Homemade Chicken Broth
Stop buying store-bought broth! This homemade chicken broth is packed with flavor, made with simple ingredients, freezes beautifully, and gives you plenty of cooked chicken to use in other meals.
Equipment
- Large Stockpot (12- to 16-quart)
- Kitchen Scissors and knife
- Large Colander or Strainer
- Cheesecloth (optional)
- Freezer Bags or Vacuum Sealer (for storage)
Ingredients
- 2 whole chickens
- 3 celery stalks
- 2 medium carrots
- 2 onions
- 2 bell peppers
- 5 garlic cloves
- 14 cups water
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 5 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 bunch culantro
Instructions
- Debone the chickens, remove the skin if desired, trim any excess fat, and place the chicken and bones in a large stockpot.
- Wash and roughly chop the carrots, celery, onions, bell peppers, cilantro, culantro, and garlic. Add them to the pot.
- Add the water, oregano, black pepper, bay leaves, cumin seeds, thyme, basil, and rosemary. Stir, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for about 1 hour.
- Skim off the foam and excess fat that rises to the surface during cooking.
- Remove the chicken from the broth and let it cool slightly. Separate the meat from the bones and set the meat aside for other recipes. Return the bones to the pot and continue simmering for about 1 more hour, skimming any additional fat as needed.
- Add the cilantro and culantro. If desired, adjust the herbs that may have been removed while skimming the broth.
- Remove the bones and strain the broth through a large colander. Once the vegetables are cool enough to handle, squeeze them to extract as much liquid as possible before discarding them.
- For a clearer broth, strain it one more time through a cheesecloth (optional).
- Let the broth cool completely, then freeze or pressure can using your preferred preservation method.
Video
Notes
- I purposely don't add salt to my chicken broth because I don't know what recipe I'll be using it for later. This gives me complete control over the seasoning of each dish.
- Keep the broth at a gentle simmer instead of a rolling boil. Boiling causes more evaporation, reducing the amount of broth you'll end up with.
- If you double the recipe, the cooking time may need to be extended since a larger pot takes longer to come up to temperature and extract all the flavor from the chicken and bones.
- Freeze the broth in portions that fit the way you cook, or preserve it using a pressure canner if you prefer shelf-stable storage.
- Don't throw away the cooked chicken! Use it to make shredded chicken, chicken soup, arroz con pollo, or any recipe that calls for cooked chicken.