vegetable trimmings and chicken bones in a freezer bag until you have enough to make a batch, and use filtered water if your tap has strong tastes. These small choices greatly influence the final aroma and mouthfeel of your homemade chicken broth.

Equipment: Pots, Strainers, and Storage

Essential equipment is simple and often already in your kitchen. A large stockpot or Dutch oven (6–8 quarts) is ideal for medium batches. If you plan to make broth regularly, a wide, heavy-bottom pot extracts flavor evenly and helps prevent scorching.

• Stockpot or Dutch oven: at least 6 quarts to allow room for simmering without overflow.
• Fine-mesh strainer or chinois: for removing solids and achieving clarity.
• Ladle and slotted spoon: to remove foam and large solids during skimming.
• Cheesecloth (optional): for ultra-clear results when straining into containers.
• Storage containers: glass jars, freezer-safe plastic containers, or resealable bags for freezing portions.

Additional helpful tools: a thermometer helps you maintain a gentle simmer (around 180–200°F / 82–93°C). A fat separator is convenient if you plan to defat hot broth quickly; alternatively, refrigerate and remove solidified fat later. When you strain, pouring the broth slowly through a fine mesh will reduce cloudiness. For larger batches, a turkey baster is handy for removing floating fat and foam while the broth simmers.
Storage considerations: cool broth rapidly before refrigerating to prevent bacterial growth; shallow containers speed cooling. Label containers with the date and contents: homemade broth lasts about 3–4 days in the refrigerator or up to 6 months frozen. Proper equipment makes the process efficient, safe, and repeatable.

Preparing the Chicken and Vegetables

Preparation sets the foundation for a clean, flavorful broth. Start by removing excess skin if you’re using a whole chicken and trim large clumps of fat from bones to reduce greasiness.
Vegetables: Wash carrots, celery, and onions thoroughly. Cut into large chunks — there’s no need to finely dice since these aromatics are for extraction and will be strained out. Leave the onion skins on if you want a slightly darker color and extra flavor from the sulfur compounds in the skins.

• Cold water start: Place bones or whole chicken in the pot and cover with cold water; starting cold extracts collagen gradually and preserves clarity.
• Heat slowly: Bring to a simmer gradually so impurities rise to the surface and are easy to remove.
• Add aromatics later: Add delicate herbs like parsley stems and thyme once the initial scum has been skimmed to prevent bitter flavors.

Optional step — blanching: If you prefer an exceptionally clear consommé-like broth, blanch bones briefly in boiling water for 2–3 minutes, discard that water, rinse bones, and then proceed with the cold-water method. Blanching removes blood and surface proteins that can cloud the stock. Blanching is common for classical clear stocks but sacrifices a small amount of flavor compared to the cold-start method.
By preparing ingredients deliberately and taking the time to remove impurities during the early stages of cooking, you’ll produce a broth with better color, taste, and texture.

Simmering and Skimming: The Cooking Process

Gentle simmering is the heart of making great chicken broth. Once your pot comes to a gentle simmer, reduce the heat so only small bubbles rise occasionally; a rolling boil agitates the liquid and emulsifies fat and particulates, leading to cloudiness.
Skimming is essential for clarity. In the first 20–30 minutes, proteins and impurities coagulate and form a greyish foam on the surface. Use a fine-mesh skimmer or slotted spoon to remove this foam frequently. Doing so prevents these particles from breaking apart and re-clouding the broth.

• Simmer time: For a light broth, simmer 2–3 hours; for a richer, gelatinous stock, simmer 4–6 hours. You can extend simmering up to 8–12 hours for bone broth to extract additional minerals and collagen from dense joints.
• Add aromatics at the right time: Add parsley, thyme, and bay leaf after the initial skimming so their flavors remain bright.
• Avoid stirring: Do not stir the pot; stillness allows particles to settle and makes skimming effective.

Maintaining temperature: Use a low, steady flame and monitor for a barely perceptible movement on the surface. If a lot of foam builds repeatedly, consider reducing heat further or briefly removing the pot from the burner until calm returns. Also keep in mind that darker broths from roasted bones will develop more surface fat; frequent skimming combined with later refrigeration to remove solidified fat yields a clean finish.
Proper simmering and vigilant skimming are what separate a murky, fatty liquid from a clear, flavorful chicken broth that enhances every dish it touches.

