This easy chicken stock recipe produces a traditional, full-flavoured, delicious stock, made easy in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker for when your time is at a premium. The perfect starting point for every recipe.
Healthy and delicious
A really good stock is the foundation of so many recipes. Using the instant pot or electric pressure cooker makes this easy chicken stock recipe a breeze, so you never need to compromise on flavour.
See also
- Slow cooker chicken stock is an alternative method, ideal for the crockpot.
- You can also make my easy classic chicken stock on the stove top.
- How to use your homemade stock – see my best recipes with homemade chicken stock
Good stock is so fundamental to good cooking that on the first page of his book Elements of Fine Cookery the great chef–restaurateur Auguste Escoffier stated that ‘stock is everything.’
Chicken stock is probably the most widely used and most flexible, and while I do use stock pots and cubes, homemade is just so much better. Making stock from your chicken bones is also good economy. A good cook hates waste!
This homemade Instant Pot chicken stock is not only easy to make but free of any added salt or any of those odd sounding ingredients that can leave you puzzling over a pack of commercial cubes. I’m convinced it’s downright good for you!
Easy pressure cooker chicken stock
This easy pressure cooker chicken stock recipe is effortless in the Instant Pot and so much better than anything you can buy. It produces 4–5 jars of beautiful chicken stock that sets to a golden jelly.
Although you could buy chicken pieces to make stock, it seems a terrible waste, and I use chicken carcasses leftover from roast dinners.
One carcass is not enough, however, so you need to save them. Whenever I cook roast chicken, I strip the carcass, break it up and pack it all into a bag in the freezer.
When I have three large or four small chickens, it is time to make the stock. Then I simply pack all the ingredients into the Instant Pot and let it do the work.
Why make pressure cooker chicken stock?
- It’s delicious
- It is good home economy
- Completely natural
- No salt!
- Far faster than stovetop chicken stock!
Instant Pot chicken stock ingredients
- Roast chicken carcasses – three or four. Keep them in a bag in the freezer until you have enough.
- Celery, carrots and onion – this is the classic soffrito/mirepoix mix. Wash the vegetables but don’t worry about peeling them
- Garlic – again, there’s no need to peel
- Parsley – If you don’t have access to living parsley, buy a bunch from the supermarket and stand it in water in the fridge until you are ready to cook.
- Pepper – a few black peppercorns
How to make pressure cooker chicken stock – step by step
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this Instant Pot chicken stock perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
Step One – Put the chicken carcasses into the pressure cooker. Roughly break up the vegetables and put those in too. I quarter the onions. I don’t bother to peel them.
Top up the pot with water so that everything is just covered, close and cook on High for 90 minutes.
Step Two – Use natural pressure release, leaving the stock to cool. This avoids releasing the rather pungent smell of the stock (I find it perfumes the house a bit too much).
Step Three – Strain the stock through a sieve to remove the chicken and vegetable solids, which can now be discarded.
Step Four – Ladle the broth into clean storage jars using a funnel to avoid any spills. Let the stock cool fully.
Step Five – Once the stock has cooled, it will be slightly jellied with a layer of fat on top. Remove this fat with a spoon. You can keep it to use instead of lard in cooking. I store it in a jar in the freezer and use a sharp knife to remove what I need each time.
You can now put the lids on and store in the fridge for use within three days. Alternatively, freeze without the lids, putting the lids in place once the stock is frozen. Obviously, you will need to take care to avoid the jars tipping as you freeze the stock.
How to use chicken stock
Use your chicken stock in soups, stews, curries and any dish that needs a good stock.
I find a pint of this homemade chicken stock is equivalent to using one stock cube.
Variations
- You can achieve a deeper flavour if you roast the carcasses before making the stock. Put them in the oven at 190 °C/375 °F/Gas Mark 5 for 30 minutes. You can put the veg in too.
- Peel the onions if you prefer your stock to have a paler colour.
- Add a little thyme to your stock.
Storage
Fridge – The fresh stock can be stored in the fridge in sealed jars for three days.
Freezer – To freeze your chicken stock, stand the open jars on a tray in the freezer. Make sure that they cannot tip. When the stock is frozen, put the lids in place. It will keep well for at least three months.
Hints and tips
- Don’t be tempted to skimp. You need several chicken carcasses to make a good stock with plenty of flavour.
- When stripping the carcasses to make stock, you do not need to be too picky. Leave some meat on the bones.
- Don’t skip the vegetables. They really do make a difference.
FAQs
Homemade chicken stock is gluten free, and free of all sorts of other odd ingredients you sometimes find in commercial versions. An excellent reason to make your own!
Unless you strain your stock repeatedly through a cloth, you will see tiny particles of the ingredients that give it flavour in suspension. This is nothing to worry about.
You can, and you should if you are allergic. I don’t recommend it otherwise. It is such a classic part of the recipe and your stock won’t taste of celery, if you are worried because you don’t like it as a salad vegetable. You will lose some flavour, so you may need to add extra onion, parsley and carrot.
Recipes with chicken stock
- Easy slow cooker chicken curry – warming and delicious
- Easy Greek chicken – An easy one-pot meal
- Mustard chicken and potato one pot – a delicious rustic French-inspired dish
- Leftover chicken tagine – for spicing up leftovers
Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Stock
Ingredients
- 3–4 chicken carcasses
- 2 carrots
- 1 large onion
- 2 sticks celery
- 1 clove garlic
- peppercorns (just a few)
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
Instructions
- Put the broken chicken carcasses into the electric pressure cooker.3–4 chicken carcasses
- Break up the vegetables, quartering the onions. You don't need to peel anything. Add everything to the pot and add just enough water to cover the ingredients.2 carrots, 1 large onion, 2 sticks celery, 1 clove garlic, peppercorns, 1 bunch fresh parsley
- Cook on High for 90 minutes. Then use natural pressure release and leave to coo.
- Strain the broth through a sieve to remove the solids.
- Now decant your chicken stock into clean storage jars that have secure lids. I use a jam funnel, as I find this keeps the mess to a minimum. Allow the stock to cool with the lids off.
- Once the stock has cooled, you will find that the stock is slightly jellied with a layer of fat on top. Remove this fat with a spoon (you can reserve it and cook with it as you would oil or lard).You can now either put the lids on and store in the fridge for use within three days, or freeze without the lids, putting them in place once the stock has frozen.
Notes
Storage
Fridge – The fresh stock can be stored in the fridge in sealed jars for three days. Freezer – To freeze your chicken stock, stand the open jars on a tray in the freezer. Make sure that they cannot tip. When the stock is frozen, put the lids in place. It will keep well for at least three months.Hints and tips
- Don’t be tempted to skimp. You need several chicken carcasses to make a good stock with plenty of flavour.
- When stripping the carcasses to make stock, you do not need to be too picky. Leave some meat on the bones.
- Don’t skip the vegetables. They really do make a difference.
Leave a Reply