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This Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth is super quick and easy to make in the Instant Pot, and just so nourishing and delicious. Plus, it's great in soups and stews!
There is nothing quite like sitting down to a nice steaming mug of rich bone broth to fight the cold outside and feel all warm and fuzzy.
This Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth has it all; a silky rich feel and flavor, all the wonderful health benefits of drinking bone broth, and just so amazing used in place of broth in soups, stews, or other dishes.
It really is bomb (yes I said it). I don't kid about things like this. PLUS...you get to enjoy this incredible Dutch oven roasted chicken or air fryer whole chicken first!
And in the Instant Pot, instead of taking 12+ hours to cook (like this crockpot chicken broth or this chicken feet bone broth, which is also amazing), it only takes 3. Once you've added all the ingredients to the pot and turned it on, that's 3 hours you have to do whatever you want...napping (ahem).
Who doesn't need a nice nap from time to time? It's ok to tell everyone else that you spent hours making this bone broth. I won't tell.
Jump to:
Bone Broth Benefits
Some of you may wonder whether chicken bone broth heals the gut. Well, I can't tell you for sure as I am no doctor, however the collagen, glycine, and amino acids have been said to help in inflammation of the gut.
It has been recommended to drink 8 ounces of bone broth a day to help with this inflammation. But again, not a doctor here. All I know is it makes me feel good and it's so delicious.
And if you're going to start drinking this every day as part of a diet, why waste money on the store bought kinds? I have been drinking bone broth every day for weeks and am loving it.
What Is the Difference Between Bone Broth and Stock?
Well, bone broth and stock are essential the same thing - the process of simmering bones and over the long term to get nutrients and collagen. What differs is the time. Bone broth is typically simmered for many hours, while stock is simmered for less time. Regular chicken broth is typically made with just meat, vegetables and aromatics, and has a much lighter texture and flavor.
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The Ingredients in Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth
Best Bones for Bone Broth
Any chicken bones will work for this chicken bone broth recipe. I typically save the carcass from a chicken I've roasted, and I also save the bones from any recipe where I use bone-in chicken (i.e. legs, thighs, wings, etc.).
When you make this whole Moroccan Roasted Chicken or this whole Indian Spiced Roasted Chicken, be sure to save the carcasses for use in this bone broth!
You could also make this with pork, turkey (I love this Instant Pot Turkey Bone Broth), beef, lamb, veal, and any other meat you can think of. I recommend looking for large bones, and also smaller bones with a little meat on them. The meat helps to add a little extra flavor to the broth.
You can add whatever vegetables you'd like to enhance the flavor of the broth. I stick with a simple onion, a few carrots and a couple stalks of celery.
The apple cider vinegar called for in this recipe helps to break down the bones so you get that jello consistency. Which we want. Meat jello. Yum.
Note that I do not add salt to this bone broth recipe. When I use this chicken bone broth in other recipes, I like to adjust the salt as necessary for specific recipes. If you are drinking it straight, you will want to salt it to taste, otherwise it will taste bland.
**I don't recommend adding salt during the cooking process as the salt concentration becomes very high.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth
Combine all the ingredients in the Instant Pot. Cover the bones and vegetables with water, plus another 2-3" if you have room in the Instant Pot. Note I use a 6 quart Instant Pot for this recipe. For an 8 quart Instant Pot, you may want to add another ½ lbs. of bones, or just use less water.
How Long Do You Cook Chicken Bone Broth?
Cook on high pressure for 3 hours. Use the quick release to release the pressure.
Expert Tips
- If you're in a hurry, you can cook for just 2 hours, I just prefer 3 to get a little extra richness from the broth;
- Use a mix of large bones with cartilage and smaller bones containing some meat for the best flavor. A full chicken carcass is best for this.
- I use a 6 quart Instant Pot for this recipe. For an 8 quart Instant Pot, you may want to add another ½ lbs. of bones, or add less water.
- You can also add whatever vegetables you'd like to enhance the flavor of the broth.
- Note that I do not add salt to this bone broth recipe. When I use this chicken bone broth in other recipes, I like to adjust the salt as necessary for specific recipes. If you are drinking it straight, you will want to salt it to taste, otherwise it will taste bland. I don't recommend adding salt during the cooking process as the salt concentration becomes very high.
How To Use Chicken Bone Broth
This chicken bone broth recipe can be used in any recipe that calls for chicken broth. Try it in some of these recipes:
You may also want to try some of these great ideas:
- Use it in place of water when cooking rice;
- Cook vegetables in it;
- You can just drink it. Just add some salt and pepper and sip away - it's incredible!
- Use it braising meats.
- Make some Beef Bone Broth with your slow cooker if you're kind over chicken.
How To Freeze Bone Broth
Let the broth cool slightly and pour into ice cube trays. Place in the freezer. Once frozen, place the ice cubes in large freezer bags and store for up to a year
This enables you to use smaller amounts of the bone broth as necessary. You can also freeze it in 1 cup containers, or just freeze the whole batch in a freezer safe container (not recommended unless you plan to thaw it all out at once). Store it for up to a year.
Tools Used To Make Bone Broth
- Instant Pot 9-in-1 6 Quart DUO
- Mesh strainer
- Ice cube trays
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Did you make this Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth? Rate the recipe and leave me a comment to let me know how it turned out!
Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken bones (recommend a whole chicken carcass) (see notes)
- 1 large onion quartered
- 2 carrots cut in half
- 2 stalks celery cut in half
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in the Instant Pot. Add water to cover the bones, plus 2-3" if room in the Instant Pot.