Straining, Cooling, and Clarifying for a Clear Broth

Straining should be done carefully to preserve clarity. Once simmering is complete, remove large solids with a slotted spoon and then pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl or another pot. For an even clearer result, line the strainer with cheesecloth or use a chinois.
Degreasing and clarifying: After straining, let the broth sit undisturbed to cool slightly. Use a fat separator to remove liquid fat while the broth is warm, or chill the broth quickly in an ice bath so the fat solidifies on top and can be skimmed away easily with a spoon once cold. For culinary clarity—if you want a crystal-clear consommé—use the egg-white clarification method: whisk egg whites and cold water with some ground meat and bring the chilled stock slowly to a simmer so the raft forms and traps impurities (this is an advanced method and will reduce yield).

• Cool quickly: Divide broth into shallow containers for rapid cooling.
• Refrigerate: Allow to chill so fat solidifies for easy removal.
• Optional clarification: Egg-white raft for consommé-style clarity.

Final presentation: Strain one final time through a clean fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth before transferring to storage jars. The result should be aromatic, golden to amber in color depending on roasting, and either slightly gelatinous when chilled if you used a good amount of bones and cartilage, or lighter and more fluid if you used mostly meat. Proper straining and cooling produce a visually appealing broth that performs beautifully in recipes and stores well without becoming overly greasy.

Storage, Uses, and Batch Scaling

Storing homemade broth correctly extends its usefulness and ensures safety. For short-term use, refrigerate broth in airtight containers for about 3–4 days. If you want to freeze, leave some headspace in jars or use freezer-safe bags laid flat for quicker thawing—frozen broth can last 3–6 months while retaining good flavor.
Portioning helps with convenience: freeze in 1-cup portions for recipes and 2–4 cup portions for soups or stews. Ice cube trays are ideal for saving small amounts for deglazing pans or adding moisture to grains. Once frozen solid, transfer cubes to labeled freezer bags to save space.

• Short-term: 3–4 days in the refrigerator.
• Long-term: Up to 6 months frozen for best quality.
• Serving suggestions: as a base for chicken soup, risotto, sauces, braises, or to cook grains like rice and quinoa for extra flavor.

Batch scaling: When making larger batches, maintain ingredient ratios and simmering time—larger volumes may require a bit more time to extract flavor from bones but avoid overcrowding the pot which can reduce extraction efficiency. Use multiple pots if necessary. For sustainability, accumulate bones and vegetable scraps in a freezer bag until you have a full pot’s worth; this makes broth-making efficient and economical.
Flavor adjustments: If you find a batch too salty after reduction, dilute with water or add unsalted stock to balance it. For richer taste, add a splash of acid (like a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar) during the simmer to help extract minerals from the bones. These small techniques keep your homemade chicken broth versatile and ready to improve countless dishes.

FAQs — Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long should I simmer chicken broth?
A: For a basic clear chicken broth, simmer for 2–3 hours. For a richer, more gelatinous stock extract more collagen by simmering 4–6 hours. Bone broth aimed at extracting deep minerals and collagen can go 8–12 hours, but flavors may concentrate more intensely.
Q: Can I use leftover rotisserie chicken?
A: Yes. Use the carcass and leftover bones; remove most of the seasoned skin if it’s heavily salted or spiced. Simmer with fresh aromatics to refresh the broth’s flavor profile.
Q: How do I keep my broth clear?
A: Start with cold water, simmer gently (no rolling boil), skim impurities frequently in the first hour, avoid stirring, and strain through a fine mesh or cheesecloth. Optionally, blanch bones before starting for extra clarity.
Q: Is homemade broth healthier than store-bought?
A: Homemade broth lets you control sodium and avoid additives. It can be nutrient-dense if made from bones and connective tissue that release gelatin and minerals. However, both homemade and quality commercial broths can be healthy depending on ingredients.
Q: How do I defat broth quickly?
A: Use a fat separator while the broth is warm or chill the broth in shallow containers so the fat solidifies on top and can be lifted off. For immediate removal, use a large ladle or a paper towel dabbed across the surface carefully.
These FAQs cover common concerns; if you have a specific issue with clarity, flavor, or storage, try the recommended tips or ask for troubleshooting for your exact batch.