Did you know you can make instant pot chicken bone broth? It takes less time than traditional methods and produces the same great jelly texture and delicious flavor. I’ll walk you through how to make this delicious broth for recipes, as well as tips on how to freeze it for the future.
After leaving my slow cooker on for hours (like, 36 hours) when it came to making bone broth, I have found a better way. This method takes less time and I find that I have more success getting that jelly texture that we all crave when it comes to bone broth.
Table of contents
How I Make Bone Broth Every Month
Chicken bone broth is made with very simple ingredients. You need a whole chicken that is fully cooked with the meat and skin taken off the bones, water, and apple cider vinegar. For ease, I purchase two rotisserie chickens from Costco each month. (They continue to only be $5 each.) We enjoy about half of one chicken for dinner and cut off the remainder of the meat to enjoy in recipes like a chicken pot pie with biscuits and chicken rotini casserole. I then take the bones and make this bone broth in my 6-quart instant pot which makes approximately 5 quarts of bone broth. That’s a lot of food for our family with just the $10 investment from Costco!
The Instant Pot Method
The key to using the instant pot is starting the process in the morning. It takes 5-6 hours to fully come to temperature, cook, and then slow release. You also want to factor in cooling time before you can place the hot broth in the refrigerator to cool.
- Prep: Remove chicken and skin from the bones of the fully cooked chicken. Place your chicken bones in the instant pot. Cover with water. Fill to just below the max fill line on your instant pot. Add 1 – 2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
- Instant Pot: Cover and lock the instant pot lid. Flip the valve to “sealing”. Select manual and set the instant pot to 240 minutes on high pressure. When finished cooking, let natural release.
- Strain: You will want to separate the bones from the broth. Set a colander over a large bowl and pour the broth through the strainer. Discard any remaining bones. Pour bone broth through a fine mesh funnel into jars leaving 1 inch of head space. Let cool and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
How to Use Chicken Bone Broth
You can use bone broth in any recipe that calls for chicken stock or broth. Chicken bone broth has more depth of flavor than stock and is a great replacement. Here are a few of my favorite recipes to use bone broth in.
Freezing Bone Broth
Let the chicken broth completely cool before storing it in the freezer. You’ll also want to leave a 1-inch head space to allow for expansion.
- Jars: Use wide-mouthed glass jars for best results. Fill bone broth to 1 inch of head space to allow for expansion. Plastic freezer jars also work well and have less risk of cracking.
- Freezer Bags: Remove excess air from freezer bags after filling them with broth. Place flat in the freezer to make it easier to store when frozen.
- Muffin Tins or Ice Cube Trays: Pour broth into 1/2 cup muffin tins or ice cube trays to easily add to recipes.
Recipe FAQ
A 6-quart instant pot will make 4-5 quarts of bone broth.
Bone broth is much more concentrated than stock. The broth has collagen and other minerals that are pulled from the chicken bones during the processing time.
Yes. If added to soup, bone broth will have a jelly-like texture when cooled. I prefer adding bone broth over stock because of the flavor!
The vinegar acts as the acid that breaks down the collagen to make it more abundant in the broth. You can also use lemon juice. I have found apple cider vinegar works the best for us.
Fill your jars with bone broth. Let fully cool in the refrigerator. The fat will rise to the top for easy removal with a spoon.
Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- fine mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 1-2 chicken carcasses 3-5 lb each before removing meat and skin
- 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- Water to fill instant pot to max fill line
Instructions
- Prep: Remove chicken and skin from the bones of the fully cooked chicken. Place your chicken bones in the instant pot. Cover with water. Fill to just below the max fill line on your instant pot. Add 1 – 2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
- Instant Pot: Cover and lock the instant pot lid. Flip the valve to "sealing". Select manual and set the instant pot to 240 minutes on high pressure. When finished cooking, let natural release.
- Strain: You will want to separate the bones from the broth. Set a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and pour the broth through the strainer. Pour bone broth into storage containers and let cool. Freeze or refrigerate. Discard any remaining bones.
Comments & Reviews
Thank so much for you wonderful picture filled post! Once I have made the bone broth, I like to pressure can it so I always have it on hand for all recipes that call for broth, ie: rice etc. That way I don’t have to waste freezer space. It just takes 90 minutes to pressure can the broth.
We too purchase several Costco chickens each month since we also feed our dog only human food.
I really LOVE your recipes!
Thank you Lori! I try really hard to provide only great recipes that everyone will love! Great tip on pressure canning. I have not tried it yet, but it’s something I aim to do in the future to save freezer space.