Instant Pot Chicken Stock (Bone Broth)

Instant Pot chicken stock is an easy, frugal recipe. Get a rich bone broth that's perfect for soups & can easily be frozen.

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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 rice, to prepping the most tender pot roast, to being my go-to for freezer meals, 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!

💜 Why You'll Love This Recipe

• 💰 Make an ingredient you can use in so many different recipes for a fraction of the cost. If you haven't noticed, chicken stock and bone broth aren't cheap. Instead of paying big bucks, make your own from basic scraps!
• 😍 Give your food a flavor boost. This chicken stock is so much more flavorful than basic chicken broth. You'll notice a difference in your recipes.
• 🗑️ Ditch the extras. No extra preservatives or unpronounceable ingredients in your chicken stock - you get to say what goes in and what stays out.

❓What's the difference between stock, broth, and bone broth?

If you're like me, you've probably used these terms interchangeably in the past. However, they are actually different with different preparation methods.

With chicken stock, you're extracting the flavor, vitamins, and nutrients from the bones/shells of the animal by pressure-cooking them for an extended period of time. This is going to give you a richer liquid that's full of nutrients.

With chicken broth, you simply extract the flavor by boiling or pressure-cooking the meat in water. It's still a great liquid to use in soups and other recipes, but it's not going to have as much flavor, depth, or nutritional value.

Bone broth is pretty much just stock that's been cooked an extra long time. If the bones are falling apart and kind of mushy when you finish your stock, you're getting more into the bone broth territory. If you'd like bone broth with this recipe, cook for closer to 90-120 minutes instead of the recommended 60.

What's the best to use?

Even though I prefer stock, that's not to say that I don't use chicken broth all the time! In a pinch, it's great for preparing rice, pressure cooking pasta, or using instead of water if you're trying to get more flavor in a recipe. And we all know the chicken bouillon (the solid cubes that make chicken broth) is so convenient.

But, when given the choice, I'm going to use chicken stock or bone broth all day, every day. It has some serious flavor and really is just as easy to make.

Related: Learn more about your Instant Pot with this list of common Instant Pot questions.

🐔 Ingredients Needed For Instant Pot Chicken Stock/Bone Broth

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

• chicken carcass - I usually just save the leftovers from a rotisserie chicken when I need to make this recipe. You can also collect leftover chicken thigh, wing, and leg bones in a bag in your freezer until you have roughly a third of an Instant Pot full.
• water
• onion - No need to finely chop; just quarter the onion, peel and all! You can also use the scraps of onions; just collect them in a bag in the freezer until you have about a whole onion's worth.
• garlic - Same here, no need to chop, maybe just crush the head a little with the flat side of a knife.
• ground thyme - If you happen to have fresh thyme to use, use it - but fresh, dried, or ground doesn't make a huge difference.
• bay leaves
• salt
• apple cider vinegar - This is going to draw some of those nutrients and collagen out of the bones. It won't give the stock an acidic taste, I promise!

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

• This is more of a method than a recipe. Instead of chicken remains, use this recipe for crawfish shells, shrimp shells, beef bones, turkey carcasses, a ham bone...really any animal with leftover bones! You'll just need roughly a third of an Instant Pot full of bones.
• This is even a great way to make vegetable broth. That one is even less expensive to make - you just save vegetable scraps over some time to make a broth. I've got a full post on how to make Instant Pot Vegetable Stock.
• Add any veggies you'd like. Carrots or celery are great in this stock as well.
• Add in spices and herbs as needed. Some other options for herbs/spices are peppercorns, parsley, sage, rosemary, or even a little nutmeg.

🍗 How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Stock/Bone Broth

1. Combine all ingredients in your Instant Pot, making sure water doesn't go past the max fill line in your inner pot. Give it a quick stir, then seal the lid and set your pot to Manual, High Pressure, 60 minutes. (If you'd like bone broth instead, set your Instant Pot for manual, high pressure, 120 minutes.)
2. Once the cook cycle is up, let the pressure naturally release for about 10 minutes before turning the pressure valve to release the remaining pressure.

3. Strain solids in the stock out using a fine mesh strainer with a large bowl underneath.
4. Use within 4-5 days (storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator) or freeze for later use (see below).

🎥 Step-by-Step Video

🧊 The Best Way 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?

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.

🍲 Great 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...

• Instant Pot Spanish Rice
• Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
• Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole
• Instant Pot Chicken & Rice Soup

✅ Other Helpful Tips & Tricks

• When you cool chicken stock, you might notice that it has a jelly-like consistency. That's totally normal! The collagen you extract from the bones gives it that texture. Don't worry, it's actually a good thing; that's the nutrients in your stock.
• If you don't have an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, you can make chicken stock on the stovetop; it's just going to take more time. Place all of your ingredients in a large stock pot, cover the carcass and added ingredients with water, and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 2-3 hours (at minimum; 3-4 hours is better if you have the time). Allow to cool, strain, and use/freeze as needed.