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??
Amazing! Ok I’m a super novice cook so please excuse the dumb question- but how do you use this to make soup? I.e if I wanted to make chicken soup would I just cut up my ingredients (raw chicken, carrots, celery, leek, onion, noodles) and like add it to the stock until everything is cooked through? I’m afraid that the stock would reduce a ton if used as a cooking medium for the other ingredients….I saw in your post that you used it for Matzo soup but when I clicked on the link it said you used better than bouillon so I’m confused….
Ah yes, when I made the original Matzo that is in the blog post I used bouillon, but I have since made it again using the homemade broth. :) Here is my homemade chicken noodle soup recipe. You can use the stock here instead of the water I used in the recipe, or even half stock half water. If you find the stock reduces too much while you’re cooking, you can simply reconstitute it by adding some water. I hope that helps!
I don’t normally comment on recipes, but this recipe was probably the clearest and most informative recipes I’ve ever read! Thank you! Oh, and my stock came out amazingly well!
Did you include the skin with the carcass? I usually do when I make stock in the CP or stove.
I didn’t, no.
I am assuming that this recipe made in the IP would then be safe to can on the stove top in my pressure canner????
Unfortunately I’ve never used a stove top pressure canner, so I’m not sure.
It is beautiful. A real deep rich color.
In high school we made chicken soup from scratch with a pressure cooker and it was the best thing I have ever tasted. 15 years later and I still think of it. Reading your post made me crave it again.
Best broth recipe I ever made. I always use organic, free range chicken carcasses…otherwise I feel that it defeats the purpose of extracting the minerals from the marrow. Factory-farmed chickens arguably do more harm than good, nutritionally speaking. But this broth truly is delicious. It’s the only time I’ve ever drink a mug-full of broth just because I wanted to.
it is beautiful…you are not silly. i have a new Instant Pot, too; i got mine on sale as well! i just made chili, and it is fantastic!!! (i’m using avocado instead of cheese…)
What she the reason for not filling it above 2/3?
Is there a reason you didn’t add parsley to the instant pot like with the slow cooker version?
For most pressure cookers the safety instructions specify not filling above 2/3. You can definitely add parsley, if you like, I think I just didn’t have any that day or forgot. :)
My instant pot has lines on the inside for 1/2 full and 2/3 and at the 2/3 line it says ‘PC max’. I assume if the IP is too full it can’t come up to pressure. If there’s no space for pressure to build then it’s not pressure cooking it’s just cooking.
I have an electric pressure cooker (Cuisinart). After Thanksgiving dinner it occurred to me thqt my pressure cooker could make light work of that carcass! I searched for stock recipes and tried out yours. The best stock I’ve ever made! Really hated the stovetop hassle (especially trying to pick the meat off the bones). Now I just strain it and throw all of the solids away. I tqsted the meat after pressure cooking and there really was no flavor left in it. It’s all in the stock! Thanks for a great recipe. Now I never throw away a carcass. Making rotisserie stock as we speak. It goes into the freezer and I always have high quality stock on hand.
Approximately how much stock does this recipe yield?
About 8 cups, maybe a little more.
I find it better to add a tablespoon of soy sauce for umani
Once you go Instant Pot, you never go back! I waffled for months because it was so expensive, but when it went on sale during Prime Day for $70, I jumped right on it. Now that I’ve used it, I know it’s totally worth the full $120! It would be worth that just for the convenience of not having to babysit it.
This is the most delicious chicken stock I’ve ever had. I love that it’s so flavorful without needing to add a bunch of salt. I do process it for longer, about two hours, to get every bit of goodness out that I can, and throw in a few more peppercorns. I also add a couple of organic, pastured chicken feet for extra gelling power. The stock farm I buy them from cleans and skins them, and I don’t even bother taking the claws off. One less step to fuss with is always a plus.
The stock never seems to make it into recipes, because I end up drinking it all before that can happen! I make it at least once a week.
Thank you, got a new IP and already love drinking it. Instead of vinegar (the acid helps leach those awesome minerals from the bones thats why they look so white when done) I used the juice of two limes (also acidic). To serve in mugs I add more lime juice and finely sliced green onions. Mmmmmmmm
Yours came out way more rich looking than mine, but it tasted great! I just got an Instant Pot and this is the first food I cooked in it. Husband said, “You can really tell it is home-made.” I said, “You think so?” and he said, “Well, you probably can.” Anywho, good way to stretch a rotisserie chicken to a few more meals. They are the food that keeps on feeding.
I absolutely loved this recipe, thank you!
Love your photos, the way you describe the recipes, and the step by step instructions. Big fan!
Thank you.