Homemade Chicken Broth
Rich, golden homemade chicken broth made with a whole chicken, vegetables, and aromatics.
Servings: 0
Equipment
- 1 8-quart stock pot or one of similar size
Ingredients
Read through the recipe and notes beforehand.
- 1 3-5 lb whole chicken, raw cavity bags/paper removed. If choosing to include the giblets discard the liver.
- 1 whole celery stalk, trimmed, pulled apart and wiped clean, and cut in half or about 6 individual ribs
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut in half
- 1 large onion, cut in half if using organic you can leave the skin on, if the onions are small, use two
- 4 large garlic cloves, smashed if the cloves are small use additional cloves
- 1½ tbsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp black peppercorns, whole or 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 Parmigiano rind optional
- 16 cups fresh, filtered cold water, plus more as needed equal to one gallon
- 2 bay leaves
- 3-4 whole cloves (optional)
Be generous with the herbs as there is a lot of water to infuse with flavor. If using fresh herbs add them loose or make a bouquet with unwaxed kitchen string and cheesecloth. Dried herbs work great in a long simmered pot. Ground or powdered herbs will muddy the broth and are not recommended.*
- 4-6 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary or about 2 teaspoons dried
- 1 small bunch fresh parsley, or a large handful (roughly 1 cup loosely packed) or about 2 tablespoons dried
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, add the whole chicken, celery, carrots, onions, garlic, salt and peppercorns, cheese rind (if using), and herbs. Add the water making sure to keep about an inch of space to the top of the pot.
- Over medium heat bring the contents to a full boil. Then reduce and keep at a gentle simmer, making sure the bubbles that rise to the surface only occasionally break. Simmer, skimming any foam off the top, for about 2-3 hours, adding more water if needed to maintain the contents to about an inch from the top of the pot.
- Using a kitchen spider tool or comparable slotted spoon, remove the chicken and set aside (I prefer to add it to a large bowl to catch running juices) until cool enough to handle noting that it will fall off the bone so take caution. Once cool to touch, place it on a cutting board and remove the skin, clean and reserve the bones for future soups by keeping them in a bag in the freezer. Shred the chicken meat.
- Strain out and discard the vegetables and herbs, reserving carrots if desired for immediate use. Skim if broth yielded excess oil, see notes on how to avoid.
- Taste and make any adjustments to seasoning. Feel free to use the broth immediately for soup, reserving and slicing the carrots if desired. Adding the chicken and carrots to individual bowls along with a small cooked pasta or rice. Or, keep the shredded chicken on hand for other dinner options during the week and store the broth to use as needed. Freezes well.
Notes
*Feel free to use a dried Italian herb blend, approximately 2 heaping tablespoons, or more, to season. The herbs can be eye-balled and increased or decreased as desired, this recipe gives you a good idea of how much is needed in terms of salt and seasonings to infuse a large pot of water.
PRO TIPS:
To get the best out of dried herbs, always crush and rub them together to release their aroma when adding to the pot, using clean hands rub them between your fingers.
Cook longer with bones (think beef bones and chicken bones) and it's a rich stock or bone broth. Don't have or want chicken? Omit it and make a vegetable broth. Have a few overripe tomatoes, toss them in. Save up vegetable scraps in the freezer and then use them to make a rich stock - some vegetables will hold more flavor than others, so consider the flavor profile of onion ends/roots, garlic, leeks, carrot skins and stems, tops and ends of sweet potatoes, mushroom stems, etc.
Accidentally over salted the broth? Add more fresh water.
STRAINERS:
It's helpful to use a slotted spoon or something larger like a kitchen spider tool to pull out the large vegetables at the end and any parts of the chicken that have come undone. Once the broth is done, I use a fine mesh strainer to strain it into a clean and smaller pot.
HOW TO AVOID GREASY BROTH:
A whole chicken works best because the ratio of meat and bones is greater than fat and skin. Using pre-cut pieces is fine, though there is a chance that there could be more fat and skin depending on the pieces used (such as thighs). So use your judgment. Excess skin and fat can result in a greasy broth. See below for ways to remove excess oil, but it is best to avoid in the first place.
- No Rapid Boil: Start with cold water and once it hits a boil, lower to prevent a rapid boil. Bubbling should just break the surface for the remainder of the cook time. A rapid boil for a period of time can make a cloudy and oily broth breaking down the chicken too fast.
- Refrigerate Overnight: The most effective method is to chill the broth in the refrigerator for 6–8 hours, allowing the fat to solidify on top, discard.
- Ice Cube Technique: If you need to use the broth immediately, fill a metal ladle with ice cubes and drag the bottom of the cold ladle across the surface of the warm broth; the fat will solidify and stick to the bottom of the ladle.
- Use a Fat Separator: A fat separator can be used to pour off the broth from the bottom while leaving the fat on top.
- Skim While Hot: Regularly skim the foam and fat off the surface with a spoon while the broth is simmering.
- Paper Towel Method: Lay a paper towel on the surface of the broth to absorb excess grease, depending on how much.