Instant Pot chicken bone broth is the magic shortcut to rich, golden, deeply flavorful homemade bone broth without an all-day simmer. Thanks to pressure cooking, you get all that goodness in just 3 hours, and it's incredibly easy to make. It's so much better than anything from a box or can. Make a batch and freeze it in portions so homemade broth is always ready when you need it-that's what I do.
I started pressure cooking homemade chicken broth for the speed, but now it's my go-to method because the results are amazing in way less time. The Instant Pot uses pressure to extract deep flavor and nutrients from the chicken and bones without the long simmer or tending that traditional chicken bone broth requires. It's hands-off, fuss-free, and produces a clean, golden broth every time.
Chicken Broth Recipe Snapshot
- Faster than traditional broth - Rich homemade bone broth in about 3 hours instead of an all-day simmer.
- Rich flavor from pressure cooking - Pressure extracts deep flavor for a clean, golden broth.
- Versatile - Perfect for sipping or using in recipes that call for chicken broth.
- Better than store-bought - You control the ingredients, with superior flavor and nutrition.
Chef's Note: Is It Stock or Broth? Today the terms are often used interchangeably, but traditionally, stock is made primarily from bones, while broth is made with meaty pieces and vegetables. The bones and connective tissue provide collagen and body, while the meat provides flavor. That collagen turns to gelatin as the broth cools, which is why a good homemade chicken bone broth becomes jiggly like Jell-O when refrigerated.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Chicken - I use bone-in dark meat, preferably whole chicken legs. The meat gives the broth rich flavor, while the bones and connective tissue provide collagen and body. I also add chicken feet when I can find them and chicken backs, which I save when making my spatchcock roast chicken.
- Onion - White, yellow, brown, or sweet onions all work for building a savory base.
- Carrot - Part of the classic French mirepoix of onion, carrot, and celery, adding natural sweetness and depth.
- Celery - Rounds out the mirepoix and adds subtle herbal flavor.
- Herbs - Fresh thyme, parsley, and a bay leaf add aromatic flavor. Fresh thyme is best, but dried thyme works if that's what you have.
- Filtered water - Use clean, filtered water for the best-tasting broth.
Optional Aromatics
- A few whole black peppercorns - Add gentle spice and depth.
- Leek - If I have a leek, I add some for another layer of mild onion flavor. The dark green tops are perfect for broth, so save them rather than throwing them away.
- Garlic - Adds a warm, savory undertone and another layer of flavor, especially nice if you plan to sip the broth on its own. Works well if you plan to use the broth for soups, risottos, gravies, or braises where extra depth is welcome.
Please see the recipe card for measurements.
Chef's Tip: No Salt? You read that right. Never salt broth while making it. Save the salt for the finished dish, where you have complete control over the seasoning. Broth is often reduced or used as an ingredient in other recipes, which can concentrate salt quickly. Keeping it unsalted also makes it more versatile for people who need to limit sodium.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth
Remove as much skin from the chicken as possible. This reduces excess fat and leaves more room in the pot for the meat and bones. Add the chicken, vegetables, herbs, and an options to the Instant Pot, then add the water, being careful not to fill beyond the PC MAX line marked inside the pot.
Lock the lid in place and set the valve to Sealing. Select Soup/Broth and cook on High Pressure for 2 hours.
When the cooking time is complete, press Cancel and allow the pressure to release naturally for 20-30 minutes. Carefully release any remaining pressure before opening the lid.
Plan on about 3 hours total, including the time needed for the Instant Pot to come to pressure, the 2-hour cooking time, and the natural pressure release.
Straining and Chilling the Broth
Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer or colander, discarding the spent chicken, bones, vegetables, and herbs. Clean the inner pot, pour the strained broth back in, then set the pot into a sink filled with ice and cold water to create an ice bath. Stir the broth occasionally to help release the heat.
Chill the broth to 70°F or below before refrigerating, which usually takes less than an hour in an ice bath. Then refrigerate until completely cold.
Chef's Note: When I make long-simmered bone broth, I add a little apple cider vinegar to help extract collagen from the bones and connective tissue. With a pressure cooker, vinegar isn't necessary-the higher cooking temperature helps convert collagen to gelatin much more quickly. Adding a few chicken feet or backs helps ensure that rich, gelatinous texture when the broth is chilled.
Refrigerate Broth Overnight
Cover the broth and refrigerate overnight. By morning, the fat will have solidified on the surface, making it easy to spoon off and discard. Portion the broth into containers, label with the amount and date, then refrigerate or freeze.
