Making Homemade Chicken Broth

Did you know you could use all the stuff you don’t eat from your roasted chicken to make some awesome homemade chicken broth?

Jars of broth. — Homemade chicken broth.

When you make some kind of a chicken dish and you have all those left over chicken parts that you generally don’t eat, don’t throw them away. There’s a lot of goodness left in them parts.

Besides chicken parts, chicken broth really doesn’t take much of anything to make except time and a few vegetables. Throw everything in the crockpot and let it sit on low for a few days and you’re done.

Step by Step Homemade Chicken Broth

I actually bought a roasted chicken at the store because I just didn’t have time to cook supper after work.. But if it’s one of your own or one from a neighbor it’s even better.

Scraps from a roasted chicken. — Chicken parts and pieces.

After making as many meals from your whole chicken you can get, pull out the crockpot and dump everything that’s left, bones, skin and everything else. into it.

Add Your Veggies

This time I used some celery heads I had in the veggie crisper of the fridge. I eat celery a lot and in the summer I’ll cut those celery heads off and add them to a salad. But I haven’t eaten much salad over the winter months.

Cut veggies for the broth. — The veggies I used. Remember you can use whatever you like. I forgot to put a clove or 2 of garlic in this batch.

I had saved from the last few batches of celery I had bought knowing I’d make some kind of broth soon.

Tip: If you wrap your celery or just the celery heads in foil, they’ll last longer.

I also had some baby carrots and a few onion scraps. The onion ends just weren’t enough onion for me, so I decided to add another small onion too. Be sure to add in any herbs you may want too. I added a few peppercorns and just a touch of salt.

Veggies wrapped in cheese cloth for the broth. — A bundle of veggies.

I bundled all those veggies up in a cheese cloth, tied them with some cotton string and dropped them into the pot as well.

Add Water

Cover everything with water. Put your lid on and turn your crockpot to low.

Crock pot of chicken stuff and veggie packet. — Add enough water to cover all your stuff.

Now we wait. I let it simmer on low for about 48 hours, give or take, I didn’t watch the time that closely.

Strain Your Broth

I suppose there are several ways to do this. I used a ladle and poured into a fine mesh strainer. Whatever works easiest for you is perfect.

Dipping out the broth. — Scooping it out of the crock pot.

Straining the broth. — I use a fine mesh strainer when putting it in the jars.

I strained it all into mason jars, let it cool and put one of those jars in the fridge and the rest in the freezer for later use. This broth can be canned in a pressure canner too. How you preserve it is entirely up to you.

What's left from a whole chicken. — There’s not a lot left over to throw away when you’re finished.

There’s really not much left after you’re done. This recipe is so easy I hope you’ll give it a try. The good thing about this is you can use the veggies you love the most to create the broth that is perfect for you and your family.

Finished Homemade Chicken Broth

I’m sure if you look you can find an exact recipe for this broth. But the reason I enjoy making it is because it’s so versatile and I can make it different if and when I want.

Do you make your own broth? What kinds have you made and what did you add?

It’d be great to compare recipes and get new ideas, so I hope you’ll share. Let me know in the comments what you use when you make chicken broth. I’d love to hear.

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Until next time – Health, Wealth & Blessings ~ Tracey

Making Homemade Chicken Broth