Do you know how easy it is to make bone broth in a slow cooker? After cooking a whole chicken, throw bones & veggies in a cooker to make slow cooker chicken broth! Or just use frozen bones - this is also the same method to make easy beef broth with beef bones, turkey broth with turkey bones, or pork broth with pork bones. Updated with instruction to make bone broth with an Instant Pot, too.
In the very first year of AOC I wrote about making chicken broth in a big soup pot on the stove. I loved how easy it was and how it's a great way to use things we'd normally throw away (bones and vegetable scraps) to make a super nourishing meat stock. Plus, having a pot of this simmering on the stove is so comforting in the winter.
To make sure I always had some on hand, I made big batches to freeze and use for making soups and in place of water to make rice (ups the nutrient value and the flavor), as well as for recipes like curry and risotto. I also discovered that homemade stock gave even deeper flavor to sauces and gravies.
And while sometimes I do still like to put a great big stock pot on the stove to use up a bunch of bones I've had in the freezer, most of the time now I use an even easier method to make an amazing bone broth: the slow cooker!
I actually discovered the convenience of using a crock pot during the summer when the idea of a huge pot of broth simmering away on the stove for hours (the longer it cooks, the more flavor it has) wasn't so appealing. We weren't eating soups, but I still wanted broth for rice, curries, and other recipes that call for stock.
Plus, I simply don't want to waste the precious chicken bones. Or actually any bones! This is the same way you make beef broth, turkey broth or even pork broth - just change out the bones for whatever you have and proceed!
Slow Cooker Chicken Broth (or any bone broth)
There are two methods - both crazy easy - to go about making slow cooker chicken broth and both of them use the vegetable scraps you've been keeping in baggies in the freezer (Don't have any? Start asap - just keep the empty bags in the door of the freezer for easy adding any time you're prepping onions, carrots, and celery...):
1) Freeze chicken bones to make broth later - I do this a lot when I'm cutting up a chicken, saving the backs until there's enough for a pot.
2) Cook a whole chicken like this, cut the meat off the bones and freeze to make any recipe that calls for cooked chicken (this is one of my key menu tips - then you can add any of these quick recipes using cooked chicken to your menus!).
And if you want to be super efficient, throw a chicken in the slow cooker right when you get home from shopping! You can season it like this slow cooked spiced rotisserie chicken to eat some for dinner or just season it with a bit of salt and pepper, letting it cook on High for about 3 hours before removing the chicken from the bones and packaging the meat up for the freezer.
Either way, here are the steps to make chicken broth easily in the slow cooker:
- Sometime during the day, add your frozen chicken bones to the slow cooker (no need to thaw), OR if you've just cooked a chicken, leave everything but the meat in the slow cooker - bones, any broth from cooking, and skin. Note: I always leave skin in, even if I skim off the fat later, since it adds a lot of flavor - you can remove it if you prefer. Also note: giblets from a whole chicken or turkey often provide really strong flavors, so I may add the neck and gizzard, but not the liver - it's up to you.
- Next toss in onion, carrot, and celery ends and trimmings that you've been saving in the freezer. I usually add a couple handfuls, making sure to get some of everything. Optionally you can add: 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (helps to pull out the gelatin from the bones), garlic, whole peppercorns, or mild herbs like parsley (stems, too).
- Fill the slow cooker about three-quarters from the top with water, covering all the bones (break them or push them down to cover if needed).
- Turn the cooker to HIGH for an hour start the broth cooking (this is optional - you can just cook on low for the whole time, too). After an hour, turn it to LOW and then go about your day (or go to bed) and let the bones and vegetables simmer all night and into the next day to equal 12 to 24 hours (the longer the better).
Can I use any vegetables to make chicken broth?
Technically, yes, but some will impart bitter or strong flavors so we typically stay away from them, especially when we want the most flexible broth for using in recipes.
