This is the easiest homemade chicken broth recipe we’ve ever made. It tastes like pure chicken and is absolutely perfect for all your favorite soups!
Learning how to make chicken broth has quickly become one of our favorite things. It’s ridiculously simple to make, and since it starts with a whole chicken, you are left with an incredible chicken broth and a perfectly cooked chicken at the end. This broth tastes clean and very much like pure chicken.
If you’re wondering the difference between broth and stock, this broth is a bit more delicate than our chicken stock recipe that calls for chicken bones from, say, a leftover roast chicken. It also takes much less time. It is absolutely perfect for your favorite soups (chicken noodle soup is always a top choice for us!) and you can use the cooked chicken in recipes that call for pre-cooked chicken, like chicken salad, chicken pot pie, or these incredible green chicken enchiladas.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken: We use a whole chicken to make this chicken broth recipe, gently poaching it in cold water with the other ingredients for just over an hour (that’s really all it takes!). If you have chicken bones, we recommend making our homemade chicken stock instead. For a richer, higher-protein broth, see our bone broth recipe.
- Peppercorns: Pepper has a fantastic ability to make things taste more rounded and perfectly seasoned, which is why it’s a common ingredient when making chicken broth. We use whole peppercorns here and recommend that you do too.
- Garlic: We add two garlic cloves, lightly smashed with the side of a knife, for a gentle, savory flavor.
- Thyme and Bay Leaf: Super classic and delicious! Fresh thyme and a single bay leaf bring out the chicken’s pure flavor and make our chicken broth taste incredible.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Chicken Broth
Learning how to make chicken broth is incredibly straightforward, and this recipe is definitely one of our favorites! Here is a quick overview of how it comes together:
- Place your whole chicken in a large pot with cold water, peppercorns, garlic, thyme, and a bay leaf.
- Bring the pot to a boil, skim off any foam that rises to the top, and let it simmer gently for just over an hour.
- Carefully remove the cooked chicken (save it for another meal!), and strain the liquid. Easy!
Our Secrets for Making Chicken Broth
Tip 1: Use a whole chicken. Using a whole chicken makes this chicken broth recipe so easy, plus it leaves you with over 4 cups of tender, flavorful cooked chicken ready to use in your favorite leftover chicken recipes. We use a similar method when making the base for our chicken and dumplings.
Tip 2: Skim your broth. As the chicken and water come to a boil, some scum and foam will rise to the top. There’s nothing wrong with it, but for the cleanest-tasting, clearest broth, skim it off the top using a slotted spoon or a fine-mesh skimmer. We do the exact same thing when making homemade pho. It’s a simple step that really makes a difference.
Tip 3: Strain and store for your favorite recipes. Carefully remove the chicken and pour the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer. Now it is ready to use, or you can store your broth in jars for another day. It keeps beautifully in the fridge for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Tip 4: For a richer broth, reduce it. We love this broth as-is, but if you taste it and find it a little light on flavor, simply add it back to your pot and simmer for 15 to 20 more minutes. The liquid will reduce and concentrate the flavor. You can also add a little extra salt (if needed) or—our favorite trick—a few dashes of fish sauce, which does an amazing job of deeply seasoning the broth.
What to Make with Chicken Broth
Our favorite thing about this chicken broth recipe is that you get not only an amazing broth but also over 4 cups of tender, cooked chicken. Here are some of our favorite ways to use the freshly made broth:
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Vegetable Soup
- Chicken and Rice (use the broth instead of water to cook the rice for amazing flavor!)
- French Onion Soup (we love it when made with a combination of beef stock and chicken broth)
- Roasted Cauliflower Soup
- Mashed Potatoes (try adding broth instead of milk or cream)
Our Favorite Chicken Recipes
Then, you can use the leftover pulled chicken in all your favorite chicken recipes! For us, that usually means:
- Creamy Chicken Salad or our favorite Thai Chicken Salad
- Chicken Enchiladas, Quesadillas, or Chicken Nachos
- White Chicken Chili or Chicken Caesar Salad
Easy Chicken Broth
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This chicken broth recipe has just five ingredients (plus salt and water), starts with one whole chicken, and makes some of the nicest broth we’ve ever made. The broth tastes like pure chicken. Use it in any recipe that calls for chicken broth or stock. It’s delightful.
You Will Need
1 (4 to 5-pound) whole chicken
5 whole peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, smashed
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
Directions
1Place the whole chicken, breast-side down, in a pot just large enough to fit it (we use our 5 ½-quart Dutch oven).
2Add the peppercorns, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Pour in enough cold water to barely cover the chicken (depending on your pot, this will be about 7 to 9 cups).
3Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to a low simmer. Use a mesh skimmer or slotted spoon to skim away any foam that floats to the surface.
4Cover the pot with a lid and cook at a low simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
5Carefully use tongs (or two chopsticks tucked under the wings) to transfer the chicken to a plate. Allow the chicken to cool, then save the meat for another dish.
6Ladle the broth through a fine-mesh strainer and transfer it to quart-sized jars or containers. You can use it immediately or save it for later. Note: This broth may taste light at first, but its flavor deepens after it cools in the fridge. You also have the option to continue simmering the strained broth to further reduce and concentrate the flavor.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Refrigerate the chicken broth for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. After the broth has chilled, fat will rise to the surface. We usually leave this, but you can skim off the reserved fat and use it like oil or butter in other dishes.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. It was difficult to estimate actual numbers for this recipe, but we have done our best.
Looks amazing!
Thank you. You are going to love this broth! 🙂