How To Make The BEST Homemade Chicken Broth
There are a lot of homemade chicken broth recipes out there, but I wholeheartedly believe my family’s recipe is THE best! It’s liquid gold, full of so much flavor, and so incredibly easy to make. Use it for soups or drink it straight! It’s SO delicious!
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My family makes some of the best homemade Italian food I’ve ever had, and my family taught me the basics of cooking when I was younger. I learned how to make homemade pasta dough, an easy homemade sauce, and homemade ravioli, among many other recipes. I recently learned their secret to the most flavorful homemade chicken broth ever, and now I get to share it with you!
Every holiday, my family makes a multi-course Italian meal. We’ve pared down our menu over the years because it’s expensive and time consuming, but we used to start with antipasto, followed by homemade soup (using this flavorful broth), homemade pasta and meatballs, then our main course specific to the holiday, followed by dessert. Five courses, every single holiday, cooked with love by a big Italian family.
The soup was always one of my favorite parts of the holiday because I could SWIM in this chicken broth if I could. It’s so incredibly flavorful, so easy to make, and a million times better than the store bought broth from a box or can. The broth is made from whole chicken and beef bones or beef shank, along with aromatic vegetables and heaping spoonfuls of chicken bouillon. The result is a broth with so much depth of flavor, you’ll want to sip it by the cup.
Make the BEST Chicken Broth EVER with My Family’s Recipe
I asked my dad to send me his recipe for chicken broth so I could test and refine the recipe and share it with you! I expected him to type out the ingredients and instructions, but instead what I got were these poorly-angled photos of his beautiful handwriting with notes specifically speaking to me (e.g., “You will need Meg’s help with straining”).
Notice the “Love, mom + dad” at the bottom, too. I thought that was so cute 😭.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s my family’s recipe. And everyone loves my family. Generations of Italian cooking lead to this simple chicken broth recipe!
- It’s unique! I’ve read many a chicken broth recipe, but rarely do I ever see tomatoes or beef bones or shank added to a chicken broth. I guess technically this doesn’t make it purely a chicken broth, but we still treat it as such because the whole chicken is still the star of the show here. But I swear by adding tomatoes to chicken broth because they add so much more flavor than carrots ever could (no offense to carrots).
Ingredients for Homemade Chicken Broth
- Whole chicken. The obvious main ingredient. Once the chicken is fully cooked, you’ll remove it from the broth and shred the meat to use in chicken noodle soup, chicken salad, and so much more!
- Beef shank. This is my family’s secret ingredient (err, I guess it’s not so secret anymore since I’m publishing it on the internet). My dad LOVES adding a bit of beef flavoring to everything he makes, including his homemade pasta sauce, so I’ll take his word that beef shank just takes this soup to another level. If you don’t have access to shank, ask your butcher for beef bones to a similar effect.
- Celery hearts. Save the outer stalks of a bunch of celery for a soup or chicken salad, and use the inner celery hearts with the leafy greens for the broth.
- Tomatoes. Another family not-so-secret ingredient. Tomatoes add incredible flavor to this broth!
- Onion. A classic aromatic to add to a broth base!
- Chicken bouillon. I used bouillon cubes because I always have them on hand, but my parents swear by Herb Ox Bouillon Granules.
- Water. Once your chicken, beef shank, and vegetables are added to the pot, you’ll cover everything in water.
How to Make My Family’s Chicken Broth
Keep on scrolling to get the full recipe card with exact measurements and instructions, but here’s a brief overview complete with photos!
- Quarter your veggies. Quarter and peel the onion, quarter the tomatoes, and quarter the celery hearts with the leafy greens.
- Season your shank. Season your beef shank with salt and pepper.
- Sear the shank. In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Then add beef shank and sear for 2-3 minutes per side until browned.
- Add all ingredients to the pot. Once the shank is browned, add the whole chicken, vegetables, and enough water to cover it all. Add the bouillon and gently stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let it cook for 2.5-3 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked through.
- Remove the chicken. Carefully remove the whole chicken from the pot and let it cool slightly in a separate bowl. Shred the chicken meat without the skin and discard the bones. Set the shredded chicken aside for another recipe, like chicken salad or chicken noodle soup!
- Strain the soup. Set a colander or fine mesh sieve over a large bowl or second pot in the sink. Then carefully pour the broth through the colander to get rid of the large chunks of vegetables and meat. Then, repeat the process using a fine mesh sieve to strain out smaller chunks of vegetables or meat that may have been left behind. Finally, line the mesh sieve with cheesecloth or paper towel. Pass the soup through the cheesecloth-lined sieve again a little bit at a time to help strain out the fat. Change out the cheesecloth after every couple of strains.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- No red meat? No problem. Just remove the beef shank from the recipe!
- Vegetarian or vegan? Okay, we’re talking a totally different recipe here, BUT I would just replace the chicken and beef with even more vegetables like mushrooms, carrots, and a couple extra tomatoes. And you can flavor the broth with Better than Bouillon No-Chicken Base.
