Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Broth

This Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Broth is one of my favorite ways to turn a leftover chicken carcass into something useful and delicious. Everything goes into the Crock Pot and slowly simmers into a rich homemade broth that's ready for soups, stews, gravies, and all sorts of comforting recipes.

The long cooking time gives this simple chicken stock a deeper flavor than you'd expect from such basic ingredients. Onion, carrots, celery, and garlic add classic flavor, while the slow cooker does nearly all of the work.

It's the kind of thrifty kitchen habit Grandma would appreciate, making something wonderful out of ingredients that might otherwise go to waste.

What You Need to Know

• This slow cooker chicken stock from a carcass cooks on low heat for 12 to 18 hours, giving the bones plenty of time to flavor the broth.
• Both a leftover roasted chicken carcass and raw chicken bones can be used.
• Homemade chicken stock keeps for up to 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
• Freeze the cooled stock in smaller portions so you can easily grab exactly what you need for future recipes.

Ingredients Overview

• Chicken bones or carcass: Use the bones from a leftover roasted or rotisserie chicken, or start with raw chicken bones. A combination of bones, cartilage, and small bits of meat works especially well.
• Onion: Yellow onion is a classic choice, but white or sweet onion can also be used. There's no need to finely dice it since everything will be strained.
• Carrots: Regular or baby carrots both work. Roughly chopping them is all that's needed.
• Celery: Use the stalks and even the leafy tops if you have them.
• Garlic: Whole peeled cloves are easiest, although you can simply smash them before adding them to the slow cooker.
• Apple cider vinegar: A small amount adds acidity without making the finished stock taste strongly of vinegar. White wine vinegar can be substituted if needed.
• Water: Add enough water to mostly cover the chicken bones without overfilling your slow cooker.
• Salt and black pepper: Keep the seasoning fairly simple so the finished stock can easily be used in other recipes.

How to Make Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Broth

Step 1: Place the chicken bones or leftover chicken carcass in the slow cooker. Add the roughly chopped onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.

Step 2: Pour in the apple cider vinegar and 8 to 10 cups of water, using enough water to mostly cover the bones and vegetables. Add the salt and black pepper.

Step 3: Cover and cook on Low for 12 to 18 hours. The longer cooking time will create a deeper, richer chicken stock.

Step 4: Carefully strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl or pot and discard the bones and vegetables. Let the stock cool before transferring it to storage containers.

Grandma's Tips

• Save chicken bones and vegetable scraps in a freezer bag until you have enough to make a batch of homemade chicken stock.
• Keep the seasoning fairly light while cooking. You can always add more salt when you use the stock in another recipe.
• For a clearer stock, avoid pressing the cooked vegetables through the strainer.

Modern Updates

• Keep a freezer bag specifically for chicken bones, onion ends, carrot pieces, and celery scraps. Once it's full, you'll have almost everything you need for a batch of homemade stock.
• Freeze the finished stock in 1-cup or 2-cup portions for easy measuring. Smaller portions are especially handy for sauces, casseroles, and gravies.

More Old Fashioned Recipes

• Old Fashioned Chicken Vegetable Soup Recipe
• Chicken Pot Pie With Pie Crust
• Traditional Lentil Soup
• Crock Pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Potato Soup
• Old Fashioned Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

FAQs

Can I use a rotisserie chicken carcass to make chicken stock?

Yes. A leftover rotisserie chicken carcass works very well for homemade chicken stock. Remove most of the meat for another meal, then add the bones, skin, cartilage, and remaining scraps to the slow cooker.

How long should chicken stock cook in a slow cooker?

Chicken stock can cook on Low for about 12 to 18 hours. The long, gentle cooking time allows the chicken bones and vegetables to create a rich, flavorful stock.

What is the difference between chicken stock and chicken broth?

Chicken stock is traditionally made primarily from bones and is usually simmered longer, while chicken broth is generally made with more meat and cooked for less time. In everyday cooking, the two are often used interchangeably.

Why do you put apple cider vinegar in chicken stock?

Apple cider vinegar adds a small amount of acidity to the stock. Because only a tablespoon is used in a large batch, it shouldn't give the finished stock a noticeable vinegar flavor.

Why does homemade chicken stock turn into jelly in the refrigerator?

Homemade chicken stock can become gelatinous when chilled because collagen from the chicken bones and connective tissue converts to gelatin during cooking. This is normal, and the stock will become liquid again when heated.