That vintage cookbook tucked behind your blender (the one with the splattered pages you keep meaning to use) almost certainly has a recipe like this one near the front. Store-bought broth is thin, pale, and it never gels, which means every soup, sauce, and grain dish you make with it starts from behind. This rich homemade chicken broth from scratch fixes all three problems at once: 8 pounds of bones, a quiet three-hour simmer, and aromatics that cost almost nothing produce 8 concentrated cups that actually taste like something. Batch this on a Sunday and you have enough to last the week in the fridge, or enough to fill the freezer for months.
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Back in the 1970s Kitchen
Before chicken broth came sealed in a cardboard carton with a foil pull-tab, there was the stock pot simmering on the back burner. In the 1970s, home cooks didn't think twice about buying chicken backs and necks; they were the cheapest parts at the butcher counter, and they produced something infinitely better than any powder or cube could fake. This was the era of avocado-colored appliances, Bob Newhart on CBS Saturday nights, and a kitchen thriftiness born out of OPEC-driven inflation and the quiet pressure of making every grocery dollar stretch. Nothing got wasted! The chicken carcass went straight into the pot.
The Julia Child generation - the one that watched The French Chef on PBS and had a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking dog-eared to the stock chapter - understood what a real homemade stock meant for everything else on the table. Campbell's and Swanson had been selling canned broth since mid-century, but serious home cooks knew the difference a proper stock made in a soup, a gravy, or a simple pot of rice. Three hours of simmering on the stovetop produced a smell the whole neighborhood could track through an open window. Does that kind of Sunday-kitchen fog ring any bells for you?
What Makes Homemade Chicken Broth Taste So Rich
Bones Over Meat Chicken breast makes dinner. Chicken backs, necks, and wing tips make broth. The difference comes down to collagen - the less-meaty parts are loaded with connective tissue and cartilage that breaks down during a low, slow simmer into gelatin. That gelatin is what gives a good homemade chicken broth its body, its slight silkiness, and what makes it set softly in the refrigerator overnight like a very loose Jell-O. Store-bought broth skips this step entirely, which is why it always feels thin in a spoon.
Why Giblets — But Not Livers The recipe calls for giblets (hearts and gizzards) but explicitly excludes livers, and the reason matters. Hearts and gizzards add deep, savory umami to the broth without any bitterness or off-flavor. Chicken livers, on the other hand, release iron-rich compounds during a long simmer that turn the broth murky and sharp-tasting. Keep livers out of the pot and your finished broth stays clean, golden, and genuinely pleasant to taste straight from a spoon.
Aromatics That Pull Their Weight Onion, carrot, celery, parsley, and whole peppercorns each does specific work in the pot. Onion adds natural sweetness and savory depth; carrots bring a subtle sugar that rounds out the more aggressive savory notes; celery provides the slightly vegetal, herbaceous lift that makes broth smell like broth. Whole peppercorns add warmth without heat - they don't dominate, they balance. The flat-leaf parsley pulls the whole profile together with a clean, bright finish that dried parsley simply doesn't replicate.
The Two-Phase Simmer This recipe uses a two-phase approach that concentrates flavor more effectively than a single long simmer. Phase one: bones and aromatics simmer together for two hours, building the base and extracting collagen from the bones. Phase two: the liquid is strained and simmered uncovered for one more hour, reducing from roughly 12 cups down to 8 and intensifying everything that was extracted in phase one. That final uncovered reduction is what separates this from a watery stock; it's the difference between a good result and a great one.
Cold Degreasing Works Better You could skim the fat continuously while the broth simmers but you won't get the broth fully degreased that way. The cold method works better: refrigerate the strained broth overnight, and the fat rises to the surface and solidifies into a flat, easy-to-lift disc. What's underneath is clean, clear broth with no lingering grease coating the back of your throat. One step, done the next morning, and the broth is ready to use or freeze.
