Instant Pot Chicken Stock (Bone Broth)

Name: Instant Pot Chicken Stock
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 1 chicken carcass; 12 cups water ((or enough to cover bones without exceeding max fill line)); 1 onion ((quartered)); 1 head garlic ((lightly crushed)); 1 tablespoon ground thyme; 2-3 bay leaves; 1 tablespoon salt; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 3-4 carrots or celery stalks ((optional))

This Instant Pot chicken stock recipe makes a rich homemade broth using leftover chicken bones, vegetables, and simple pantry ingredients.

chicken, water, onions, carrots, and herbs in an instant pot.

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Why You'll Love This Recipe

leslie lambert, author of lamberts lately.

You guys know I like to talk about all of the things an Instant Pot can do. It really is a kitchen workhorse. From making Instant Pot rice, to prepping the easiest Instant Pot pasta, to tons of different Instant Pot chicken dishes, it just about does it all.

I'm going to let you in on another Instant Pot secret today. Instant Pot chicken stock is just about the richest, most flavorful complement to soups you will find. And it's so easy to make...if you follow the method I'm sharing, you'll pay almost nothing for it!

Save money and waste less. Store-bought chicken stock and bone broth can get expensive fast, especially if you cook often. This recipe lets you turn leftover chicken bones, veggie scraps, and pantry basics into something incredibly useful instead of throwing them away.

Make your recipes taste so much better. Homemade Instant Pot chicken stock has a deeper, richer flavor than most boxed broth, so it gives soups, rice, pasta, and sauces a big boost. It's one of those simple kitchen staples that makes almost everything taste more homemade.

Keep it simple and control every ingredient. When you make your own chicken stock, there are no unnecessary preservatives, mystery additives, or extra sodium unless you want it there. You get a clean, flavorful base made with ingredients you recognize and trust.

This is one of those methods you'll go back to time and time again - once you have homemade chicken stock on hand, you'll never want to be without it!

Instant Pot Chicken Stock at a Glance

Cook Time	60 minutes
Pressure Release	Natural 10 minutes
Yield	~6 cups
Best Bones	Rotisserie carcass
Freezer Life	6 months

What's the Difference Between Chicken Stock, Chicken Broth, and Bone Broth?

Chicken Stock

Chicken stock is made primarily from bones, often with a small amount of meat still attached. The bones are simmered or pressure cooked for an extended period of time so the collagen, minerals, and nutrients can be extracted.

This process creates a rich, flavorful liquid that's perfect for soups, sauces, gravies, and cooking grains. Homemade chicken stock often becomes slightly gelatinous when chilled, which is a sign that collagen has been extracted from the bones.

Chicken Broth

Chicken broth is typically made by cooking chicken meat in water, sometimes with vegetables and herbs. Because it's made with meat rather than bones, broth usually has a lighter flavor and thinner texture than stock.

Chicken broth is still great for cooking and works well in soups, sauces, rice, and pasta dishes, but it doesn't usually have the same depth of flavor or body as a well-made stock.

Bone Broth

Bone broth is essentially chicken stock that's cooked for an even longer period of time. The extended cooking time helps break down the bones further and extract additional collagen and nutrients.

If the bones are very soft or falling apart when the cooking time is finished, you're moving more into bone broth territory. If you'd like to make bone broth with this recipe, simply increase the cook time in the Instant Pot to 90-120 minutes instead of the standard 60 minutes.

Which One Is Best?

Even though I prefer the flavor and richness of homemade chicken stock, chicken broth definitely has its place in the kitchen. It's great for boiling rice or pasta, adding flavor to vegetables, or replacing water in recipes when you want an extra boost of savory flavor.

But when I have the option, I almost always reach for chicken stock or bone broth. They have deeper flavor, more body, and they're just as easy to make - especially in the Instant Pot.

Ingredient Notes

ingredients for instant pot chicken stock.

