Easy Homemade Chicken Stock in the Instant Pot: A Flavorful Guide

Making your own chicken stock from scratch is not only easy but also incredibly rewarding. It saves you money, reduces waste, and delivers an unmatched depth of flavor that store-bought options simply can’t replicate. This simple recipe focuses on creating Easy Chicken Stock in the Instant Pot, a convenient and efficient method for achieving that rich, homemade taste.

One of the best ways to elevate your home cooking is by having a reliable supply of homemade chicken stock. It’s a foundational ingredient that adds richness and complexity to countless dishes. While I sometimes prepare chicken stock on the stovetop, following a similar approach to my homemade turkey stock recipe, the Instant Pot offers a quicker and more convenient alternative.

The beauty of using an electric pressure cooker lies in its ability to rapidly infuse all the wonderful flavors of the stock ingredients into the liquid. It’s truly a set-it-and-forget-it method, allowing you to create a flavorful chicken stock with minimal effort. This recipe will guide you through the process, ensuring a delicious outcome every time.

Why This Instant Pot Chicken Stock Recipe Works

Once you experience the ease and flavor of homemade chicken stock made in the Instant Pot, you’ll never go back to store-bought versions. Here’s why this recipe is a winner:

• Effortless Preparation: This recipe is incredibly straightforward, making it perfect for anyone with an electric pressure cooker. Step-by-step instructions and accompanying photos ensure a smooth and successful process.
• Zero Waste Approach: The recipe encourages using saved bones and vegetable scraps from other meals, promoting a zero-waste kitchen and maximizing the use of your ingredients.
• Cost-Effective Solution: Considering the price of store-bought chicken stock, making your own from scraps is a highly economical choice. You’re essentially creating a valuable ingredient from items that would otherwise be discarded.
• Unmatched Flavor: Homemade chicken stock boasts a significantly richer and more complex flavor profile than anything you can buy in a store. Plus, you have complete control over the flavor by adding your favorite vegetable scraps and herbs.

Stock vs. Broth: Understanding the Difference

The terms “stock” and “broth” are often used interchangeably, but there are distinct differences between the two. Understanding these nuances can help you choose the right ingredient for your culinary creations.

Stock: Primarily made with meat bones and vegetables. The bones contribute collagen, which transforms into gelatin during cooking, resulting in a richer, thicker liquid.

Broth: Typically made with vegetables and meat, but without bones. Broth tends to be thinner in consistency but can still possess a rich and savory flavor.

In my experience, homemade stock, whether prepared on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker, consistently delivers a more intense and satisfying flavor than any store-bought broth or stock. The key is in the quality and freshness of the ingredients you use.

Essential Ingredients for Flavorful Chicken Stock

One of the greatest advantages of making chicken stock from scratch is that you can utilize ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen. This recipe is all about maximizing flavor and minimizing waste.

• Vegetable Scraps: Save onion skins, garlic skins, carrot peels, celery ends, and leftover herbs before they spoil. I maintain a gallon-sized freezer bag specifically for vegetable scraps. Whenever we peel carrots or chop onions, the trimmings go straight into the bag.
• Chicken Bones: Whenever you cook bone-in chicken thighs or enjoy a rotisserie chicken, remember to save the bones. Add them to your stock scraps bag for future use. Once the bag is full, it’s time to brew up a batch of stock!
• Fresh Herbs: Don’t let those extra sprigs of thyme, rosemary, or bay leaves go to waste. Toss them into your stock scraps bag in the freezer to add an extra layer of aroma and flavor.

If you haven’t been saving scraps, don’t worry! You can still make fantastic chicken stock using the bones from a rotisserie chicken, along with freshly chopped carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and your preferred fresh herbs. The flavor will still be far superior to anything store-bought.