A deeply golden, full-bodied homemade chicken broth made from 8 pounds of chicken bones, backs, necks, wing tips, and giblets (excluding livers), simmered low and slow with quartered onion, carrots, celery, whole peppercorns, Italian parsley, and salt. Strained and reduced to 8 concentrated cups. Perfect for soups, sauces, risotto, stuffing, and any recipe that calls for chicken broth. Refrigerates for up to 5 days; freezes well for up to 6 months.
Remove as much fat as possible from the chicken backs. Rinse all chicken parts and place them in a 10- or 12-quart stockpot or kettle. Add all remaining ingredients and the water –Â the water should cover the chicken.
Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat immediately, remove the lid, and simmer for 2 hours, skimming occasionally to remove any foam that rises to the surface.
Using a slotted spoon, lift out and discard the chicken parts and vegetables. Pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a second deep pot or stockpot.
Simmer the strained broth uncovered for 1 more hour to reduce it to about 8 cups. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Cover and refrigerate until the fat hardens on the surface. Lift off and discard the fat. Use immediately or freeze for future use.
Start With the Right Pot If you've ever watched broth creep up toward the rim of an undersized pot in the first 30 minutes, you already know the frustration — and the waste when it boils over. This recipe starts with 4 quarts of water plus 8 pounds of chicken parts, which means a 10-quart pot is the minimum and a 12-quart gives you comfortable working room for skimming. A heavy-bottomed 12-quart stainless steel stockpot distributes heat steadily from the base, which keeps the liquid at a low, even simmer instead of creating hot spots that can scorch the bottom and muddy the flavor.
Skim the Foam — Don't Let It Go In the first 20 to 30 minutes after the broth comes to a boil, a grey-brown foam rises to the surface. This is coagulated protein and some impurities releasing from the raw bones. If you leave it, it muddies both the color and the flavor of your finished broth. Set a timer and skim every 5 to 10 minutes during that opening window. Once the foam stops forming, which usually happens by the 30-minute mark, you can let the broth do its work without constant attention.
Keep It at a Bare Simmer Boiling is the single biggest mistake home cooks make with homemade chicken broth. A rolling boil agitates the fat and proteins, emulsifying them back into the liquid and turning your broth cloudy and slightly greasy-tasting. A bare simmer (just a few gentle bubbles slowly breaking the surface) keeps everything clean and clear. After bringing the broth to a boil initially, lower the heat more than you think you need to. If in doubt, go lower.
Strain Through a Fine-Mesh Strainer A regular colander leaves behind small bone fragments and vegetable debris that settle into your finished broth and affect the texture in every recipe you use it in. A fine-mesh strainer catches everything, giving you a clear, smooth result from the start. If the broth still looks slightly hazy after the first strain, a second pass through cheesecloth laid inside the strainer will clear it up completely. A fine-mesh stainless steel strainer set over a deep stockpot makes this step straightforward — pour, wait, move on.
Don't Skip the Reduction Phase After straining, the recipe calls for simmering the broth uncovered for one more hour. Cooks who skip this step end up with more liquid but noticeably less flavor. A pale, watery result that doesn't carry much weight in soups or sauces. That uncovered hour concentrates the gelatin, the savory compounds, and the natural sweetness from the carrots. You're reducing from roughly 12 cups down to 8, and every cup you lose is flavor you're keeping in the pot.
Season After Reducing, Not Before Salt concentrates during the reduction phase. The 2 teaspoons built into this recipe provide a base during cooking, but the recipe wisely asks you to taste and adjust after reducing, and that instruction matters. If you add heavy salt before the final reduction, the finished broth can land sharper than intended. Taste first. It may already be exactly where you want it.
Recipe Variations, Serving Ideas, & Storage
Recipe Variations
Serving Ideas
Make Ahead & Storage
Recipe Variations
Roast the bones first: Spread the bones on a rimmed sheet pan and roast at 400°F for 30 to 40 minutes before adding them to the pot. This produces a richer amber color and a slightly deeper, more roasted flavor that works especially well in dark meat soups and gravies.
