So last November, Black Friday to be more specific, I bought myself a little present. I impulse bought an Instant Pot, at a hefty 35% discount, I might add. I’ve been experimenting with the Instant Pot for a few months and the other day I made my first Instant Pot Chicken Stock. OMG. You guys. This is the best chicken stock I’ve ever made. The extra pressure during cooking really pulls out so much more flavor and collagen to make an ultra rich broth.
What is an Instant Pot?
Instant Pots are a 7-in-1 magical cooking device (or a pressure cooker) that also does a bunch of other cool stuff. These all-in-one devices have been taking the cooking world by storm for the past five years. I had already been on the market to buy a pressure cooker and the wide array of other features this one offered sold me instantly (no pun intended).
I bought an Instant Pot primarily to make cooking dry beans and “slow cooked” meat faster, and didn’t really intend to post about it much on Budget Bytes. You see, I don’t want to give anyone the false impression that you need fancy, expensive equipment to make good food, because you absolutely DO NOT. This machine is just fun and makes life a little faster and easier. For everything else, I still prefer to cook on the stove top or just take the long route with a slow cooker.
What is the Difference Between Chicken Stock and Chicken Broth?
Both chicken stock and chicken broth are made by simmering chicken parts in water with other flavorful ingredients. Chicken stock tends to be richer, which comes from cooking the broth with more bones and connective tissues (sometimes called “bone broth”). Since the bones and connective tissue have a lot more collagen than chicken broth, chicken stock will sometimes be a gel when chilled instead of liquid. They can usually be used interchangeably in recipes, but chicken stock will give you a lot more flavor.
Can I Make Chicken Broth Without An Instant Pot?
You can absolutely make chicken stock or broth on the stove top or in a regular (and inexpensive) slow cooker. I’ve made tutorials for both in the past: How to Make Chicken Broth (stove top) and How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Broth. With both of those methods, just keep in mind that the longer the cook, the better.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Stock
Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken carcass
- 1 yellow onion
- 1-2 carrots
- 1-2 stalks celery
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- Freshly cracked pepper or whole peppercorns
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 8 cups water
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot on to Sauté mode. Add the chicken carcass pieces and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until browned and pieces begin to stick to the bottom of the pot. Press the cancel button to turn off the heat.
- Cut the ends off the onion, then cut it in half or into quarters. Remove any of the papery skin if it has dirt on it, otherwise leave the skin on. Scrub the carrots and celery. Cut them in half so they fit easily within the pot. Peel the garlic cloves and add them to the pot with the bay leaves, some freshly cracked pepper (or 10-15 whole peppercorns, if available), and a splash of apple cider vinegar.
- Pour 8 cups of cool water over the contents of the pot (do not fill more than 2/3 to the top). Lock the lid into place, close the steam release valve, and press the “manual” button. The display will show 30, indicating the default time set for that mode. We want it to cook for 30 minutes, so no need to adjust the time. After 10 seconds the display will turn to “ON” indicating that it is heating and pressure is building (this takes about 10-15 minutes).
- Once the pot has reached high pressure, the display will begin to count down 30 minutes. When 30 minutes is up, it will beep and switch to “keep warm” mode. Press the cancel button and allow the pressure in the pot to reduce naturally (this takes about 15 minutes). You’ll know the pressure is at a safe level and it’s okay to open the pot when the silver float valve on the lid has fallen down and is no longer elevated. Open the steam release valve, then carefully open the lid.
- Place a fine wire mesh strainer over a large bowl, then ladle the stock into the bowl through the strainer to catch any pieces. When the level gets too low to ladle, remove the large pieces and carefully pour the remaining liquid through the strainer. Taste the stock and add salt if desired.
- Place the stock in an air-tight container and refrigerate until completely cool. Keep the stock refrigerated and use within three days, or freeze for longer storage.
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Equipment
Notes
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Chicken Stock in an Instant Pot – Step by Step Photos
We’ve bought a few rotisserie chickens lately and instead of tossing the carcass, we put the WHOLE thing into a freezer bag and “tossed” it into the freezer. This one had a few pieces of chicken still left that we didn’t get around to eating. I think using a rotisserie chicken added extra flavor because everything had already been slow roasted.
Press the “Sauté” button, which will heat the bottom of the pot like a hot plate. Add the chicken pieces and sauté for a few minutes, or until they begin to brown and stick to the bottom of the pot.
See how it’s browned and stuck to the bottom? Those browned bits will add a LOT of flavor to the broth. Now press the “cancel” button to turn off the heat.
