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Homemade Chicken Broth

Use this super easy recipe to make homemade chicken broth overnight in your slow cooker. It makes enough to freeze and use for multiple meals! You can use leftover bones or whole cuts of chicken, whatever you've got that you can use.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 hours
Total Time10 hours 10 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chicken Broth, Homemade Stock
Servings: 2 quarts

Ingredients

  • Leftover bones or whole cuts of chicken
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 parsnips, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 large onion, cut into wedges
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • Water (enough to cover all ingredients)

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients to a lined slow cooker.
  • Cover with water by 2 inches (leave a minimum of 2 inches from the top of the cooker) and set to low.
  • Cook for 10 to 12 hours overnight. You may have to reset your slow cooker at some point if it has a timer!
  • Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer, then store in jars in the fridge.
  • After 8+ hours, skim the fat from the surface before freezing.

Notes

Once you make it, you can store it tightly covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, in the freezer for 6-9 months, or pressure can it for a year. Once it's cooled, we suggest freezing it in various ways so no matter what you need it for, you can easily grab some out of your freezer! Use an ice cube tray for those times you need a few tablespoons.
Other common portions to freeze are in half cup, one cup and two cups. You can freeze them in freezer bags (removing all the air first!) or in a jar. Larger quantities are normal for soups, so you could also freeze some in 6 to 8-cup servings.