Add bay leaves or thyme: Two or three dried bay leaves and a few sprigs of fresh thyme fold in naturally with the other aromatics. They add an earthy, slightly floral note without overpowering the clean chicken flavor.
Use a roast chicken carcass: After a roast chicken dinner, save the carcass - the bones, skin scraps, and any leftover pan drippings — and use it in place of raw backs and necks. The finished broth will have a slightly smokier, more roasted quality that works beautifully as the base for chicken noodle soup.
Slow cooker version: Combine all ingredients in a 7- or 8-quart slow cooker, fill to the max line with water, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. After slow cooking, strain and reduce on the stovetop as directed to hit your 8-cup target.
Instant Pot version: Add all ingredients and 12 cups of water to a large Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes, then natural release for 30 minutes. Strain and taste. Pressure cooking extracts more intensely, so you may not need the full stovetop reduction step.
Serving Ideas
Base for soups: Classic chicken noodle soup, white bean and kale, our 1985 Cream of Pumpkin soup, or any hearty vegetable soup will taste noticeably different with this as the foundation versus anything from a carton. The gelatin gives the finished soup a body and richness that's immediately obvious.
For rice and grains: Cook white or brown rice, quinoa, or farro in chicken broth instead of plain water. The grain absorbs the flavor entirely, and the finished dish doesn't need much else.
Use in pan sauces and gravies: Deglaze a hot pan after searing chicken thighs or pork tenderloin with a ladleful of this broth. The gelatin content helps it reduce into a glossy, cohesive sauce that coats food instead of running off it.
Warm in a cup: A mug of this broth with a pinch of extra salt is genuinely restorative — the kind of thing that actually tastes like someone made it for you. Particularly good on a sick day, a cold morning, or any day when food needs to feel intentional.
Use as a braising liquid: Use it to braise chicken thighs, short ribs, or root vegetables low and slow in the oven. It adds depth from the start rather than building it over hours from scratch.
Make Ahead & Storage Instructions
Refrigerator Storage Homemade chicken broth keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in a tightly sealed container. Let the broth cool completely before sealing — placing it in the fridge while still warm raises the internal temperature of the refrigerator and can affect everything else stored nearby. The broth will gel slightly when fully chilled; that's the gelatin at work, and it's exactly what you want to see.
Freezing for Later This broth freezes exceptionally well and rewards batch-cooking. If you've ever reached for a freezer bag mid-recipe only to find it had cracked and leaked, you know why the right container matters. Rigid [freezer-safe glass storage containers] stack flat without shifting and seal completely, which means you can portion this into 1-cup and 2-cup amounts and pull exactly what you need without thawing a full batch. Properly sealed, this broth keeps in the freezer for up to 6 months with minimal flavor loss.
Thawing Instructions Move frozen broth to the refrigerator the night before you plan to use it for a slow, safe thaw. For a faster option, place the sealed container in a bowl of cold water — it thaws within an hour at room temperature. Avoid microwaving frozen broth directly from the freezer in anything other than microwave-safe glass; rapid temperature changes can affect plastic containers and the broth inside them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Get 8 lbs of Chicken Bones?
Keep a large zip-lock freezer bag in your freezer and add bones to it every time you cook bone-in chicken. A roasted chicken carcass, leftover thigh bones, the frame of a rotisserie chicken you picked up on a weeknight - all of it goes in the bag. Within a few weeks of regular cooking, you'll have enough to fill a stockpot.
Can You Use Frozen Bones Straight From the Bag?
Yes, and you don't need to thaw them first. Frozen bones go directly into the stockpot with the cold water. The gradual heating as the pot comes to a boil is all they need. The only adjustment is that a pot starting with frozen ingredients takes slightly longer to reach a simmer, so plan for an extra 10 to 15 minutes before the clock starts on your two-hour simmer. Everything else in the recipe stays exactly the same.