Storing and Reheating
- Freezing: I love making huge batches of this broth and freezing what I don’t immediately need so future me can enjoy the same flavor without the effort! We have these incredible Souper Cube containers that can be used for freezing soups and broths. Just freeze a few into individual portions, pop them out, and place them in a freezer safe bag. You can also use heavy-duty freezer-safe bags to portion out the soup into 2 cup portions. Carefully seal the bags and place them in the freezer. Frozen broth will last up to 3 months.
- Refrigerating: Store the soup in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheating: If you’re reheating from refrigerated, just place what you need into a small pot and reheat on medium heat until simmering. You can also microwave the broth. To reheat from frozen, you can thaw the soup in a container in the refrigerator overnight, or you can simple place a frozen Souper Cube portion in a small pot over medium heat and it will melt into a broth.
FAQs
Are chicken broth and stock the same?
For all intents and purposes, chicken broth and chicken stock quite similar with a few technical differences. Chicken broth is made with meat and bones (like the whole chicken that is used in this recipe), while chicken stock tends to just be made with the bony parts. Both are usually made with aromatics like onions, celery, and herbs and spices. The bones in a chicken stock release body and flavor into the stock for a rich flavor, and roasting bones before use yields a darker and richer broth. Chicken stock is what I typically make when I buy a rotisserie chicken at the store. Broth relies on the meat for flavoring (think seafood, chicken, beef broth). To the average home chef, both stock and broth tend to be used interchangeably.
What is bouillon?
Bouillon is the French word for “broth” and bouillon cubes, granules, or pastes are made from dehydrated broth or stock, usually made with additional seasonings. These can then be dissolved in water to flavor a soup base. We add bouillon granules or cubes to our recipe to enhance the flavors and season the broth.
How long does chicken broth last?
Chicken broth can be refrigerated and used within 4 days of cooking. Freezing prolongs the life of the broth to up to 3 months.
Why do I need to strain the fat from the broth?
Straining out the fat from the broth creates a smoother, less cloudy and less oily broth that can contribute to a greasy mouthfeel. You can let the broth cool, then skim some of the fat that accumulates in a layer on top before straining through a cheesecloth. If you have the space in your refrigerator to refrigerate the broth overnight, you should be able to easily skim the fat layer off the top in the morning before straining and storing the broth.
Can you use paper towel to strain broth if you don’t have cheesecloth?
In a pinch, yes, paper towels can be used to strain broth. However, it is not ideal, because it can tear easily and absorbs a lot of liquid. But as you can see from my photos, it’s what I used when I ran out of cheesecloth and didn’t have another option! Alternately, if you have the time and patience to wait, you can refrigerate your broth and skim off the fat that solidifies in the morning. You can also use a clean kitchen towel if you’re prepared to do laundry shortly after cooking!
Equipment
Print
How To Make The BEST Homemade Chicken Broth
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 150
- Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 7 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: American
Description
From my family to yours, enjoy this homemade chicken broth. It’s the perfect thing to make on a Sunday to use throughout the week in your soups or sauces!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2–1 lb beef shank
- Salt & pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 celery heart (about 5–6 stalks, including greens), quartered
- 4 tomatoes, quartered
- 1 large yellow onion, quartered and peeled
- 6 bouillon cubes OR 2-3 tbsp bouillon granules*
- 3–4 quarts water
- 1 tbsp salt
Instructions
- Cook your shank. Season the beef shank with salt and pepper. In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Then add beef shank and sear for 2-3 minutes per side until browned.
- Add all ingredients to the pot. Once the shank is browned, add the whole chicken, vegetables, and enough water to cover it all (this will vary depending on the size of your pot, but I used about 4 quarts of water(. Add the bouillon* and gently stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let it cook for 2.5-3 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked through.
- Remove the chicken. Carefully remove the whole chicken from the pot and let it cool slightly in a separate bowl. Then shred the chicken meat without the skin and discard the bones. Set the shredded chicken aside for another recipe, like chicken salad or chicken noodle soup!
- Strain the broth. Set a colander or fine mesh sieve over a large bowl or second pot in the sink. Carefully pour the broth through the colander to get rid of the large pieces of vegetables and meat. Then, repeat the process using a fine mesh sieve to strain out smaller chunks of vegetables or meat that may have been left behind. Finally, line the mesh sieve with cheesecloth, clean kitchen towel, or paper towel. Pass the soup through the cheesecloth-lined sieve again a little bit at a time to help strain out the fat. Change out the cheesecloth after every couple of strains. (See notes for alternate fat-straining options)
- Store the broth. If you’re not using the broth right away, let it cool slightly then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or portion the broth and store it in freezer bags or freezer-safe containers in the freezer for up to 3 months!
Notes
- *I used 6 bouillon cubes for 4 quarts (16 cups) of water. If you don’t end up using as much water as I did (depending on the size of your pot), then reduce the amount of bouillon you use. So, if you only use 3 cups of water, use about 4 bouillon cubes.
- If you don’t need the broth right away, you can let the broth cool in the refrigerator overnight. This will allow any fat to solidify, making it easy to skim off the fat layer on top of the broth. The rest of the broth will still be a bit gelatinous but it will liquefy once reheated!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
- Calories: 124
- Sugar: 4.1 g
- Sodium: 1443.1 mg
- Fat: 4.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Protein: 13.3 g
- Cholesterol: 27.7 mg