I haven’t had many vegetable scraps lately, so I bought a carrot and some celery fresh, but you can save your vegetable scraps in a freezer bag the same way we saved our chicken carcass, and then use them for the stock (just make sure to clean them REALLY well). Because I didn’t have any scraps this time around, I used one big carrot, two stalks of celery, one yellow onion (with peel but dirty ends cut off) and two cloves of garlic. I also added two bay leaves, a splash (about 1 tsp) of apple cider vinegar, and some freshly cracked pepper. I thought I had whole peppercorns in my pantry, but I was wrong, but a little cracked pepper did the job just fine.
Add 8 cups water, or enough to cover the chicken by a couple of inches, but do NOT fill the pot more than 2/3 full.
Lock the lid into place and close the steam valve. Press the “Manual” button, which is just the basic pressure cooker function. The display will show 30 minutes, which is the default time set for that mode. We want 30 minutes, so no need to press + or – to adjust the time. After 10 seconds, the display will switch to “On” and it will begin to heat. Once it reaches the proper heat and pressure (after about 10-15 minutes), the display will begin to count down 30 minutes.
After cooking at high pressure for 30 minutes, it will beep and switch to “Keep Warm” mode. Press the cancel button and allow the pressure to come down naturally (this takes about 15 minutes). You’ll know the pressure is at a safe level when the silver float valve on top has fallen back down and is no longer elevated. Open the steam valve first, then open the lid. This is what you’ll see. :) And oh my, does it ever smell amazing!
To separate the liquid gold from the debris, just place a fine wire mesh sieve over a large bowl and ladle the stock through the sieve. For extra filtering, you can use cheese cloth, but I found that the mesh sieve worked fine. When you get down towards the bottom of the pot, just remove the large pieces and carefully pour the rest through the sieve.
Taste the stock and add salt if you prefer. I added about 1/2 tsp. Refrigerate the stock and use within three days, or freeze for longer storage. I filled two containers like this before placing it in the refrigerator to cool. Separating it into smaller containers helps it cool faster.
I’m not kidding when I say that this stock was so good that I wanted to just drink it like a beverage. And I might just do that next time because apparently it’s really good for you. I ended up using it to make more Matzo Ball Soup yesterday, but it would also be really good for making chicken pho or ramen. This Instant Pot Chicken Stock was super thick and flavorful, and gelled up nicely when cooled. That’s how you know you got all the good stuff out of the bones! :D
Is it silly that I think it’s beautiful??
Can you do more posts on how to use an instant pot? I just got one and I’m totally overwhelmed
I’m still learning myself! :D I think the best directions I’ve found so far are on hippressurecooking.com
in addition to these great recipes, i found http://www.pressurecookrecipes.com, which is amazeballs! a lovely married couple, Amy & Jacky have an entire site dedicated to the Instant Pot!
they have many wonderful IP recipes that they develop and test themselves. most recipes have videos to go with them–which i love, because they make the food the star; they never appear, or even run voice-overs in the videos: just the recipe in steps.
one of the most wonderful things about their site is that they incorporate a great deal of personal knowledge and recipes based in their heritage and childhood(s), which means many authentic Asian recipes, and cooking secrets that most non-Asian folk would not likely find otherwise. check out “Master Stock,” and you will understand what i refer to, instantly! (all puns intended.)
…i forgot to mention: Amy & Jacky have even done the “Perfect Boiled Egg” experiment, so that one can know precisely how, and for how long to cook eggs in the IP. there is a beautiful photo of all of the stages and sorts of boiled eggs, from soft to medium to hard: http://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/pressure-cooker-soft-hard-boiled-eggs/
truly the most thoughtful and precise eggsperiment i have ever heard of!
Excellent! I’ve been making chicken soup using my mom’s recipe for years, but liked the idea of using the Instant Pot. Your recipe was a bit different, so I decided to give it a shot. I always started out using raw chicken which required skimming of the scum (ick) while the water came to boil, so I was wary of using raw chicken to make soup in the Instant Pot. Using a rotisserie chicken carcass was perfect — not to mention I now have chicken meat to add to the soup if I want. I did make some changes based on the recipe I’ve always used. I added a turnip and also a big bunch of dill. I didn’t use bay leaves. Also no apple cider vinegar since I didn’t have any. I always refrigerate overnight, then remove the fat from the top and use that to make the matzo balls, which I will be doing tomorrow. Came out great, thanks!
Please put up the recipes you use for your instant pot! I’ve been looking at these forever, wondering if they work well and when you mentioned the broth I finally bought one. Now I need to do things with it to justify it to myself!
http://www.facebook.com/groups/InstantPotCommunity
I could never get my broth to gel in the slow cooker like it does in the IP. I LOVE my IP!!