- Cook on high pressure for 3 hours. Use the quick release to release the pressure.
Expert Tips:
- If you're in a hurry, you can cook for just 2 hours, I just prefer 3 to get a little extra richness from the broth;
- A total of 2 lbs. of chicken bones/carcass is recommended for the best flavor.
- Any chicken bones will work for this chicken bone broth recipe. I typically save the carcass from a chicken I've roasted, and I also save the bones from any recipe where I use bone-in chicken (i.e. legs, thighs, wings, etc.).
- I use a 6 quart Instant Pot for this recipe. For an 8 quart Instant Pot, you may want to add another ½ lbs. of bones, or add less water.
- You can also add whatever vegetables you'd like to enhance the flavor of the broth.
- Note that I do not add salt to this bone broth recipe. When I use this chicken bone broth in other recipes, I like to adjust the salt as necessary for specific recipes. If you are drinking it straight, you will want to salt it to taste, otherwise it will taste bland. I don't recommend adding salt during the cooking process as the salt concentration becomes very high.
- To freeze: Let the broth cool slightly and pour into ice cube trays. Place in the freezer. Once frozen, place ice cubes in large freezer bags. This enables you to use smaller amounts of the bone broth. You can also freeze in 1 cup containers, or just freeze the whole batch in a freezer safe container if desired.
Nutrition
Barbara says
I made mine using a Costco rotisserie chicken carcass. I added a carrot, celery stalk, 1/4 onion, a garlic clove, a few shakes of poultry seasoning, a few peppercorns, and Himalayan salt to taste. I cooked it in the instant pot for three hours. It was delicious. I skimmed the fat and it was nicely jelled. I can’t get enough!
Danielle says
I'm so glad you liked it!
Melody says
Does the broth gel with this recipe.
Danielle says
Yes it does!
PamG says
If you throw in a couple chicken feet it will gel like you’d never believe!
Madeline Q. says
Made this and it came out rich and flavorful. I used most of the ingredients, I did not have an onion or carrots, instead I put two tablespoons of recado(sofrito) which is a blended mixture of onions, garlic, green peppers, small sweet peppers, cilantro. I also added half a teaspoon of salt and a culantro leaf. It was delicious and tasty. Good to put in a cup and sip slowly on a cold wintery night.
,
Danielle says
So glad you liked it! Love the idea of adding the recado. It is one of the best things to sip on a cold winter day!
Sammy says
A 5-star recipe needing only two pounds of bones. Great! Well . . . No! Two reviewers (Kim and Mahy) have tried this. Almost every remaining rater clearly rated WITHOUT trying this. Frustrating!! Pretty useless metrics. 🙁
Danielle says
Hi Sammy - I apologize that this didn't work for you. I've made it many times and it always comes out great. Can you let me know what the problems were with the recipe? Perhaps I can help figure out what the problem is!
Kathy Soule says
I made this today. I have the Ninja Foodi. Cooked it for 90 minutes. I had to add salt it just tasted like nothing. I strained it I used the wing tips from wings. It's in the refrigerator right now. Will leave it in there until tomorrow then skin the grease off of it. Just not a fan of fat. Then I will freeze it in freezer qt size baggies. Can't imagine what it would be like to sit down and sip it or use a spoon.. Think I will just use it for stock. Instead of buying the boxed variety.
Danielle says
Typically I recommend cooking it for 3 hours (2 if you're in a hurry) for the best result. I don't include salt in the recipe as some people use it for cooking, or in soups where there are other seasonings. I add salt after I cook it when I use it for sipping.
Diane Langston says
I love this, I’ve made it several times. This time I’m using a rotisserie chicken carcass, and 2 special bones from bone-in filet mignons. You can use celery butts and beet stalks too.. That’s also in my pot for this batch.
Danielle says
I am so glad you're enjoying it! I think it's a great way to use scraps 🙂
Jenny says
Just a quick question I want to make this for the first time do I roast my chicken parts first or use them raw and make the broth?
Danielle says
You can do either. Typically I am using a chicken carcass, so it has already been roasted. But raw will work fine as well!
Monika McLeod says
So easy and delicious.
Danielle says
Glad you liked it!
Kathy Currington says
Do you remove the fat that comes up to the top after cooling or do you leave it there to be consumed?
Danielle says
It actually depends on preference. I like to leave the fat because I believe it gives the broth more depth and flavor. But if you'd like a cleaner broth, you can remove the fat.
Michelle says
Thanks for this recipe. I can’t seen to have my Instant Pot on both pressure cook and normal mode at the same time. As soon as I hit pressure cook my mode reverts to less. Your photo shows normal mode AND pressure cook. Thoughts?
Danielle says
Huh...I'm not totally sure what the issue could be. Can you move it to more instead of normal? It would be ok to cook on more, but if you cook on less, the broth may not be as deep tasting.
Cindy says
What is the shelf life in the refrigerator?
Danielle says
It should keep for 3-5 days in the fridge. I typically freeze mine in cubes and keep it in the freezer for quick use. It'll last 3-6 months in the freezer.
Jade says
Just curious but why can’t bone marrow bones be used?
Danielle says
Marrow bones contain a lot of fat and will cause the broth to be extra greasy, technically then can be used, but I don't believe it results in a very desirable broth.
Frances says
I’ve used marrow bones in my bone broth and it is delicious! Especially good if you’re on a keto plan!
Danielle says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!
Kevin says
12.02.2015
Nati says
I've never made chicken bone broth and I would've if I knew it was this easy! I also didn't know of all the uses and benefits of it! Thank you!
Danielle says
The IP makes it so easy and it's just so good!