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Turn your kitchen scraps into treasure with this simple recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Stock! Made with chicken bones, vegetable scraps, and seasonings, this recipe comes together effortlessly and is more flavorful than ANYTHING you can purchase! Directions for how to make Instant Pot Bone Broth as well.
Probably the number one ingredient I use in my kitchen is chicken stock.
From Creamy Cheesy Chicken and Rice to Chicken Pot Pie to Potato Soup, I use chicken stock as the base of endless meals.
But instead of purchasing chicken broth from the store, I have been making homemade chicken stock for decades. And using the Instant Pot makes the process so much easier.
Why is Homemade Better?
- More Flavorful. The instant pot really develops the flavors in stock, making it much richer than store-bought stock.
- Economical. Using my frugal tip for using vegetable scraps to make this stock, it can be made essentially for free!
- Quality Control. By making stock or bone broth at home, you know exactly what goes into your stock! No yeast extract, no msg, no caramel color, no gluten. Plus you can control the amount of sodium.
Ingredients Needed
- Chicken Bones: Use a chicken carcass or chicken bones of choice. Bones from a rotisserie chicken, Instant Pot whole chicken, or split chicken breasts. Feel free to swap out the chicken bones for bones from a roasted turkey as well.
- Vegetables or Vegetable Scraps: A HUGE money-saving tip is to save the peels from carrots, ends of onions, and celery scraps and store them in a freezer-safe bag to use to make homemade stock. Just be sure to wash your vegetables well before peeling or chopping and add them to your vegetable scrap bag as you accumulate scraps. Of course, you can make this stock with fresh vegetables as well, I provide quantities for both options in the recipe card.
- Seasonings: I use bay, thyme, peppercorns, and salt to season my stock and bone broth. You can use garlic cloves, parsley, ground pepper, or rosemary as well.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Stock
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Add a Metal Strainer Insert (Optional) and place it inside the instant pot. While this makes straining the broth so easy, it is completely unnecessary.
- Layer Ingredients. Place chicken bones or carcass into the inner pot. Add in the vegetables (or veggie scraps) and season with salt and herbs.
- Cover with Water. Be careful NOT to overfill Instant Pot. You do not want to fill your instant pot more than two-thirds of the way full. It is okay if the bones and stock are not fully covered.
- Pressure Cook. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and be sure the vent knob is pointed towards sealed. Cook on High Pressure for 45 minutes for chicken stock and 120 minutes on high pressure for bone broth.
- Let Pressure Release. Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally for AT LEAST 30 minutes, before releasing pressure manually. This is so important so your vent knob doesn't spew stock all over your kitchen and you!
- Strain. At this point, strain off the chicken stock using the strainer insert or a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl.
Storage Instructions
After straining the chicken stock, let it cool slightly, then transfer to storage containers and refrigerate overnight. Once chilled, it is completely normal for fat to solidify on top of the stock. You can skim it off with a spoon and discard or use as desired.
- Refrigerate: Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- Freeze: Freeze in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. My favorite storage container for freezing Instant Pot chicken stock (or soups of any kind) are Souper Cubes. These silicone containers have four 1-cup molds that you can freeze the stock in and pop out and transfer to a large storage bag, saving space in your freezer.
Difference Between Broth, Stock, and Bone Broth
Today, I am showing you how to make both Instant Pot Chicken Stock and Instant Pot Bone Broth and the only difference between the recipes is the length of cooking time.
- Broth: A cooking liquid that has been flavored with something (like vegetables, fish, meat, etc.). The broth is typically more clear and not simmered as long as stock.
- Stock: Cooking liquid simmered for a long period of time with bones. Stock is typically rich in color.
- Bone Broth: Bone broth is made with bones (which are typically roasted) and simmered for such a long time, that gelatin and trace minerals are released from the bones and the bones are able to be broken or crumble easily after cooking.
Ways to Use Instant Pot Chicken Stock
Use this homemade instant pot chicken stock in any recipe that calls for broth, stock, or bone broth. Below are a few of my favorite Instant Pot Recipes that call for chicken stock.
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Smoked Sausage and Potatoes
Save yourself money and make your meals taste better with this homemade instant pot stock! I hope you enjoy the taste and savings this recipe will deliver to your family!
Instant Pot Chicken Stock
Video
Ingredients
- 1 chicken carcass or bones from roasted chicken
- 1 carrot, washed and cut into quarters
- 2 large onions, peeled and cut in half
- 2 stalks of celery, leaves included, cut into quarters
- 1-2 sprigs fresh thyme, optional
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 10 cups cold water
Instructions
- If using the strainer insert, place the insert into the inner pot of the instant pot.
- Place the chicken bones, vegetables, herbs, salt and peppercorns in the strainer or directly in the inner pot of the pressure cooker.
- Pour the water over the scraps. Feel free to add more water, but DO NOT let the water reach above two-thirds of the way full.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and be sure the vent knob is pointed towards sealed, not venting.
- Set cook time for High Pressure by hitting manual or pressure and using the plus or minus buttons to read 45 minutes for chicken stock and 120 minutes for bone broth.
- Once cook time has elapsed, let naturally release for at least 30 minutes.
- Strain stock and allow to cool slightly before transferring to containers to store.
- Once the stock has cooled and has been refrigerated, you may notice a layer of fat form on top of the stock. Simply use a spoon to skim that off the stock and discard.
Equipment
- Electric Pressure Cooker (6 or 8 quart) (the least expensive, most reliable model)
- Strainer for Instant Pot (makes the process so easy!)
- Stock Containers (these freezer cubes are the ultimate space saver)
Notes
- Time to Get to Pressure: 20-25 minutes
- Time to Cook: 45 minutes for stock and 120 minutes for bone broth
- Time to Release Pressure: 30 minutes
- Total Time: About 2 hours for stock and 3 hours and 15 minutes for bone broth.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post has been modified with new tips and a video in 2023 but was originally published in 2017.
I've never made bone broth before and I used the strainer insert You suggested. It worked like a charm! If you don't have an insert, I would highly recommend this one! Since I found you on you tube, I'm using my instant pot more than ever and used the broth to make your refried beans recipe! Thanks so much!
Hi Rose! I am so happy you found my channel and have been enjoying my recipes! Thank you for sharing.
I’ve been saving up chicken bones in my freezer for a while now! What weight of bones would you recommend for this specific recipe?
I dehydrate my finished broth in a dehydrator. This saves room in my freezer and it lasts much longer.
Hi Jennifer! I would use at least 1 pound or up to 2 pounds. And what a great way to save space 🙂
Delicious
Sigrid. Just a thought. I often use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in other recipes but was finding them a little pricey. Lately I've been buying chicken thighs with skin and bone included. After looking at a few You Tubes and a bit of practice, I can now skin and debone chicken thighs quickly. Skin and bones go to the soup pot. Maybe this will work for you. As you probably know, sharp knives are your friend. Happy cooking!
Is there anything I can do with the chicken fat skimmed off the top?
You can use it to saute just about anything (like you would bacon grease or butter.) I would store in the fridge and use within a few days.
Unfortunately I found this somewhat bland. I needed to cook it down and add some chicken stock to beef up the flavor.
Hi Hannah! Did you season well and add the onions and celery as instructed? If you changed the seasonings or increased the amount of water that may be a reason you found it to be bland.
Thank you very much for this recipe I use it often and it is my go to for making chicken bone broth.
Thanks for sharing, Susan! I appreciate you taking a time to leave a review.