Nourishing Chicken or Turkey Bone Broth In An Instant Pot
healthy, economical, and flavorful homemade stock
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After making chicken and turkey broth in a slow cooker for years, I am now making broth most often in an Instant Pot (IP). Both methods are easy--fill a slow cooker or Instant Pot with ingredients, set it and forget it. The biggest difference beween these options is time. If I'm in no hurry, the slow cooker method works great. But, I can make a batch of broth in an Instant Pot in a fraction of the time.
Making broth from a leftover turkey carcass is always on my to-do list the day after Thanksgiving. I usually have leftover herbs from holiday cooking that I add to the pot, too. Turkey/chicken broth is a perfect base for soup and gravy and freezes well for future use.
Healthy! Refer to my previous post for an explanation of all of the health benefits of homemade bone broth: Nourishing Chicken Bone Broth In A Slow Cooker. It is so deliciously good for you, and so much more nutritious than store-bought broth.
Economical! Keep a bag/container in your freezer to store chicken or turkey bones that are leftover from meals. When you have accumulated at least 2 lbs of bones, it's time to make a batch of broth. You can season the broth with herbs and veggies, as I explain below. Or, for a more neutral broth, just use the bones. Either way, you save money by making broth with bones that would normally be discarded. No need to buy cartons and cans of broth at the store.
Step-by-step photos for making
Chicken or Turkey Bone Broth in an Instant Pot
Step 1. Assemble the ingredients.
- 2 to 3 roasted chicken carcasses (or one turkey carcass). You want approximately 2 pounds of bones. It's not necessary to have exactly the stated weight--ballpark is good enough. If you cook chicken pieces rather than whole chickens, aim for approximately the same weight. In addition to bones, save and add any leftover skin or pan drippings--those add great flavor, and I'll explain how to remove any fat they add to the broth, if desired. If the whole carcass is hard to fit into your Instant Pot, break/chop it into pieces.
- Apple cider vinegar. This helps leech the nutrients from the poultry bones as they cook; yet it's not enough to be noticeable in the flavor of the broth (the milder flavored cider vinegar is recommended over white vinegar). Use a ratio of 1 tablespoon vinegar per pound of bones. You can alter the amount of vinegar accordingly for making a half or double batch of broth.
view on Amazon: organic apple cider vinegar
Below is a rotisserie chicken and the carcass after the meat is removed. 2 chicken carcasses should fit into a 6-qt Instant Pot.
Below is a turkey carcass that I broke into pieces so it would fit in my Instant Pot.
- onions (unpeeled)
- garlic (unpeeled)
- celery (including leafy tops)
- carrots (unpeeled)
- whole peppercorns
- bay leaf
- fresh parsley
- fresh thyme
view organic spices Amazon: black peppercorns, bay leaves
Be careful not to add too much salt. I prefer to make my broth without added salt so that I can adjust the amount of salt I want depending on the recipe I'm using. Also, the leftover chicken bones, skin, and drippings may already be somewhat salted from when they were first roasted, so the amount of added salt needed may vary. If you want to salt your broth, wait until the broth is finished and taste it. Add a little salt at a time and taste as you go. Start with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and go from there.
Step 2. Roughly chop the celery & carrots into 1-2 inch pieces. Leave the nutritious peels on the carrots and leafy ends on the celery.
Step 3. Roughly cut the onion. Leave the skin on--it has valuable nutrients. Plus, the skins add rich color to the broth. Read about the health benefits of onion skins here.
view on Amazon: my favorite go-to knife
Step 4. Cut the entire garlic head in half crosswise. That's all the prep it needs. As with the onion, you should leave the peel on, because it has health boosting nutrients.
Step 5. Add all of the ingredients to a 6-qt (or larger) Instant Pot. Add enough water so that everything is immersed--approximately 2 to 2-1/2 quarts of water for a full batch.
view Instant Pots on Amazon: 6-quart (most popular size), 8-quart (for larger batches)
Step 6. Secure the lid on the IP and set the vent to SEALING. Press MANUAL (it automatically sets it at HIGH PRESSURE), then press the "+" button repeatedly until 45 (minutes) is displayed. When the cooking cycle is complete and the machine beeps, press CANCEL or unplug the IP to turn it off. Allow it to naturally release.
- NOTE: Although actual cooking time is 45 minutes, total time from turning on IP, building pressure, and to the end of the natural release time is approx. 2 hrs.