The best vegetables to use in chicken stock are:
- onions
- carrots + tops
- celery + leaves
- parsley + stems
- garlic
- green onion tops
Other vegetables you can use if you don't mind the flavor:
- sweet peppers
- broccoli or cauliflower stems
- cabbage cores
- other herb leaves
If you've left it overnight, in the morning the deepest, most flavorful and nutrient-dense chicken broth awaits you in the cooker. And the house smells amazing!
Depending on when you started the broth the day before, you can take care of it right away or wait a few more hours to get closer to the 24 hour mark. I usually aim for 17 to 20 hours, which if I started it the evening before is early afternoon of the next day.
Now it's a simply matter of straining the broth into a large pourable container (an 8-cup glass measure or batter bowl with spout works) and then portioning it into glass canning jars or other freezer containers.
Cool the broth before attaching lids and store in the fridge for a week or the freezer for up to a year.
Obviously, you can do this in the morning and let the broth cook all day as well, going for a 12 hour cooking window. I simply find it easiest to let it cook through the night after cooking a chicken in the afternoon.
The slow cooker has made it possible for me to have both cooked meat and broth ready for recipes - all without heating up the kitchen (well, not too much - and mostly at night) and with a minimum of work. If you made nothing else with a slow cooker but cooked chicken and broth, it would be well worth the investment!
UPDATE: I now also will make bone broth in my Instant Pot! It still takes a couple hours, but it's a LOT less time than 12 to 24 (though the slow cooker is still the more "set it and forget it" appliance for me, so I do both). You follow all the same steps, but making sure the water in the Instant Pot goes just to the MAX line and not over. Cook on High pressure for 1 hour and let release naturally for 30 minutes. With the 30 minutes to come to pressure, it's about a 2 hour cooking time. I've added these directions to the recipe below.
And the fact that this delicious broth is made from throw-away items? Amazing!
Have you used your slow cooker to make broth? If so, what is your favorite way to use the broth?
Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Bone Broth + Instant Pot Directions
Ingredients
- Chicken bones from one whole chicken or 3-4 pounds of frozen chicken backs, wing tips, etc.*
- 3 cups vegetable scraps from: carrots celery, onions, parsley
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar**
- Optional: 1 tablespoon peppercorns 2-4 cloves garlic, other herbs like bay leaf, etc.
- 12-16 cups cold water or needed to cover bones in cooker
Instructions
Slow Cooker:
- Sometime during the day, add your frozen chicken pieces to the slow cooker (NOT a whole frozen chicken, just the pieces you've been saving - no need to thaw), OR if you've just cooked a chicken, leave everything but the meat in the slow cooker - bones, any broth from cooking, and skin.***
- Next toss in the onion, carrot, and celery ends and trimmings, plus the cider vinegar and any optional ingredients.
- Fill the slow cooker about three-quarters from the top with water, covering all the bones, breaking them or pushing down to cover as needed.
- Turn the slow cooker to HIGH for an hour start the broth cooking (this is optional - you can just cook on low for the whole time, too).
- After an hour, turn it to LOW and then go about your day (or go to bed) and let the bones and vegetables simmer all night and into the next day to equal 12 to 24 hours (the longer the better).
Instant Pot:
- Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot liner, add water and make sure all ingredients are covered - fill to the "Max" line, but don't go over.
- Use Manual to set cooker for 60 minutes on High Pressure. It will take about 30 minutes to come up to pressure.
- Use natural release for at least 30 minutes, quick release if any pressure is left. Remove lid and proceed with recipe.
Strain & Store
- Strain the broth over a large glass or ceramic container with a spout and transfer to smaller freezer containers or mason jars. Let cool in jars for an hour or so before attaching lids and storing in the fridge for a week or freezer for a year.
- Alternately, you can pour it all into a large stock pot and store it in the refrigerator for a day to be able to skim the fat and then transfer into containers - or make a soup with the stock right in the pot.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe has been updated in February 2019.
Beverly says
I would asume that the giblets taken from the chicken could be used in the chicken broth also.
