Flavour rich chicken broth made a little easier with the Instant Pot!
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Can anyone guess what my new favourite kitchen tool is? ( KitchenAid Stand Mixer, please close your ears ) Yup, it’s the Instant Pot!
I’m not going to go ahead and say making chicken broth couldn’t be any easier than when made in an instant pot… but it’s pretty dang awesome! There are a couple of things that always annoy me when making chicken broth:
1. I am always adding water to the pot because the broth evaporates, leaving those precious chicken bones exposed!
2. My kitchen fan is awful. Not just awful, but like, what-is-even-the-point-of-turning-it-on awful. So when I make broth, the fan doesn’t do its job of sucking up all that steam. Instead, it hangs around my kitchen then drips down the cupboards and windows. Pretty sweet, right? 🙄
Now that I have an Instant Pot, I can make my broth without having to constantly top the pot up with water or steam up my entire house / get dripped on with condensation! Wahoo!
Why it works
- Besides no random drips on my head, this recipe is also awesome because it is ready in a little over an hour!
- No need to top up the pot with water, there is no evaporation going on in an Instant Pot!
- Pressure cooked goodness, this chicken broth is not only crazy easy, but is also crazy flavourful.
Ingredients you’ll need to make Instant Pot Chicken Broth
- chicken carcass
- water
- vegetables
- herbs
Chicken Carcass – I always save my carcasses after making a chicken dinner, even if I don’t think I’ll be making broth any time soon. If you don’t have time to make broth within a couple of days, they freeze great!
Vegetables – I like to use celery, carrots and onions.
Herbs – As for herbs, I like garlic and thyme, rosemary or sage.
How to make Instant Pot Chicken Broth
It’s so easy you will be thrilled! At least I am 🤓
Heat your Instant Pot on the saute mode and add a tbsp of oil. Once it’s hot, add your chicken carcass and saute for about five minutes, turning the bones around in the pot every minute or so.
Deglaze the Instant Pot with 1/2 cup water and using a wooden spoon, scrub all the little browned bits from the bottom of the pot, then shut off the machine.
Toss in some roughly chopped vegetables. I use a couple of carrots, 3 stalks celery and an onion. Now add 5 cloves of garlic, 2 tsp sea salt and your herbs of choice. I like to use 3 stalks of rosemary or a handful of thyme or sage.
Pour in enough water to almost reach the max fill line; Should be around 10 cups. Close the lid and turn the steam release valve to the sealed position. Turn the Instant Pot on to the High Pressure setting and cook for 45 minutes, then naturally release.
Once it’s safe to open the lid, strain the broth and discard all the strained bits including the carcass, vegetables and herbs. Boom. Delicious chicken broth.
Expert Tips
- Browning the chicken carcass in oil brings an extra depth of flavour; I recommend you don’t skip this step.
- Scrub all of the browned bits from the bottom of the Instant Pot, otherwise you could get the dreaded BURN error before the pot comes to pressure – causing you to have to empty the pot, scrub it clean and start all over again.
- Play around with your veggies and herbs. There is no wrong combination here!
- Make sure you do not fill the Instant Pot above the max fill line.
- Be sure that steam release valve is set to the sealed position! You don’t need to go an hour before realizing it was never sealed = never brought to pressure.
- In a hurry? You can absolutely quick release, but naturally releasing allows the broth to sponge up more of those yummy flavours.
- Going to quick release? Be careful of that steam – it is super hot and can spew hot liquids.
How to store homemade chicken broth
Cool your Instant Pot Chicken Broth to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight, unless using right away. A thick layer of fat with form on top of the chicken broth that can be scooped out and discarded.
What are your plans for your homemade chicken broth? Is it specifically for a soup you’ll be making soon? Or did you make it to have jars on hand? Maybe a mix of both. When I make a batch of Instant Pot Chicken Broth, I like to save a good portion of it for soup and the rest go into jars for little broth jobs.
If you will be using the broth right away for an upcoming soup, it can be stored in a saucepan in the fridge for 3-4 days. Otherwise, pour the broth into a large freezer safe ziploc bag if you’ll be freezing it for a soup, or glass jars to freeze smaller portions.
This Instant Pot Chicken Broth will be in top condition for 4-6 months in the freezer, but is still usable for up to a year. If the broth has turned into a jelly, it can be warmed slightly before pouring into individual jars for storage.
Soup recipes using Instant Pot Chicken Broth
Now that you’ve got it, what soups can you make with this Instant Pot Chicken Broth? Here is a list of delicious soups to try out:
- Instant Pot Low Carb Chicken Taco Soup
- Fully Loaded Low Carb Chicken Soup
- Cauliflower Chowder with Bacon and Cheddar
- Instant Pot Low Carb Chicken Vegetable Soup
Here are some other instant pot recipes you might like:
Low Carb Chili – You won’t miss the carbs in this fully loaded Instant Pot Low Carb Chili with three types of meat, delicious texture and amazing flavour.
BBQ Pulled Pork – Defy the laws of time with this mouthwatering Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork, ready in an hour and a half from start to brioche bun.
Low Carb Ribs – Ready in under an hour, these mouthwatering Instant Pot Low Carb Ribs are perfectly spiced with fall-off-the-bone perfection.
Carnitas – These Instant Pot Carnitas are dripping with flavour and ready in a fraction of the time. Load up corn tortillas or enjoy them low carb with lettuce wraps!
Low Carb Korean Beef – Throw this Low Carb Korean Beef together in minutes and toss into the Instant Pot for a super fast and easy weeknight meal!
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Instant Pot Chicken Broth
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
- 1 chicken carcass leftover from a chicken dinner
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, handful fresh thyme or sage.
- 10 cups water
Instructions
Equipment Needed
Directions
- Heat the Instant Pot on the saute mode and add a tbsp of oil. Once it's hot, add the chicken carcass and saute for about five minutes, turning the bones around in the pot every minute or so.
- Deglaze the Instant Pot with 1/2 cup water and use a wooden spoon to scrub all the little browned bits from the bottom of the pot, then shut off the machine.
- Toss in the celery, onion, carrots, garlic, sea salt and your herb of choice. Pour in enough water to almost reach the max fill line; Should be around 10 cups. Close the lid and turn the steam release valve to the sealed position.
- Turn the Instant Pot on to the High Pressure setting and cook for 45 minutes, then naturally release. Once it's safe to open the lid, strain the broth and discard all the strained bits including the carcass, vegetables and herbs.
Notes
Expert Tips
- Browning the chicken carcass in oil brings an extra depth of flavour; I recommend you don’t skip this step.
- Scrub all of the browned bits from the bottom of the Instant Pot, otherwise you could get the dreaded BURN error before the pot comes to pressure – causing you to have to empty the pot, scrub it clean and start all over again.
- Play around with your veggies and herbs. There is no wrong combination here!
- Make sure you do not fill the Instant Pot above the max fill line.
- Be sure that steam release valve is set to the sealed position! You don’t need to go an hour before realizing it was never sealed = never brought to pressure.
- In a hurry? You can absolutely quick release, but naturally releasing allows the broth to sponge up more of those yummy flavours.
- Going to quick release? Be careful of that steam – it is super hot and can spew hot liquids.