Pressure Cooker Chicken Stock Recipe

Learn how to make pressure cooker chicken broth in one hour. This is a simple, basic recipe that can easily be customized to your own taste!

But you know what, I’m a cheater. That’s what I am. Because we’re making a quick and easy pressure cooker chicken broth that takes an hour plus 5 minutes to make. And the countless benefits! Let’s talk about how it’s low on the sodium, made to your taste, FRESH, you get a whole cooked chicken when you’re done, and something about homemade chicken broth that just tastes 1000 times better than the store bought stuff.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m definitely not above store-bought chicken broth. It’s perfect for when you need to get dinner on the table quickly. Or when you’re under-the-weather and NEED chicken noodle soup FAST and can’t even think about making your own broth.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Stock > The Secret Supper Society

But around this time, when the weather starts cooling down, I love making a batch of pressure cooker chicken broth to keep in the freezer. Not only do you get a whole cooked chicken at the end of it, you also get around 2 quarts of the freshest, made-to-preference chicken broth. You can keep the chicken stock or broth in the refrigerator for 5 days. And it’ll last for 2 months in the freezer. Just pop it in the microwave for a few minutes and BAM — homemade chicken broth at your fingertips.

This July, I took the plunge and invested in an Instant Pot. And i’ve got to say I LOVE IT. I went into the whole thing thinking i’d use it as a slow cooker or even to cook rice or quinoa quickly. What I didn’t see myself doing is making pressure cooker chicken broth. I usually would let a big pot of water simmer with veggies and a whole chicken for a at least half the day on the back burner of the stove. Low and slow. And by usually, I mean the TWO TIMES in my adult life that i’ve actually made chicken broth from scratch not using a pressure cooker.

If you aren’t familiar with the Instant Pot, allow me to explain. It’s an electric pressure cooker// slow cooker// yogurt maker// rice cooker // steamer // sauté pan // porridge maker all in one.

Homemade Chicken Broth, Fresh And Simple

What I love about this pressure cooker chicken stock recipe is that it takes 5 minutes to prep the chicken and veggies. You then add it all into the Instant Pot and letting it do it’s thing. It’ll take around 20 minutes for the pressure to build-up. Then 1 hour for the broth to PREPARE ITSELF. So sit back, catch up on a couple episodes of Gilmore Girls (can you tell i’m excited?) while your whole house smells like slow simmered chicken broth.

You have a few different options for making chicken broth in the pressure cooker. I like to use a whole, raw, skin on chicken. Because when it’s done, I have a whole chicken that I can shred and use in a recipe or freeze for later. You can also use 2 1/2 -3 pounds of chicken pieces, like chicken wings, drumsticks, necks, or thighs. Chicken breasts usually don’t make the best chicken broth, so I suggest pieces that have bones. The last option, use 2-3 rotisserie chicken carcasses. That’s a terrible word, ‘carcasses’ and I’m terribly sorry for using it.

What makes this chicken broth extra special, the 5 minutes we take to just sear the skin. This causes the skin to brown and adds so much flavor to final product. One thing that sets this chicken broth recipe apart is a couple teaspoons of nutritional yeast. It’s said to help boost immune functions and has antiviral properties. Don’t worry, using nutritional yeast is completely optional, but I do feel it adds a nice bit of flavor and color to the broth.

How To Make Chicken Stock In A Pressure Canner

This pressure cooker chicken broth // chicken stock // bone broth — whatever you wanna call it  — is perfect to use in all your recipes! Make a batch this week and have it on hand for all your favorite recipes!

Friends! I hope you aren’t mad that I called this a “one hour chicken broth recipe”. It’ll take just 5 extra minutes to sear the chicken but I PROMISE this will make your final product sooo much better!

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below. You can also share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #, I'd love to see what you made!

