Easy Chicken Broth
- PREP 10min
- COOK 1hrs 30min
- TOTAL 1hrs 40min
This easy chicken broth recipe has just five ingredients (plus salt and water), starts with one whole chicken, and makes some of the nicest chicken broth we’ve made in our kitchen. The broth tastes like pure chicken. Use it in any recipe that calls for broth or stock. It’s delightful.
This broth keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
You Will Need
1 whole chicken, 4 to 5 pounds
5 whole peppercorns
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
Cold water
Directions
Place the whole chicken, breast-side down, in a pot that is just large enough to fit the chicken — we use our 5 ½ quart Dutch oven.
Add the peppercorns, thyme, garlic cloves, bay leaf, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Barely cover the chicken with cold water — depending on your pot, you will need 7 to 9 cups.
Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Use a mesh skimmer or slotted spoon to skim any foam that floats to the surface.
Cook at a low simmer, covered with a lid, for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Use tongs or two chopsticks tucked under the wings to transfer the chicken to a plate. Allow the chicken to cool and save it for another dish.
Ladle the stock through a fine mesh strainer and transfer it to one-quart jars. Use immediately or save for later. Note that this broth might taste light at first, I find it tastes better after cooling in the fridge a bit. Another option is to continue simmering the broth to further reduce the flavor.
Refrigerate for up to four days or freeze for up to three months. After the stock has chilled, fat will rise to the surface. We usually leave this, but you can reserve the fat and use it like oil or butter in other dishes.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values. It was difficult to estimate actual numbers for this recipe, but we have done our best.
Recipe updated, originally posted September 2009. Since posting this in 2009, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne