Making your own chicken stock from scratch is easy, saves money, and is extra flavorful! Here's a simple recipe for making Easy Chicken Stock in the Instant Pot.
One of my favorite food foundations to make as part of our family's regular meal prep is chicken stock.
I do make homemade chicken stock on the stovetop from time to time, using the same recipe I use for homemade turkey stock.
But when I'm short on time, I make this easy chicken stock in the Instant Pot.
Electric pressure cooking helps infuse all those flavors of the stock into the liquid in a shorter amount of time. It's a delicious set-it-and-forget-it way to make chicken stock!
Jump to:
- ⭐️ Why this recipe works
- 🥣 What's the difference between stock and broth?
- 🍗 Ingredient notes
- ✅ How do I make chicken stock in the Instant Pot?
- 👩🏻🍳 Tips and recipe FAQs
- Don't forget to label your chicken stock
- Serving ideas
- Tools and Equipment
- Recipes using chicken stock
- Homemade Pressure Cooker Chicken Stock
⭐️ Why this recipe works
Once you make homemade chicken stock in the Instant Pot, you'll see just how easy it is and how delicious!
- Easy to make - This recipe is super simple, and great for anyone who has an electric pressure cooker. I've included step-by-step photos so you can see how it's made.
- No waste - The best way to make stock from scratch is using saved up bones and vegetable scraps from other meals. This way, nothing gets wasted!
- Cost effective - A small can of chicken stock at your local grocery store can cost anywhere from $0.99 to $2.99. The same amount of homemade chicken stock will cost you ZERO dollars. That's right! Because you're using scraps from other meals that would otherwise have gone to waste.
- Full of flavor - Homemade stock has SO much more flavor than store-bought stock! And you can customize the flavor of your chicken stock by adding more of your favorite vegetable scraps and favorite fresh herbs.
🥣 What's the difference between stock and broth?
A lot of people to use the terms "stock" and "broth" interchangeably.
However, there are some differences between the two. The most important difference between stock and broth is that they are each made from different ingredients.
Stock is made with meat bones and vegetables. Because the bones add collagen and gelatin into the liquid, stock is usually a thicker liquid compared to broth.
Broth is usually made with vegetables and meat - no bones. It's thinner than stock, but in general, broth has a richer flavor.
However, I find that making homemade stock - either on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker - is way more flavorful than any broth or store-bought stock.
🍗 Ingredient notes
One of the best things about making chicken stock from scratch is that you make it with ingredients you probably already have on hand.
- Vegetable scraps - The vegetables you add can include onion skins, garlic skins, carrot peels, celery ends, extra herbs before they go bad. I like to keep a gallon size freezer bag for vegetable scraps in my freezer. Anytime we peel carrots or chop up onions, the peels and skins go into the bag.
- Chicken bones - Anytime you make bone-in chicken thighs, or a full rotisserie chicken, save the bones and add them to your stock scraps bag! Once the bag is full, it's time to make stock!
- Herbs - When you're cooking, save up the extra thyme, rosemary, and a bay leaf by tossing them also into the stock scraps bag in your freezer.
If you don't have scraps saved, you can still make chicken stock from scratch. Simply use the bones of a rotisserie chicken, along with chopped up carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and your favorite fresh herbs.
✅ How do I make chicken stock in the Instant Pot?
Here are some step-by-step photos to help you make this easy pressure cooker chicken stock recipe. You'll find full instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Place scraps into the Instant Pot inner pot. Be sure to only place enough scraps to fall a little below the PC MAX line.
- Pour enough water to cover the vegetable scraps and bones. Again, make sure the liquid does NOT go over the PC MAX line inside your Instant Pot! Just to be safe, I always keep all liquid and other ingredients a little bit below this line.
- Add a handful of your favorite herbs plus a bay leaf or two, depending on how much stock you are making. I always find that the combo of thyme and rosemary makes a delightful stock. You can also use basil, sage, oregano.
- Secure the Instant Pot lid, placing the top valve in SEALING mode. Then select PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL, on HIGH for 45 minutes.
- It will take anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure. Once the pressure cooker has come to pressure, then the little pin at the top will lift up, and the Instant Pot will start to count down from 30 minutes.