Jami says
Only if you want, Beverly. I don't usually since I find that the liver flavors the broth in a way we don't like.
Julie A. says
I have never made broth this way before, but I am excited to try! I have a silly question, but I'm going to ask it anyway: will the fat rise to the top when the broth is refrigerated? Or is there another better way to remove the fat? Thanks for all your great ideas and fun recipes!
Jami says
Yes, when it cools the fat will rise to the top. No silly questions here, Julie - we're all learning something. 🙂
Dexter says
Once we ve accumulated enough, it s time to fire up the slow cooker to make a batch of whichever stock we ve got bits and pieces for.
Teresa says
Hi there. I want to try this asap. When you initially cook the chicken for 3 hours in the slow cooker, are you cooking it on high? Thank you.
Jami says
Yes. 🙂
Brenda Powell says
In addition to the chicken bones & veggies for broth in slow cooker I add bay leaves & peppercorns. Very tasty broth. We have a covered deck just outside my kitchen. Our gas grill is on the deck. I use it in hot or inclement weather (even in winter here in Georgia) for all kinds of things and year round for frying so as to save the messy cleanup on my indoor electric stove. Great for fish and other smelly cooking. Husband prefers his meat charcoal cooked rather than on gas grill so I use the deck grill for an extension of my kitchen. Love it!
Jami says
Never thought of using the gas grill for all that, Brenda - it sounds like a great solution!
Kitchener Jon says
Hey, awesome! I'm going to do this in a couple days with the turkey, just like Ellen said above! Thanks Jami and Ellen!
Ellen Jacob says
I just did this last night with my turkey carcass from Thanksgiving, I woke up to the most delicious stock for my turkey noodle soup that I have ever tasted! And the house smelled good overnight, too 🙂
Jami says
That's one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving, Ellen! Yum. 🙂
Gloria Clayton says
I can chopped turkey and chicken with homemade broth. In the winter my hubby adds frozen mixed veggies and a handful of noodles for a delicious soup. Cheaper and much tastier than store bought.. I
wonder? have you used this method for beef. I roast all my bones in the oven before simmering for a heartier flavor. Thank you for the tricksy crockpot tip!
Jami says
I actually have made beef broth in the slow cooker, too - it turns out great! I just haven't done it after cooking, say, a roast 'cause there's usually only one small bone. 🙂 I'm impressed that you can meat- I've always been intimidated by low-acid canning.
Gloria Clayton says
I have a book from 1972 from the Dept of Ag that I have used for many years and I havent killed anyone yet! Trick on meats is to precook the meat, I have never done raw packing as I always think it may be dangerous.
Gloria Clayton says
There is one small grocery here on the lake and it has a butcher so I can purchase big old beef bones from there. Just had not considered doing it in the summer cause of the heat here in TX.
Jami says
Great idea! I hope to be able to buy a 1/4 beef this year, so maybe I'll have some bones from that to use for broth. 🙂
Jodi says
Saving the trimmings in the freezer was the best trick I have ever learned. I love making chicken broth for free. 🙂
Jami says
Me, too! It was a good day when I learned that - I had tried, but I just couldn't put perfectly good carrots, onions, and celery in just to throw them away. 🙂
Martha Ellen says
I used to make stock on top of the stove until my daughter told me she made hers in the slow cooker. It makes life so much easier. Let it bubble all night and in the morning your house smells divine!
Martha Ellen
Athena at Minerva's Garden says
This is a great idea to use the crockpot for stock--I usually cook it in a stock pot on the stove, but I will have to give this method a try.
Robyn says
I always make my chicken stock this way! So much easier than watching it on the stove. And I measure out the same amount as canned stock and store in Ziploc freezer bags or freezer containers, easy to add to recipes even when frozen. Since I started doing this, no one in my family will even eat anything made with store boughten stock, as it is too salty for us!
