Chicken Bone Broth
I keep a bone bag and a veggie scrap bag in the freezer. We make 2 homemade rotisserie chickens for dinner about once a week, so I have a steady supply of bones. When I am ready to make broth I do the following:
INSTANT POT METHOD:
- Place 2 carcasses in your Instant Pot and fill to the max line. I add 4 chicken feet per batch (be brave!).
- Pour in 2 glugs of apple cider vinegar ( probably about 1-2 T)
- Pressure cook using the Soup setting for 60-75 minutes (defaults to 30 min, but use the + button to add time) with the vent closed (sealing position).
- Release pressure naturally…i.e. turn off and let it sit til pressure releases..can take a while.
- If you are in a hurry you can remove lid, add your veggie scraps and let the broth slow cook for 1 hour to condense the flavors and you are done.
- BUT if you have time, cover with glass lid and cook for 12 to 24 hours on Slow Cook. Take lid off for last hour to condense the broth, which improves your “gel”…and add in veggie scraps for that last hour for more flavor. *Note: This would increase histamine content. For those like myself that are histamine sensitive keep cooking times short and freeze right away.
- Let cool.
- Strain and transfer to mason jars.
*Troubleshooting:
Occasionally since I usually use frozen bones my Instant Pot will give me the error noPr. According to the manual this could be due to a few things but can occur when “Working pressure is not reached during pre-heating cycle. If there is no steam leaking and you have frozen food in the cooker, please run the current program again”. In my case I just turn it off and re-set the program and then it works.
Another Instant Pot pointer: If your pot is hissing, trying to come to pressure, push down on the handle and it will help it seal and come to pressure.
Bone broth can be frozen in silicone molds and then transferred to a ziplock bag for storage.
PRESSURE COOKER METHOD:
- Using a standard pressure cooker cover bones and chicken feet with water to max fill line.
- Add vinegar and pressure cook for 75 min.
- Remove top, add in veggie scraps and let simmer for 1 hr uncovered.
SLOW COOKER METHOD:
- Place bones and chicken feet in slow cooker…I have this one.
- Cover with water and add the vinegar. Cover and slow cook on low covered for 24 hours.
- Remove lid and add in veggies scraps for the last hour. Removing the lid will help to condense flavors.
**Slow and long cooking methods increase the histamine content. For those with histamine sensitivity use pressure cook method and keep cooking time short, ideally an hour or even less.
paleogirl99 
Thanks! I have an Instant Pot too. I’ll try the tip to pressure cook the bones first. I usually put everything in, including veggies, and cook 12-24 hours. I add a strip of kombu (seaweed) for minerals. Lately I have been adding astragalus root pieces for immune system. BTW I’m Curly Kale on Instagram. Love your blog! Keep it coming.
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I just bought kombu to try adding it. Used to cook with it a lot in the past. Will give it a go. So glad you stopped by!
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In your first set of instructtions do you mean if we have the time to cover the pressure cooker with a glass lid and cook 12-24 more hours on slow cook once the veggies are added? My pressure cooker didn’t come with a glass lid. Or do you mean put the pressure cooker lid on and cook slow cook from the beginnning? Thanks fr the clarification!
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Hi there, and thanks for the question. Are you referring to the Instant Pot Method? What device are you using to make your broth. That will help me to answer the question properly.
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The first set of instructions is specifically for the “Instant Pot”. That specific device has both pressure cooker and slow cooker features (it actually has 7 settings..also does a bunch of other things too). I have a glass lid that fits that device. Does that answer your question?
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I would like to use my pressure cooker.
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So then you would follow the second set of instructions…labelled Pressure Cooker Method. Basically 75 min under pressure…the remove lid…add in veggie scraps and simmer uncovered for 1 hr.
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Have you had luck freezing bone broth in pint-and-a-half wide mouth jars? I tried it with one mason jar and the jar cracked when it froze. Ball’s website says that size is safe for freezing. BTW, my twin sister thinks you’re wonderful! I guess you won one of her giveaways! (aromasoule). Thanks in advance for any help on the freezing thing.
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Oh…love your sister!!!
I have not tried the 1.5 pint size in freezer…have done it in pint size only. These days if I freeze I use silicone molds to make “pucks” of broth and then transfer to a ziplock bag. Handy as each “puck” is about maybe 1/2 cup…so handy to grab how many I need for a recipe…though I almost ALWAYS have fresh broth in the fridge. The key with freezing is to leave room for expansion…though even with that you could have random breakage.
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After you are done making the bone broth what do you do with the bones after straining? Just throw away?
Thanks
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Thanks for asking….Because mine are cooked for so long they literally crumble into mush…which I give to my dog…mixed with his other food. We always go over it carefully to make sure there are no remaining shards. People say you can use the bones over to make another batch of broth, but I have tried it and I find it is too watery the second go round….and I have a steady supply of bones since we eat our homemade rotisserie chicken regularly.
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