- Once the timer is done, do a Quick Release. This means, carefully move the pressure release valve from sealing to VENTING. Use a wooden spoon or other long utensil to do this to avoid having hot liquid spew onto your hand once the venting begins.
- Once all of the pressure has been released, the pin at the top of the lid will fall down. When the pin has fallen down, you can safely and carefully open the lid.
- Drain the chicken stock into a large bowl. Holding the inner pot with oven mitts, pour the contents over a strainer so that the chicken stock liquid is captured in a large bowl. You may need to do this in batches depending on how much solid scraps (bones and veggie scraps) you have.
- Pour the beautiful golden stock into whatever containers you are using to refrigerate and/or freeze the stock.
- Allow the liquid to cool, then store. You can store chicken stock in the refrigerator for up to four days. Or freeze and enjoy for up to three months!
👩🏻🍳 Tips and recipe FAQs
Make it a habit to save chicken bones and vegetable scraps - I keep mine in a freezer bag and just add scraps to it as I cook each day. Everytime I chop onions and garlic, the peels go into the bag. When I chop carrots and celery, the chopped off ends and the carrot peels go in the bag.
Yes! Absolutely! Keep stock in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Be sure to allow the stock to cool completely before freezing.
Two ways to freeze:
1. Pour stock into clean ice cube trays or Souper Cubes (as shown in the photo above), freeze, then place frozen cubes into a freezer bag.
2. Add the stock to freezer-safe storage bags or food storage containers. This can be any freezer-safe container, including popsicle bags!
Allow the liquid to cool completely, then store chicken stock in a mason jar or other airtight container with lid in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Don't forget to label your chicken stock
Be sure to properly label and date your chicken stock. I love to use inexpensive, colorful washi tape in fun patterns to label my food. This makes it easy to remember what's in each container. It also helps you use up stock in the order in which you made it.
You can also include the measurement (i.e. "1 cup") on each container. This makes it easy to just grab what you need when you're ready to cook with it!
Serving ideas
We use chicken stock almost every day in our home kitchen! Here are some great ways to use it in your cooking.
- Use chicken stock as a base in soups, stews, and chilis. I love it as a base for Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup, Wonton Soup, Chicken Minestrone Soup, or Instant Pot Lentil Soup.
- Make gravy with your homemade stock.
- If you're cooking a main course in an Instant Pot, use your delicious homemade chicken stock as the liquid instead of water for even more flavor. We use it when making Instant Pot Pork Chops and Rice,
- Enhance the flavor of rice by using stock instead of water to cook the rice. We love to use chicken stock instead of rice to make Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Brown Rice and even simple Garlic Rice.
- Freeze in an ice cube tray of chicken stock and place some of your favorite herbs in each section. Then place frozen cubes into a freezer bag. You'll have access to portioned stock with herbs, ready to go for sauces, braises, soups, stews, and roasts!
Tools and Equipment
To make this easy chicken stock recipe, you'll need:
- Electric pressure cooker - I use my 8-quart Instant Pot or my 8-quart Deluxe XL Ninja Foodi.
- Gallon size freezer bag - to collect vegetable scraps and bones.
- Strainer - to strain the stock and separate the vegetable scraps.
Recipes using chicken stock
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Homemade Pressure Cooker Chicken Stock
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken bones or one small chicken carcass
- 3 cups any vegetable scraps (*see NOTES for what to use if you don't have any scraps saved up)
- ¼ cup herbs, such as basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley, bay leaf.
- 10-14 cups water
Instructions
- Place all of the bones, vegetable scraps, and herbs into the inner pot of an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker.
- Pour enough water to fully submerge the scraps and bones. Make sure you do not have any liquid or scraps that go over the MAX FILL line! Keep all liquid and scraps under this line.
- Close the lid, making sure the valve is set to SEALING.
- Pressure cook on HIGH for 45 minutes. Allow for full natural release.
- Once all pressure has been released naturally and the pressure release pin has fallen all the way down, carefully open the lid.
- Strain out the liquid into a large bowl using a fine mesh sieve or strainer to catch the bones and scraps. Discard the bones and scraps into your compost bin or trash.
- Pour the remaining liquid stock into mason jars or other containers.
- Allow to cool down then seal, and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
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