Easy Instant Pot Chicken Stock

Have you ever made roasted chicken and saved the bones for bone broth, but then didn’t have time to wait around and babysit the stovetop? Us too. This recipe is the solution!

With an Instant Pot and 6 ingredients, flavorful homemade chicken stock is ready in less than 2 hours (instead of 6-12!). It’s a flavorful base for soups, stews, risotto, and beyond! Let us show you how it’s done!

What is the Difference Between Chicken Stock and Chicken Broth?

While the terms chicken stock and chicken broth are often used interchangeably (guilty!), they’re technically two different preparations. Chicken stock is made from bones, while broth includes more meat. Chicken stock is also cooked for a longer amount of time, meaning it develops a richer flavor and texture (source).

How to Make Chicken Stock in the Instant Pot

Making chicken stock in an Instant Pot is almost identical to making it on the stovetop, but it’s way faster (thanks, pressure cooking!) and you can set it and forget it. It’s almost like having a personal chef, but not so expensive!

To begin, you’ll need a leftover chicken carcass from roasting a chicken (or, shortcut: Buy a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the store!). After eating the chicken meat, save any bones, juices from roasting, and leftover skin for making the stock. If you can’t get to them right away, you can freeze them until you have the time!

When you’re ready to make stock, add the reserved chicken bones, skin, and juices to the Instant Pot with onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and salt. With these as a base for flavor, it’s hard to go wrong!

One of the many beauties of making homemade stock is its versatility. You can add in a turnip or fresh greens for nutrients, bay leaves or parsley for an herby touch, or black pepper or ginger for spice.

Then fill the Instant Pot up with water, making sure not to go past the maximum fill line.

Once you’ve added all your ingredients, seal the lid and pressure cook on high for at least 45 minutes, or up to 3 hours.

Then let the pressure release naturally and strain the golden stock through a fine mesh strainer. After straining, we like to store it in freezer-safe jars, making sure to leave enough room at the top to allow expansion and prevent the jars from cracking in the freezer.

We hope you LOVE this chicken stock! It’s:

Rich
Flavorful
Versatile
Nourishing
& Easy to make!

It’s a great way to make the most of a roasted chicken while also being an easy way to boost flavor in other recipes!

What To Do With Chicken Stock

You can use chicken stock in soups, stews, risotto, ramen, and beyond! It works well in recipes that benefit from a rich, broth-y component.

Try it in any recipe that calls for chicken broth, including our 1-Pan Mexican Shredded Chicken, Cozy Thai-Inspired Chicken Noodle Soup, 1-Pot Tuscan-Style Beef & Lentil Soup, and Nourishing Bone Broth Tonic (5 Minutes).

It can also be used interchangeably with vegetable broth in many recipes, including our Creamy Vegan Potato Leek Soup, 1-Pot Chickpea Noodle Soup, and Smoky Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas & Greens.

More DIY Pantry Staples

• Easy 1-Pot Vegetable Broth
• Easy Green Curry Paste (10 Minutes!)
• How to Make Coconut Milk
• Easy Homemade Ketchup (Naturally Sweetened)

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

Easy Instant Pot Chicken Stock

An easy and versatile recipe for super flavorful homemade chicken stock in the Instant Pot. Just 6 ingredients required!

Author Minimalist Baker

Print SAVE SAVED

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 10 (Cups)

Course Helpful How-to

Cuisine Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free

Freezer Friendly 1-2 Months

Does it keep? 3-4 Days

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• Bones, skin, juices, and any leftover meat from cooking a whole roasted chicken (organic, pasture-raised when possible // find roasting instructions here)
• 1 small onion, peeled and quartered
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
• 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 8-10 cups water

ADD INS (optional)

• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 whole bay leaves
• 1 handful fresh parsley
• 1 small turnip, roughly chopped
• 1 handful chopped kale or chard
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled

Instructions

• Add all ingredients except water to a 6-quart or larger Instant Pot. Add the water, making sure not to exceed the maximum fill line.
• Pressure cook on high for at least 45 minutes, 1 hour for stronger stock, or 2-3 hours for (gelatinous) bone broth. Let the pressure naturally release for at least 30 minutes or until the float valve drops, then carefully manually release any remaining pressure and open the lid.
• Remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot and set aside to let the broth cool for ~10-15 minutes or until cool enough to handle.
• Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer into another pot (or a large heatproof bowl or measuring glass), discarding the bones and veggies. Use right away or refrigerate overnight and (optionally) scoop off and discard the layer of fat that forms on top.
• Store leftover broth in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 1-2 months or more. We like storing in wide-mouth glass jars with an inch of room at the top to allow for expansion in the freezer.
• Use in soups, stews, ramen, risotto, and beyond!

Video

Notes

*Cook time includes 30 minutes to pressurize, 45 minutes to cook, and 30 minutes to naturally release pressure.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.

Nutrition (1 of 10 servings)

Serving: 1 cup Calories: 57 Carbohydrates: 0.9 g Protein: 5.3 g Fat: 3 g Saturated Fat: 0.9 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.6 g Monounsaturated Fat: 1.3 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 2.6 mg Sodium: 180 mg Potassium: 208 mg Fiber: 0 g Sugar: 0.4 g Vitamin A: 2038 IU Vitamin C: 0.7 mg Calcium: 15.6 mg Iron: 0.5 mg