Step 7. Carefully remove the IP lid. Use a strainer spoon or tongs to remove the solid pieces from the broth and discard them.
view on Amazon: wire strainer spoon or tongs
Step 8. Place a wire mesh strainer over the top of a bowl. Pour the broth through the strainer. Click below to view a short video that shows you how to strain out all of the small bits left behind in the broth.
- view on Amazon: wire mesh strainer, 8-cup measuring/mixing bowl
Step 9. Removing the fat from the broth is optional. So, you can skip this step if you don't want a fat-free broth. Here are 2 ways to remove the fat.
- OPTION 1: Remove the fat with a grease separator. While it's still warm, pour the broth into a grease separator, let it rest for a few minutes to allow the melted fat to rise to the top. There are several types of grease separators; the one pictured below is the one I've found works the best. It has a trigger in the handle for releasing the fat-free broth through the bottom. Release the trigger (to stop the flow), when the layer of liquid fat gets close to the bottom.
view on Amazon: grease separator (a newer model of the one pictured)
- OPTION 2: Remove the fat using the refrigerator method. Pour the strained broth into a large container, cover, and refrigerate overnight or until completely chilled. The fat will rise to the top and solidify so it's easy to scrape it off. The result is fat-free, healthy, delicious chicken broth. (NOTE: The broth will gel when it is cold.)
Gelling is a good sign! Unlike the less nutritious store bought broths, this homemade bone broth transforms into a gel consistency as it chills in the fridge. (No worries, it dissolves back into a liquid as soon as it heats up again.) That gelling is a good thing--it's a sign of the big health benefit of making broth using poultry bones. Those bones have natural gelatin that nourishes your body in several ways (read more information about that in my slower cooker bone broth post).
The short video below shows you how gelled, cold broth transforms into a liquid when it is heated.
Gell fail? If your broth doesn't gell, it probably just means that your ratio of water to bones was too high. No worries. It still has the same nutrients, but is simply more dilluted. It's really not a fail at all. All homemade bone broth is far superior in nutrients and flavor over store-bought broth, gell or no-gell.
Freeze it. I make chicken broth frequently from our leftover chicken bones. It's great to have it on hand for use in a multitude of recipes. I portion it into 1 or 2 cup containers. I recommend plastic, stackable, deli containers or freezer safe wide-mouth pint jars. I also freeze some broth in ice cube trays, and transfer the frozen cubes to a freezer ziploc bag. Those smaller portions are convenient to have on hand, too.
view on Amazon: 1-cup plastic containers, 2-cup plastic containers, wide-mouth pint jars, plastic lids for wide-mouth jars, ice cube trays
Use it in recipes or drink it by the mug. Use this homemade broth to add flavor and nutrition to any recipe that calls for chicken broth. Of course, it makes great soups and gravies. It's so flavorful and good for you, that you can also drink a mugful all by itself to give your day a healthy boost. It has soothing, healing properties when you're sick, too.
Once you get into the habit of making your own broth, you may never go back to the store-bought cans and cartons. There is simply no comparison in taste and nutrients.
Make it a Yummy day!
Monica
Add all of the ingredients to a 6 quart (or larger) Instant Pot. Secure lid on IP and set vent to SEALING. Press MANUAL (it automatically sets it at HIGH PRESSURE), then press the "+" button repeatedly until 45 (minutes) is displayed. When cooking cycle is complete and machine beeps, press CANCEL or unplug IP to turn it off. Allow to naturally release.
NOTE: Although actual cooking time is 45 minutes, total time from turning on IP, building pressure, and to the end of the natural release time is approx. 2 hrs.
While still hot, use tongs or slotted spoon to remove large pieces from broth. Then pour through a wire mesh strainer to remove the remaining solid bits.
FOR FAT-FREE BROTH, use one of these methods for removing the fat:
METHOD 1: Pour broth into a large bowl or container, cover, and refrigerate overnight or until completely chilled. Scrape the hardened fat from the top and discard.
METHOD 2: While broth is still warm, pour it into a grease separator (available on Amazon and at cooking stores), that allows you to pour the fat-free broth from the bottom.
REFRIGERATE OR FREEZE IT. Broth can be refrigerated for 4 to 5 days. For extended storage, it should be frozen. It's convenient to freeze it in 1 or 2 cup portions for easy use in recipes.
USES: This broth can be used in any soups, gravies, or any recipes calling for chicken or turkey broth. It also can be drunk as is for a healthy supplement to your diet.
NOTE: This is a salt-free broth. Add salt to taste, as desired.
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