For an extra-clear broth, you can strain it once more through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth before portioning. I often use a small fine-mesh strainer and strain the broth directly into my freezer containers as I portion it.
How to Freeze Chicken Broth
I freeze chicken broth in 1-cup and 2-cup portions for sipping, soups, and other recipes, plus smaller ½-cup portions for deglazing pans and making quick sauces. Use freezer-safe glass jars, silicone molds, freezer bags, or another airtight freezer container.
If using freezer bags, make sure the broth is completely chilled first. Seal the bags well, then lay them flat on a small rimmed sheet pan until frozen solid. Once frozen, remove the sheet pan and stack the bags to save space.
Freezer bags aren't my favorite because they can get nicked and leak, and I prefer using less plastic. I usually use glass containers or Souper Cubes, which make portioning and freezing broth easy. Whatever you use, label each container with the amount and date.
Pressure Cooker vs Slow Cooker
I prefer a pressure cooker for chicken bone broth because the sealed, high-pressure environment extracts flavor and collagen efficiently in a fraction of the time of a slow cooker.
- Slow cooker - It works, but requires a much longer cooking time and I don't find the flavor as concentrated.
- Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker - My preferred method. I use a 6-quart Instant Pot Duo Plus, but other brands work too.
- Stovetop pressure cooker - Works just as well; follow the manufacturer's instructions for your model.
Four Ways to Thaw and Reheat Chicken Broth
- Refrigerator overnight - Transfer frozen broth to the refrigerator and let it thaw overnight, then reheat gently in a saucepan.
- Microwave + stovetop - Loosen the frozen broth briefly in the microwave, then transfer it to a saucepan to finish thawing and reheating.
- Cold water bath - Place the sealed container in a bowl of cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes until the broth is thawed enough to transfer to a saucepan.
- Silicone cube method - If frozen in silicone molds, pop out a portion and place it directly in a saucepan. Cover and heat gently on low heat until melted and hot.
Tip: if you use a freezer bag, be sure to place the bag in a large bowl to in case the bag has a hole and leaks.
Recipe FAQs
Plan on approximately 3 hours total. The Instant Pot takes about 30 minutes to come to pressure, the broth cooks for 2 hours, and the natural pressure release takes another 20-30 minutes. For a quicker broth, I've also pressure cooked it for 90 minutes with good results, although I prefer the full 2-hour cook.
Use the High Pressure setting. On my Instant Pot, I use the Soup/Broth setting and set the cooking time for 2 hours.
Store cooled chicken bone broth in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or freeze it in well-sealed, labeled containers for up to 3 months.
More Broth and Soup Recipes
For more broth recipes, try my long-simmered chicken bone broth, roasted turkey broth, and quick vegetable broth. Find chicken soup recipes here.
If You Make Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth
Please leave me a comment about how it came out and what you used it for. I love hearing from you and your comments help other readers as well. Thank you!
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth
Equipment
- 6 quart or larger Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 4 pounds bone-in skinless chicken thighs, legs, backs, and a few feet if available. skinned as much as possible, see note below
- ½ onion chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 large rib celery chopped
- 2-3 fresh thyme springs
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 quarts filtered water 8 cups
Optional Aromatics
- ½ small leek, rinsed of sand, chopped If you have one on hand, use some of the dark green tops and save the light part to cook with
- 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled smashed
- 6 whole black peppercorns
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Instructions
Prep the chicken
- If using a whole chicken cut it into pieces and remove extra fat and as much skin as possible. If using pieces, also trim off extra fat and skin. Place the chicken in the pot, then add the onions, carrot, celery, leek, thyme, bay leaf and water.
Pressure cook
- Fill the pot up to the line that reads "PC max ⅔" with fresh filtered water, about 2 quarts. Lock on the lid and turn the vent to lock. Press the Soup/Broth button and set the timer for 2 hours. After 2 hours press the cancel button and allow the pressure to release naturally for 20-30 minutes. After that turn the vent button and let any additional pressure release.
Strain broth
- Strain the spent chicken, bones and vegetables through a sieve or fine colander into another container. Wash the pot, then add the broth back to the pot for chilling.
Chill broth
- Fill a sink half full of ice and cold water for an ice bath. Place the pot in the ice bath and chill for about 1 hour, or until the broth is below 70°F. Cover and place the pot in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, skim the surface of solidified fat, then portion, label, and freeze.
Notes
Nutrition
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Laura says
Hi! If I want to save the fat, what is the best way to save it?