Jami says
Love your idea of freezing in can-sized amounts - that would make using it in recipes so easy!
daisy says
I make ours the same way. Love that in the morning, there is nutritious stock for my boy's meals.
Ann says
I also use the slow cooker to make broth and other things, but I also like to plug it in outside on the patio when it is this hot (112º!)
Missie says
Ann, I was going to suggest the same thing! In the summer, I gather all the necessary ingredients that have been sitting in my freezer, dump them all in the crockpot, then plug it in out in our garage -- which is super hot anyway! That frees up my counter space and keeps any additional heat out of the kitchen.
Jami, I have been known to let my stock cook for up to 48 hours. It is rich and dark golden brown and beautiful. Absolutely love it! I had been freezing it in the Ball freezer jars, but I will have to try your glass jar idea. I have plenty of those lying around!
Jami says
Well, Missie, most of the time I DO use canning jars to freeze items like stock and tomato sauce which seem to expand more than the pesto I freeze in regular little jars. I've read that some people have a lot of breakage from freezing glass jars, although I can' think of only one time that a jar broke on me. I think if there is plenty of head room left for expansion when freezing, using regular jars should be ok.
brenda from ar says
I try to keep as much heat as possible out on the patio also. Have set up an old kind of ugly microwave cart just outside the back door. This holds a crockpot of pinto beans or stock or whatever. Also, the turkey roaster fits on the cart, and it has a temperature control. I've even baked bread on parchment on the rack in the roaster. When the temps cool down in the Fall, I switch back to indoor cooking.
Jami says
Wow, Brenda, you really plan for the hot weather, don't you? Sadly, we don't have enough hot weather to go to that much trouble here. 🙂
Maggie says
I've never liked the way chicken in the slow cooker came out, but will definatley try making my stock this way. Great idea!
To beat the heat in the summer, we've been cooking our chicken on a rotisorrie (sp?) that attaches to our BBQ grill.
Jami says
Wow - rotisserie on the grill sounds wonderful. Lucky you!
[email protected] says
Good call on the veggie scraps! I usually make mine with just the chicken and use it immediately, but I'll have to try the veggies and freezing in the future!
Jami says
Ashley - I think you'll notice a HUGE difference with the added vegetables! I didn't think it was necessary, either, when I first started making broth and when I finally tried it after reading about using veggie ends and pieces, the difference was amazing. I've never made it without at least some vegetables since. I'll be curious to know if you notice the difference as well. 🙂
Jenny says
I used my slow cooker once but I typically just use my stock pot. I like to make a batch once a week and use it for our "soup night" which gives us one dinner and leftovers for lunch throughout the week. I'd like to learn to can it so I can have some on hand when I need it in a pinch.
Jami says
I actually like having that pot of stock simmering in the winter - seems homey to me. But when it's hot, this is my solution. Plus our "soup night" in the summer becomes "salad night." 🙂
Jenny says
I would *love* to have a salad night in the summer. We had horrible temps this past month over 110 degrees and being in an older home that isn't that well insulated the kitchen was warm from the afternoon on. It was too hot to cook. My husband on the other hand, doesn't feel that he has eaten if he's had a salad for dinner so we do soup year round. 😕 I'm working on him though...
Jami says
Oh, well. Maybe soup and salad night and those who want can forgo the soup? I find I don't enjoy soup as much when it's hot. Funny I don't have a problem enjoying piping hot ribs, though. 🙂
Sakura says
You must be a mind reader. I was just thinking about doing this, but I'm going to try and pressure can both the chicken and broth together along with some broth only jars. I just canned sliced carrots and some potatoes a couple of days ago. I am loving my pressure canner this year!
Jami says
Whoa- you are a better woman than I to do all the pressure-canning! I feel accomplished if I can just get it into the freezer. 🙂
Sakura says
I would love to freeze more, but I'm out of space!
Sharon O says
That sounds wonderful and quite easy. We use chicken broth or stock for many things so this will be a great help. thank you