(See recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact ingredient measurements.)

chicken carcass - I usually use the leftover bones from a rotisserie chicken, but any leftover chicken bones will work well here. Wings, thighs, drumsticks, and roasted chicken bones are all great options. I like to save them in a freezer bag until I'm ready to make a batch.
water - Add just enough to cover the bones and vegetables, but make sure it stays below the max fill line of your Instant Pot.
onion - No need to chop it finely. Just quarter it and toss it in. I usually leave the peel on too!
garlic - Whole cloves are fine here. Just give them a quick smash to help release the flavor.
ground thyme - Fresh, dried, or ground thyme all work, so use whatever you have on hand.
bay leaves - These add a little extra savory flavor to the stock.
salt - I like to keep the salt fairly light so the stock is easy to use in different recipes later.
apple cider vinegar - A small splash helps pull more goodness from the bones as the stock cooks. Don't worry - you won't taste it in the finished stock.

Essential Tools Needed

Instant Pot - I use a 6-quart Instant Pot pressure cooker to make this recipe. A bigger model is fine, but I wouldn't use anything smaller than 6 quarts.
Fine mesh strainer - You'll want something that can catch any bones or seasonings left over after your stock is finished. The finer the better; the common strainers found in kitchens work, but something like cheese cloth is even better.

Ingredient Variations & Additions

One of the best things about homemade chicken stock is how flexible it is. You can easily adjust the ingredients based on what you have on hand.

Add classic stock vegetables. Carrots and celery are great additions and create the traditional savory flavor base used in many stock recipes.
Use extra herbs or spices. Whole peppercorns, parsley stems, rosemary, sage, or thyme all add nice flavor if you have them.
Use veggie scraps. Chicken stock is perfect for using up kitchen leftovers. Onion ends, carrot peels, celery tops, and herb stems can all go into a freezer bag until you're ready to make your stock.
Try different bones or shells. This same method works well for other types of stock too. You can use turkey bones, beef bones, ham bones, shrimp shells, or crawfish shells to make different varieties.
Make bone broth instead. If you'd like a richer broth with more collagen, simply increase the pressure cook time to 90-120 minutes instead of the standard 60 minutes.

The Secret to Super Flavorful Chicken Stock

There are two ways to ensure your chicken stock is really rich & flavorful...

⏰ Time - In the Instant Pot, your chicken stock needs to pressure cook for at least an hour. I prefer 60 minutes (as indicated in this recipe) to really max out the flavor and nutritional value. If you use my stovetop method below, I'd recommend simmering no less than 2 hours.
🧑‍🍳 Use roasted bones when possible - If the original cooking method of the chicken didn't infuse flavor, you're going to get less flavor out of the bones. This is a big reason I like using rotisserie chickens for this; they've been slow-roasted and have a ton of seasoning. Roasted chicken bones are also great for chicken stock.

How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Stock

ingredients for instant pot chicken stock in the pressure cooker.

straining homemade chicken stock through a fine mesh strainer.

Add everything to the Instant Pot. Place the chicken carcass, water, onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and apple cider vinegar in the Instant Pot. Make sure the water covers the bones and vegetables, but does not go past the max fill line.
Pressure cook. Seal the lid and set the Instant Pot to Manual (High Pressure) for 60 minutes. If you'd like to make bone broth instead, increase the cook time to 90-120 minutes.
Let the pressure release naturally. Once the cook time is up, let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes. After that, carefully turn the valve to release any remaining pressure.
Strain the stock. Open the lid and use a fine mesh strainer to pour the stock into a large bowl or container, separating out the bones, vegetables, and herbs.
Cool and store. Let the stock cool slightly before using. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, or freeze it for later (more info below).

How to Make Different Varieties of Stock

This basic process can be used for really any kind of stock you'd like to make. Make beef stock, shrimp stock, or even vegetable broth with this method!

Cover the bones/shells with water.
Add in root vegetables and seasonings to your liking (I typically only use onion and maybe garlic, but many like to use carrots, celery, or other root veggies too).
Cook on manual high pressure for 60 minutes, allowing a natural pressure release for 10 minutes or so before releasing the remaining pressure through the valve.