Sally Cameron says
Hi Laura, here's how to save chicken fat (also called schmaltz) . After chilling the broth, the fat will solidify on the surface. Carefully lift or scrape off the solidified fat with a spoon or spatula. Melt the solid fat gently over low heat in a small saucepan.
Pour the melted fat through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean jar with a lid to remove any impurities or bits of herbs and vegetables. Label the container with the date for reference. Chicken fat will last about 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.
For freezing, try using ice cube trays, especially the silicone ones with lids. One more tip, if you really want to save and use the fat, don't remove skin from the chicken before cooking. The only thing is you'll have a little less broth because of the extra skin. Let me know if that helps.
Debra Rowe says
Hi Sally: I did not realize a pressure cooker would cook for 2 hours. Amazing. I will give this a try. I know there are tons of differing opinions (rather than anything even remotely fool proof), but my nutritionist who helps me fight thyroid has advised I keep the fat in my meat stock and has said that pressure cooking denatures the food. Your stock looks richly golden, and I wonder what your findings have been to remove the fat? I had heard it was especially good to have for digestion tract repair for leaky gut. Thanks!
Sally Cameron says
Hi Debra, good question! Yes, they can go that long. I've also tried it for just 90 minutes with great results, in fact I may amend the recipe after more testing. Pressure cooking is healthy as it keeps the nutrition in. I am hypo-thyroid (as well). I always de-fat or de-grease my broths and stocks and add the fat I want back into the dish I am preparing. Leaky gut is a "fun" one (not really, I know). Ever read Eat Dirt by Dr. Josh Axe? Highly recommend for leaky gut. So far science say that pressure cooking is safe, and no research exists to the contrary. The science is not conclusive. The other thing is about using the IP for broth is that because of the short time frame of cooking versus bone broth, it's better for people with Histamine Intolerance (like me). Additionally, think about cooking chicken breasts in the oven. I cook mine at 375°F, and I grill them at 400°F. Pressure cooking reaches about 240° inside that sealed chamber. Here is a good article https://www.cnet.com/health/nutrition/is-your-instant-pot-destroying-nutrients. There are interesting posts out there on the subject.
Cheryl says
If you free a carcass or chicken how do you defrost it to use without increasing histamine? Thank you
Sally Cameron says
Hi Cheryl. If after roasting a chicken and stripping any extra meat you freeze the body right away, you can probably use them frozen but it will take longer. I've not tried it. Set the time for two hours and go through the release, then open and test it. I sometimes do that with my traditional broth recipe. You can also make that one, just don't let it go a long time. Stay with the 2-3 hour mark to keep histamines low. I hope that makes sense. One thing that will help; don't throw the whole carcass into plastic zip bags to freeze. Break them down into smaller pieces with a heavy knife or poultry/kitchen scissors so the pieces are small. They will thaw faster.
Kelly S says
If I make a whole chicken from frozen in my instant pot, can I toss in the veggies with it as above, and then use the broth afterwards? If so, would I just cook it on high for 2 hrs instead of on soup/broth? Thanks!
Sally Cameron says
Hi Kelly. First I would thaw the chicken (not use frozen). You may know that but I am not sure by your question and don't know how experienced a cook you are. Is your desire to make chicken soup or make broth? When you make broth this way, the chicken and vegetables are pretty well spent after two hours under pressure. It all falls apart and has given up its goodness to the broth. Then you strain off the broth, chill, and refrigerate so when it cools completely you can scoop the extra fat off the surface. If your desire is chicken soup, I would make the broth first, then make soup with the broth. Others may do it different but I think this gives the best results. If you make batches of broth and freeze you are always a short time away from having great soup. For even richer deeper broth, try the long version bone broth (not Instant Pot). It takes longer but much of the work is hands off. https://afoodcentriclife.com/liquid-gold-homemade-chicken-broth/ . I hope this answers your question if not let me know.
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Kristina Pruett says
Can the chicken meat be used?
Sally Cameron says
Hi Kristina. The meat is pretty spent after giving it's all to the broth. I have a friend who used to save it for her dogs, but not for her consumption. If you use leftover frozen carcasses from roasting whole birds and even add about a half pound of chicken feet you won't have much meat anyway. I did the my last batch that way, now in the freezer. I use about 3-4 roasted carcasses and a few feet and the broth came out great, very gelatinous (collagen). One tip on saving your roasted carcasses. Before freezing, break the body down into smaller pieces with a heavy knife or poultry shears. That way they take up less room. Make sense? Thanks for asking, great question.
michael says
always follow you and your healthy cooking Thank you for sharing with me
Sally Cameron says
Thank you Michael for following, reading and commenting. It means a lot.