What is the difference between chicken broth and chicken stock?
Chicken broth is traditionally made from chicken meat with some bones, resulting in a lighter, more delicate flavor. Chicken stock is made primarily from bones and is gelatin-rich and more concentrated. This recipe lands between the two — it uses bony parts with some attached meat, and the two-phase simmer concentrates it, giving you the body of a stock with the brightness of a classic broth.
Can I use a whole chicken instead of just backs and bones?
Yes, and the original recipe note actually encourages it. A whole chicken poached in the simmering stock adds flavor during cooking, and you end up with both finished broth and perfectly cooked chicken at the same time. Remove the whole chicken after about 1.5 to 2 hours to prevent the meat from drying out, then shred it for soups, salads, or sandwiches.
Why is my homemade chicken broth cloudy?
Cloudiness almost always comes from a simmer that was too vigorous. A full rolling boil agitates the fat and proteins, forcing them to emulsify back into the liquid. Keep the heat at a bare simmer throughout. Skipping the early foam-skimming step can also contribute to cloudy broth. The grey foam muddies both flavor and color, so don't leave it in!
How do I know when the broth has reduced enough?
After straining and simmering uncovered for the second phase, measure the liquid. The target is 8 cups. You can also check by flavor: a properly reduced broth tastes concentrated and savory, not watery or thin. If it still tastes mild at the 8-cup mark, continue simmering until the flavor intensity feels right.
How long should I actually simmer chicken broth?
This recipe uses a two-phase method: 2 hours with bones and aromatics, then 1 additional hour of uncovered reduction after straining. You can extend the first phase to 3 or even 4 hours for more extraction from the bones, but always discard the solids before the reduction phase regardless of how long you simmered them.
Do I need to add apple cider vinegar to homemade chicken broth?
This vintage recipe doesn't call for it, and you don't need it for great results. Apple cider vinegar became popular in modern bone broth recipes with the idea that acid draws more minerals from bones during a long simmer. For a clean, classic chicken broth profile, it's unnecessary, and it can add a faint tartness that doesn't fit this recipe's flavor.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
Yes. Add all ingredients to a 7- or 8-quart slow cooker, fill to the max line with water, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. The slower extraction produces a softer, more rounded flavor than stovetop. After slow cooking, strain the broth and reduce on the stovetop uncovered to reach your 8-cup target.
What's the best way to remove fat from homemade chicken broth?
The most effective method is refrigerating the strained broth overnight and lifting off the solidified fat disc the next morning. Skimming while the broth is still hot removes some fat but never all of it. The cold method gives you a fully degreased, cleaner-tasting result in one clean step - and it means the broth is ready to use or freeze the next day.
You started with chicken backs and necks - the parts that most people throw in the trash - and ended up with something that quietly improves every soup, sauce, and grain dish it goes anywhere near. That's the whole case for making this from scratch.
Next time you're mid-recipe and reach for a carton on instinct, you'll remember you already have something better labeled and waiting in your freezer.
If you make this rich homemade chicken broth from scratch, please leave a rating and a review below. It genuinely helps! And if you grew up watching someone keep a stock pot going on the back burner on Sunday afternoons, I'd love to hear about it in the comments. Whose kitchen did that smell come from?
Melissa is the creator of Recipe Rewind, where she preserves culinary history one vintage recipe at a time. With Wisconsin roots and a passion for desserts, she specializes in reviving original recipes like the 1908 Hydrox cookie - honoring the authentic versions before they're overshadowed by modern imitations. Self-taught from age seven with a Bisquick box and her Mamaw's handwritten recipe cards, her culinary passion has grown through international travel and raising four children. Today, she cooks in a truly multi-generational kitchen spanning five generations - from the Silent Generation to Gen Z - where timeless recipes bridge the decades. Melissa adapts vintage recipes for modern home cooks and bakers, believing food connects us all across generations, cultures, and time.
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