Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Bone Broth + Instant Pot Directions

Slow Cooker Chicken broth in measuring cup

Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Bone Broth + Instant Pot Directions

After cooking a whole chicken, throw bones & veggies in a slow cooker to make this easy chicken broth. Or use any frozen bones you have - this is also the same method to use to make easy beef broth, turkey broth, and pork broth. Includes Instant Pot directions, too.

Prep Time5

Cook Time12

Total Time12 5

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 86kcal

Author: Jami Boys

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

*Or use 3-4 pounds bones from any animal: beef, turkey, or pork to make the corresponding broth.

**Technically this is optional, too, but it's almost imperative to help draw out the gelatin and other nutrients from the bones, so I'm encouraging you to always use it.

***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: any 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.

Nutrition