This homemade chicken broth is easy to put together and rich in flavor. Flavor that comes not just from the carcass of the chicken but also the assortment of herbs and veggies in it! Not only is this chicken broth lovely in homemade soups, but also casseroles, marinades, and many more.
The other night for dinner I made one of my favorite meals growing up, an oven roasted whole chicken. Well, my husband and I picked it apart as much as we could, and I knew right away what I was going to do with the leftover…homemade chicken broth! You know I couldn’t let it go to waste.
Alright guys, the Brick House on Green blog hasn’t been active for too long, but you have already heard me go on tangents about the benefits of using homemade chicken broth haha! I mention some of the benefits of using it in our post of Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup. In that post I write about homemade broth providing you with collagen and having anti-inflammatory effects. I also talk about the flavor like no other that comes from homemade broth. The bones are what give this broth such a great flavor. Although, the herbs and veggies do that as well don’t get me wrong.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- This recipe really makes multiple meals if you want it to. Sometimes when I do this recipe I simply go out and buy a recipe to make the broth with and shred the chicken and store it with the broth. Although, this past time, I made an oven roasted chicken for a dinner, and like I said, I am using the leftovers to make some homemade broth. So, I got a dinner out of it and now I’m getting broth for multiple meals to come!
- You can simply put this on the stove top and walk away and do whatever you need to do for a few hours. You do not have to constantly be watching the chicken or stirring something. All you really need to do for this is bring it to a rolling boil, turn it back to a simmer and leave alone for at least 3-5 hours.
- In my fully unbiased opinion, I think this recipe gets bonus points because it is freezable. When I make homemade chicken broth, I usually divide it up into pint jars or gallon bags and freeze. That way I can just pull-out serving size amounts as I am ready! I never tried water bathing this recipe but I’m sure you can do that too if you would prefer. Of course, using this broth the day of made is perfectly fine as well. Honestly, don’t wait to use it if you don’t have to.
TOOLS YOU MAY NEED
Large soup pot
Mason jars or gallon bags (for storing)
Sharp knife
Ingredients
Whole Chicken or Carcass
Celery
Onion
Fresh or dried parsley
Dried oregano
Italian seasoning
Dried basil
Salt
Pepper
Water
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CHICKEN BROTH STEP-BY-STEP
To start, prep the veggies by dicing the celery and onions.
In your dutch oven or soup pot, add your chicken carcass, and diced celery and onions.
Next, measure out the herbs and add them on top of the carcass and diced veggies. Along with adding your salt and pepper to the pot.
Cover all of the ingredients with water and bring to a boil.
After the water has been boiling for 10 minutes, turn down and simmer for 3-5 hours. The longer the better.
If using chicken with meat and not just bones, separate the meat from the bones. Then, put the meat back in the broth if you want to store it together.
Before you store this broth, you may also drain all the veggies and spices out or keep them with the broth to store. Totally up to you!
Let the broth cool completely before putting it into mason jars or Ziploc bags. The broth can be used right away, stored in the fridge for 3-4 days or put in the freezer for 2-3 months.
If you make this recipe, please let us know! We would love to hear how it turned out for you!
FAQ:
Is making your own chicken broth worth it?
Now, I might be a little biased since I am providing you with a recipe on homemade chicken broth, but yes, making your own chicken broth is so worth it! It beats the flavor that comes from the store by far! You can also get more out of it than just buying a container from the store.
Is chicken broth just water from boiled chicken?
After the chicken is done boiling for a few hours, the liquid that is in the pot is the chicken juices that went into the water you filled the pot with! So, the base of it is water, but the chicken added the flavor to it!
Can you drink the water you boil chicken in?
As long as the chicken is fully cooked, it is safe to drink that water the chicken was boiling in. That water is delicious and nutritious chicken broth!
Simple Homemade Chicken Broth
This homemade chicken broth is so simple yet so delicious. Full of spices and veggies, so rich in flavor you'll want to add it to anything you can!
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken or carcass
- 3 celery stalks
- 1 onion
- 12 cups water *see notes
- 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 Tbsp. dried basil
- 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
- 2 Tbsp. fresh or dried parsley
- 1 Tbsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
Instructions
- Start by dicing the celery and onions.
- Add your chicken and diced veggies to a dutch oven or desired soup pot.
- Sprinkle spices and salt/pepper on top.
- Cover with water.
- Bring to a boil for 10 minutes.
- Turn heat down to a simmer and let it simmer for 4-5 hours. The longer the more flavor.
- Use right away, store in fridge, or freeze!
Notes
1. The amount of water you need will vary. Do not feel like you have to measure it out. Simply use as much water as it takes to just cover the top of your chicken. For this time, it took me 12 cups. Although, it will be different every time depending on the size of your bird.
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