This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
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.
Instead of fresh water for the stock can I use the leftover fluid from making the rotisserie chicken previously?
Yes absolutely Shelly!
This entire article has been very beneficial, this is the first time Iβve interested in using the instapot for an entire chicken. Up until now Iβve just mainly trying to learn HOW to feel comfortable with it.
Right now I have just followed your instructions and I have enjoyed every minute. My sister hesitates do try anything and only has garlic powder ,wait and pepper for seasoning. Weβre in our eighties,have just lost our husbands, I did send her an instapot To her several months ago, what a fun hobby this will be for her.
Thank you so much for your instructions and Iβm definitely looking forward to other recipes that you might provided
Hi Sharon! I am so glad you found my site and found it helpful! I have to chuckle because my sister refuses to add garlic and pepper herself! I wish you all the best as you experiment with more recipes π
Do you wash the carotts before you peel, since you reuse the peels and thy can be dirty, chemicals on them, soil, etc. Some question for celery base. Do you use pelled or unpelled garlic also? Thank you.
Hi Lili! I wash all my produce before peeling, regardless of if I am using peels for stock or not. That way it ensures I remove any dirt, residue, etc. As for garlic, peeled or unpeeled is fin, but but I use peeled.
Hi Kristen, many thanks for the reply, from now on I shall minus the carrot. However I have also had my pure bone broth at times go bitter which has had no added vegetable matter. Any ideas why this may happen? What makes it more perplexing is that it doesn't always happen
This is perplexing to me as well. Vegetables can make bone broth bitter--due to long cook time. I will have to research it a bit to see if I come up with anything. My only other thought off the top of my head is that is may be the flavor from the bay leaf.
I have made stocks, broth, bone broth etc on stove for years. Like many sauces, putting in herbs at the beginning of a long simmer (such as tomato sauce) will cause bitterness.
I used to go up to 72 hours with bone broths/stocks ensuring nothing ever boils, but remains at safe temps, until the bones would crush and dissolve, getting all the marrow in etc. Past 48 hours, I've encountered bitter broths.
WIth the instant pot, I do 45 mins, with carrot onion celery, and any other veggies that may be going bad soon in fridge, Then I kind of crush the bones the best I can with the end of a meat tenderizer after the initial pressure cook for 45 minutes.. Then I add in herb type stuff and hit it again for 15 minutes in instant pot. Then filter through screen and fridge overnight, then remove the congealed grease from the top. The stock/broth should end up pretty gelled, which is a great sign. I like to butterfly chickens and turkeys and basically cut out the spine for use in stock/broth along with everything else scraps wise, (gizzards, neck, ribs, even skin)and even some meat sticking to bones, the stuff that won't get eaten anyway. I then also crush the bones again and stir up before the filtering stage and before the fridge stage just to ensure I get any marrow bits from the bones etc. Then we bag in 1 cup and 2 cup increments for sauces etc calling for 1 cup liquid etc. For soup we just add as many bags as we need plus water since the broth is sooooooo rich.
at times my stock can go very bitter do you know any reason why this may happen? It does not happen every time
Hi Jo! Bitterness may happen from some your vegetables or peels. Carrot are usually the culprit (but if you use broccoli stems or asparagus stems they may be the reason, as well). Small carrots are sweeter, while larger carrots can at times be bitter. If you have particularly large carrots, I would omit the stem from the stock. Hope that helps.
Thank you for the recipe and IP directions! I put in chicken bones, a few baby carrots, cilantro, rosemary, peppercorns, cloves, salt and water.
It was so easy and it smells great!!
YAY!! I love making Instant Pot stock and having on hand to use through the week.
This was amazing! I made two batches- one with 1 cup of cooking liquid from your Rotisserie Chicken recipe (and 9 cups tapwater) and one batch with just tapwater. The first batch- with the rotisserie cooking liquid- was QUITE a bit better! I will always make stock immediately after cooking a chicken in my Instant Pot!
I have a question about nutritional information- is the amount of sodium for the entire batch of stock? Or per serving? (If so, how much is a serving?)
I am so glad you enjoyed! The sodium is per cup of stock. Keep in mind that 1/2 cup per store bought stock usually has over 800 grams of sodium. But feel free to cut the salt in half, or omit and season as needed.