Step-by-Step Guide to Making Instant Pot Chicken Stock

Follow these step-by-step instructions, complete with photos, to effortlessly create this pressure cooker chicken stock recipe. The full details are also available in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

1. Add Scraps to the Instant Pot: Place your collected vegetable scraps and chicken bones into the Instant Pot’s inner pot. Be mindful not to fill past the PC MAX line.
2. Cover with Water: Pour in enough water to fully submerge the scraps and bones. Again, ensure that the liquid level stays below the PC MAX line to prevent overfilling.
3. Add Herbs: Introduce a handful of your favorite herbs and a bay leaf or two, adjusting the amount according to the volume of stock you’re making. Thyme and rosemary create a particularly delightful flavor combination, but feel free to experiment with basil, sage, or oregano.
4. Pressure Cook: Secure the Instant Pot lid, ensuring the top valve is in the SEALING position. Select PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL, set to HIGH, and cook for 45 minutes.
5. Coming to Pressure: The Instant Pot will take approximately 15-30 minutes to reach pressure. Once it does, the pin at the top will rise, and the timer will begin counting down from 45 minutes.
6. Natural Release: After the timer finishes, allow for a full natural pressure release. This means leaving the Instant Pot untouched until the pin at the top drops on its own, indicating that all pressure has been released. This can take anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes.
7. Open the Lid: Once the pressure is fully released, the pin will drop, and you can carefully open the lid.
8. Strain the Stock: Carefully pour the contents of the inner pot over a strainer positioned above a large bowl. This will separate the flavorful liquid from the solid scraps (bones and vegetables). You may need to do this in batches depending on the amount of solid material.
9. Pour and Store: Pour the beautiful, golden stock into your chosen containers for refrigeration or freezing.
10. Cool and Store: Allow the stock to cool completely before refrigerating for up to four days or freezing for up to three months.

Tips, Tricks, and Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some helpful tips and answers to frequently asked questions to ensure your chicken stock success:

Establish a Scrap-Saving Habit: Make it a routine to save chicken bones and vegetable scraps. Keep a freezer bag handy and add scraps as you cook each day. Every time you chop onions and garlic, the peels go into the bag. When you chop carrots and celery, the ends and peels go in too.

Can I freeze chicken stock?

Absolutely! Freezing chicken stock is an excellent way to preserve its flavor and extend its shelf life. Store the stock in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Remember to let the stock cool completely before freezing.

Freezing Methods:

1. Pour the stock into clean ice cube trays or Souper Cubes, freeze until solid, and then transfer the frozen cubes to a freezer bag. This is perfect for portioning out small amounts for sauces or gravies.
2. Add the stock to freezer-safe storage bags or food storage containers. You can also use popsicle bags for smaller servings!

What’s the best way to store chicken stock?

Allow the liquid to cool down completely, then store it in a mason jar or another airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Ensure the container is sealed tightly to maintain freshness.

Don’t Forget to Label Your Stock

Always remember to properly label and date your chicken stock. I like to use colorful washi tape to label my food containers. This helps you quickly identify the contents and use the stock in the order it was made.

You can also include the measurement (e.g., “1 cup”) on each container. This makes it easy to grab the exact amount you need when cooking!

Serving Ideas: Unleash the Flavor

In our home kitchen, we use chicken stock almost daily! Here are some fantastic ways to incorporate it into your cooking and enhance the flavor of your dishes:

• Soup Base: Use chicken stock as a foundation for soups, stews, and chilis. It works beautifully in Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup, Wonton Soup, Chicken Minestrone Soup, and Instant Pot Lentil Soup.
• Gravy: Elevate your gravy by using homemade chicken stock instead of water.
• Instant Pot Cooking Liquid: When cooking main courses in the Instant Pot, substitute water with chicken stock for richer flavor. We often use it when making Instant Pot Pork Chops and Rice.
• Enhance Rice Flavor: Use chicken stock instead of water to cook rice for a more savory and aromatic side dish. We love it with Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Brown Rice and simple Garlic Rice.
• Herb-Infused Stock Cubes: Freeze chicken stock in ice cube trays with your favorite herbs in each section. Then, transfer the frozen cubes to a freezer bag. These portioned stock cubes are perfect for sauces, braises, soups, stews, and roasts!

Essential Tools and Equipment

To make this easy chicken stock recipe, you’ll need:

• Electric Pressure Cooker: I use an 8-quart Instant Pot or an 8-quart Deluxe XL Ninja Foodi.
• Gallon Size Freezer Bag: For collecting vegetable scraps and bones.
• Strainer: To strain the stock and separate the vegetable scraps from the liquid.

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