Pressure Cooker Chicken Stock Recipe

Chicken Dinner Lunch Slow Cooker Soups & Stews The Basics 101 bone broth chicken chicken broth chicken stock cooking 101 pressure cooker slow cookeMake easy homemade chicken stock in the Instant Pot. It’s way better than anything from the store and superfast. This pressure cooker chicken stock recipe will change your life.

Sara is a chef, culinary educator, and author of three cookbooks, The Pocket Pawpaw Cookbook, Tasting Ohio and The Fruit Forager's Companion. The latter won a 2019 IACP Cookbook Award.

I can’t remember the last time I made chicken stock in anything but a pressure cooker. It’s fast; it’s convenient, and the stock itself is superb.

Gelatinous Chicken Feet Bone Broth (stock)

Lots of us have chicken bones from rotisserie chickens or from cutting up chicken pieces. Freeze those, and make a batch of stock when you have enough. It’s so easy—washing up is the hardest part.

If you are using an electric pressure cooker like an Instant Pot, all you have to do is throw everything in there and program it. You can even leave it on overnight because the “keep warm” setting will keep the temperature in the safe zone without cooking it any more.

Unlike stocks cooked on the stove, with a pressure cooker there’s no evaporation, all the liquid stays in the cooker. In fact, you’ll likely wind up with more liquid than you started off with because some of it will cook out of the bones and meat.

Instant Pot Chicken And Dumplings Recipe

I don’t add a lot of liquid when I make my stock. I don’t even measure it; I just eyeball it, adding enough to barely come level with the bones. It’s a method more than a recipe, one that gives you a very concentrated stock with a robust flavor.

You can use bones from a raw chicken or a roast chicken. I usually make stock from roasted chickens because of the frequency with which we consume grocery store rotisserie chickens in my house; it’s a good way to put the leftover bones and scraps to use in future meals.

I stockpile bits and pieces in the freezer. Roasted carcasses, leftover leg bones, wing tips, and chicken necks add up over time. Just be sure to label those bags of bones so you don’t pull out frostbitten mysteries a year later.

Instant Pot Chicken Stock

You can also sometimes buy bones or leftover chicken parts at grocery stores and markets, like the bones, backs, necks, or feet left over from butchering. These parts have a lot of cartilage that makes great stock with a velvety body.

Oh, and make sure to add any chicken fat or skin you can. Yes, it makes a fatty stock, but the fat will float to the top as the stock cools, and you can skim it off later. What skin and fat add are a cheery yellow color and tons of great flavor. Remember, if you don't want the extra fat, you can always remove and discard it later.

You can really use any amount of bones that fit in your pressure cooker—feel free to pack them in! I’ve used anywhere from one pound of bones to five pounds. Just make sure you don’t fill your pressure cooker more than two-thirds full, or above the “Max Fill” line.

Instant Pot Chicken Stock (bone Broth Recipe + Video)

Then, add enough water to come nearly level with the bones (again, do not exceed the “Max Fill” line). A rough ratio is 5 to 6 cups of water for every pound of bones. The less water you add, the more flavor and body your stock will have.

But are you ready to have your mind blown? Sometimes I don’t add anything extra. Just the bones! I don’t always want the flavor of mirepoix in there. Plus, if I’m using roasted carcasses, they often already have so much flavor by themselves.

If it’s summer and I have fresh herbs on hand, I might throw in a thyme sprig or a few parsley stems. If I have carrots or onions handy, I might add them. If I want a more straightforward stock (or I am simply feeling lazy), I leave them out.

Instant Pot Chicken Stock (plus How To Make It Without An Instant Pot)

For years, I cooked my stock for 30 minutes at high pressure because that’s what the recipe booklet from my very first pressure cooker said. But then I saw all kinds of different times in other recipes—even up to two hours! That’s quite a range. What gives?

I still prefer 30-minute stock, though to some it might taste a little wan. This is actually great news! Whether you cook your stock for 30 minutes or one hour, it’ll still be chicken stock and still better than anything you buy. Experiment with cooking times and see what you