I got a similar appliance for Christmas and I can’t believe how great it is. I am such a skeptic and a minimalist when kitchen gadgets are concerned and was finally convinced that a pressure cooker wasn’t a gimmick when my boss made risotto in about 15 minutes including prep. I make stock a lot- chicken feet and backs make a great rich and sticky stock. I also made a Cuban inspired pulled pork shoulder that was great, potato leek soup in 12 minutes. I could go on and on!
This looks amazing! I just got an IP last week and I’m excited to start trying it out. Question: When you use this to make your Matzo Ball Soup recipe, do you just add 6c of this instead of the 6c chicken broth? Or something different?
Yep, exactly! I just used this broth in place of the broth I used before. It’s thicker and much more flavorful and it was absolutely amazing.
Because I typically make a roast chicken once or twice a month, I’ve used my IP quite a bit for chicken broth. I don’t normally bother making gravy for the chicken so I save all the drippings, skim the fat off and add all that to the pot as well. I’ve been making a lot of yogurt as well ( the price of the Pot would be worth it just for the yogurt IMHO), so I use a teaspoon of reserved whey instead of vinegar. It has the same effect.
BTW- did you know you can use whey in place of yogurt as a starter for your next batch?
Really! Very interesting. I made a few batches of yogurt, but haven’t made it in a while because I think I was eating it so much that I actually got tired of it. Never thought I’d have that problem. ;)
I’ve had an Instant Pot for a few years now, bought it as a treat to myself with my Christmas bonus from work, and there isn’t a week that goes by where I don’t use it. Mine’s the 6-in-1 without the yogurt setting but it’s a workhorse for sure.
For chicken stock I go super duper simple: place one whole (frozen) pastured chicken from my local farmer into the pot, add water to cover (just about hits the max fill line), press the 15 min “chicken” option and seal it.
Including the time to come up to and down from full pressure it takes 45 minutes and I have 2L of tasty chicken stock, plus a perfectly moist cooked chicken with which I can make a dozen meals out of. Bonus – I can use the meat for either Western or Eastern style dishes, doesn’t matter because the stock and the chicken are unseasoned.
Once done I jar the stock in 500mL masons and freeze for later use. Easy peasy.
That’s an excellent method! Thanks for sharing!
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Had never heard of the IP until you posted after your purchase last year. Last January, I was strolling through the clearance section at WalMart and they had one for $45. I was astounded and immediately purchased it. BEST DECISION so far this year. I don’t like to cook nearly as much as I used to (too much work after a day at work), but this gizmo has earned a permanent spot on my kitchen counter. Fantastic food quickly and with little prep and cleanup. I may never bring out my slow cooker again.
Amazing!! You really lucked out! :D
Pressure cookers do make phenomenal stocks in a fraction of the time it takes to make on the stove. I also happened upon another recipe, for a “Columbian Chicken Stew” on Serious Eats, which works perfect in a pressure cooker. You just throw in some peeled and quartered potatoes, onions and tomatoes, along with a bay leaf and some chicken thighs – salt and pepper to taste. You don’t add any liquid at all, just pressure cook it on high for about 45 min or so. All the ingredients will sweat off enough liquid to form a really flavorful broth.
Oh my, that sounds incredible!
is an instant pot the same as a pressure cooker? does the browning accelerate the process? I was told to cook 2 hours in pressure cooker
The Instant Pot is a pressure cooker, but it also has other functions like sautéing and slow cooking (among others) that normal pressure cookers don’t have. The browning doesn’t accelerate the process at all. 2 hours seems like a long time for a pressure cooker, but I’ve never tried that so I can’t say if it’s a good idea. :)
Amazing timing! I also got a deal on the same pot on Black Friday, but have only recently started to use it. Just yesterday, I made “Perfectly Poached Chicken Breasts” (from Hip Pressure Cooking), and they did turn out beautifully. I am enjoying the InstantPot because of the “set it and forget it” aspect: I have made hard “boiled” eggs, steamed artichokes, and your “not” re-fried beans. All good!
I had not heard about the vinegar despite making my own broth for years. I also seem to always be straining the stock late at night; using the pressure cooking will help eliminate that!
I super appreciate the recipes you post utilizing the instant pot! I just got one and have been learning how to use it slowly but surely. From reading previous comments I’m glad I’m not the only one who says “Insta-pot”, I don’t know where this habit came from.
Hahahah, I had to consciously train myself not to say “insta-pot”. I guess because it’s so much easier. I thought that’s what it was actually called for a little while. :P
I do the same thing but let it cook for two hours. The result was so good I sold my All Clad stockpot to my coworker because ALL HAIL THE INSTANT POT.