Instant Pot Chicken Broth Recipe: Homemade Stock in Minutes

Instant Pot chicken broth is simple and fuss-free, yielding a clear, flavorful liquid that’s perfect for sipping, making soup, or using in recipes. Make a batch and freeze portions so you always have homemade broth on hand.

I’ve made chicken stock on the stovetop and in slow cookers for years, but the Instant Pot is now my go-to. It’s faster, requires no stirring or babysitting, and produces a clearer broth that still has great depth of flavor. One hour at high pressure in the Instant Pot yields a broth equivalent to several hours of stovetop simmering.

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What’s the Difference Between Chicken Broth and Chicken Stock?

Broth and stock are similar and often interchangeable, but they have distinct characteristics:

Stock:

• Typically made mostly from bones
• Cooked for longer (often 4–8 hours) to extract collagen and nutrients
• Gels when cooled because of higher collagen content, giving a silky texture
• Commonly used as a base for sauces, risottos, and richly flavored soups
• Often prepared without added seasoning or vegetables so it can be adjusted in recipes

Broth:

• Made from meat and bones
• Cooked for a shorter time (about 1–2 hours); meat can be removed while bones cook longer
• Remains liquid when cooled
• Includes vegetables, aromatics, and seasonings and is usually salted
• Can be drunk on its own or used as a base for lighter soups and dishes

Bone Broth: Often refers to a stock made exclusively from bones and simmered very long (12–48 hours) to extract as much collagen and nutrients as possible. Acids like vinegar, wine, or lemon are sometimes added to help break down bones.

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This recipe sits between stock and broth: it uses mostly bones like a stock, adds aromatics like a broth, and cooks long enough to build flavor without excessive time in the pot. One hour on high in the Instant Pot approximates about three hours on the stovetop.

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What to Put in Your Chicken Broth

The Chicken

Use a raw or cooked chicken carcass, or a mix of bones and meaty parts. I save carcasses, wing tips, and necks in the freezer until I have two or three to make stock. Rotisserie carcasses work well too. Aim for about 1½–2 lbs (700–900 g) of bone-in, skin-on parts—wings are especially good for collagen and richness.

The Vegetables

Classic aromatics are onion, carrot, and celery. You can also use leeks, shallots, fennel, parsnips, or celery root. Leave onion skins on for a deeper color. Keep a freezer scrap bag of vegetable peels and herb stems to add to batches. Avoid heavy brassica vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale) because they can add bitterness; a small amount is fine, but don’t overuse them.

I avoid adding garlic to chicken broth because it can dominate the delicate flavor, though garlic works well in beef or vegetable stocks.

Two Simple Ingredients That Boost Flavor

1. Dried shiitake mushrooms (2–3): They add subtle umami without overpowering the broth and store well in the pantry.
2. Whole star anise (1–2 pods): One pod gives a unique, nuanced flavor. It’s subtle and familiar in some family recipes—start with one and adjust to taste.

How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Broth

Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot insert and add water up to the maximum fill line. Set the Instant Pot to High Pressure (‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’) for 60 minutes for a richly flavored broth; you can reduce to 45 minutes for a lighter broth or extend to 90–120 minutes for a stock-like result. Allow a 30-minute natural release before opening the lid.

After cooking, scoop out the larger bones and place them in a colander set over a large pot or bowl. Pour the contents of the insert through the colander to strain. Pick any usable meat from the bones for soups or sandwiches, and discard the spent solids.

For an extra-clear broth, strain the liquid again through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a clean cloth or several layers of cheesecloth.

Freezing and Storage

Broth freezes very well. Use airtight freezer containers or silicone muffin pans to freeze ½-cup portions, or larger containers for 1-cup or recipe-sized portions. Once frozen, remove blocks and store them in heavy-duty freezer bags laid flat to save space. Ice cube trays also work for small amounts.

Refrigerate broth for up to one week, or keep frozen for best quality up to six months (it remains safe longer if kept at 0°F).

Guten Appetit!

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You might also like: Homemade Chicken or Turkey Stock and Comforting Chicken Soup; How to Cut Up a Chicken; Make-Ahead Gluten-Free Turkey Gravy; Maple & Mustard Glazed Roast Turkey; Healing Turmeric Broth and Soup.