Step-by-Step Video

How to Freeze Chicken Stock

You're going to get a lot of chicken stock out of this recipe, so you're almost definitely going to want to freeze it.

A few years ago, the nice people at Souper Cubes sent me their freezing trays to try and I absolutely fell in love with them. (This post is not sponsored by them at all...I just love the product!)

They are silicone molds that measure out a cup of whatever you're freezing in each container. This is the perfect way to freeze a single serving of a meal, soup, or in this case, chicken stock.

I pour the chicken stock into these molds to freeze. Once they're frozen, pop them out and store them in a freezer bag until ready to use. This way, you can decide how much chicken stock you want to use in each recipe. Perfect, right?

frozen blocks of chicken stock in plastic bags.

And, as a side note, Souper Cubes are great to use as baking dishes too. They make the perfect little loaves of banana bread. All around, it's just a really versatile and handy product that I highly recommend.

Ways to Use Chicken Stock

Chicken stock can be used in basically any savory recipe that requires liquid. Use it in place of water for a serious flavor and nutrition boost! I love using chicken stock in soups. It's also great to use when boiling pasta, rice, or potatoes.

A few great recipes that can use chicken stock...

Leslie's Helpful Tips & Tricks

Jelly-like stock is normal. When homemade chicken stock cools, it may develop a gelatinous texture. That's from collagen extracted from the bones-and it's actually a sign of a rich, flavorful stock. It will return to liquid when reheated.
You can make this on the stovetop instead. Combine the bones, vegetables, seasonings, and water in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 2-3 hours (3-4 hours for richer flavor). Cool, strain, and store as usual.
Don't overfill the Instant Pot. Make sure the liquid stays below the max fill line so the pressure cooker can operate safely.
Go light on the salt. Keeping the salt minimal makes the stock more versatile for soups, sauces, rice, and other recipes.
Skim the fat if you prefer. After chilling the stock, a layer of fat may solidify on top. Simply skim it off with a spoon if you'd like a lighter stock.

FAQs

The main difference is what they're made from. Chicken stock is usually made from bones, while chicken broth is typically made from meat. Stock tends to be richer and more flavorful because the bones release collagen as they cook. That said, most recipes can use the two pretty interchangeably.

Absolutely! I keep chicken bones in a freezer bag until I have enough to make stock. You can put them straight into the Instant Pot without thawing. The pot might take a little longer to come to pressure, but the cooking time stays the same.

Leftover rotisserie chicken carcasses are my favorite because they already have so much flavor. You can also use bones from wings, drumsticks, thighs, or roasted chicken. Even better, save your bones in the freezer until you have enough for a batch.

This surprises a lot of people the first time it happens, but it's actually a great sign! That jelly-like texture means collagen was extracted from the bones during cooking. Once you heat the stock back up, it will melt right back into a liquid.

You don't have to add it, but I always do. A small splash of apple cider vinegar helps pull minerals and collagen from the bones while the stock cooks. Don't worry - it won't make the finished stock taste like vinegar.

Add enough water to cover the bones and vegetables, but make sure you stay below the max fill line of your Instant Pot. Too much water can dilute the flavor, so I usually fill the pot just until everything is covered.

Homemade chicken stock will keep in the refrigerator for about 4-5 days in an airtight container. If you freeze it, it will keep its best flavor for about 6 months.

Technically, yes, but the second batch will usually be much weaker in flavor. Most of the good flavor and collagen get extracted during the first cook, so I usually compost or discard the bones after making one batch.

More Rotisserie Chicken Recipes

If you make this chicken stock recipe, I'd love to hear what you think. You can rate ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ this recipe or 💭 leave a comment below. And, make sure to follow along for more great recipes!

Instant Pot Chicken Stock (Bone Broth)

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Instant Pot Chicken Stock at a Glance