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I finally conquered making homemade chicken broth in the crockpot!  It’s so easy – I don’t now why I didn’t try making it sooner.  Here’s everything you need to know to make some broth yourself…

Homemade Chicken Broth in the Crockpot

I started buying whole chickens to make salads for my husband’s lunch and knew I needed to make broth with the bones.  I’ve been reading a lot about the health benefits of homemade bone broth, but I was more even more motivated by the cost savings.  I buy at least one carton of chicken broth at the grocery store each week, and even the cheapest containers cost $2 (on sale).

Since I’m addicted to my crockpot, I knew I had to make my chicken broth in it.  It seemed much easier and less intimidating than the stovetop.  Plus, I can leave the house instead of hanging around a boiling pot all day.

Homemade Chicken Broth in the Crockpot

My mom told me that she saves scraps from carrots, celery, and onions to flavor her broth, so of course I had to do the same.  By making this crockpot chicken broth with bones and washed ends of carrots, celery, and onions, it’s literally free.

Homemade Chicken Broth in the Crockpot

If you don’t have any scraps on-hand, never fear – Just make your broth with fresh veggies as described below.  Then, save your scraps in the freezer from here on out.

Homemade Chicken Broth in the Crockpot

Ingredients

  • Bones from one whole chicken (I either cook a fresh chicken in my crockpot first or buy a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store and eat the meat for dinner or in salads at lunchtime.)
  • 1 carrot, washed and chopped*
  • 2 celery ribs washed and chopped*
  • 1 onion, washed and chopped*

*I substitute a few handfuls of veggie scraps

Directions

  1. Add all of the ingredients to your crockpot and and fill with water until about an inch away from the top.  (My crockpot holds 7-quarts so I add about 16 cups of water.)
  2. Add lid, and cook on low 8 hrs or on high 4 hours.  You will know when the broth is done because it will take on a darker color and smell amazing.
  3. Strain out the bones and vegetables and discard. (I do this over a big pot to catch the broth.)
  4. Use broth immediately or save for later.

If you’re going to save your broth for later, cool it to room temperature and then add to your refrigerator or freezer.  Most of my soup recipes call for four cups of broth, so I use quart-sized freezer bags.

Homemade Chicken Broth in the Crockpot

I don’t add any salt to my broth when I’m cooking it.  I’d rather add add salt to taste based on the soup recipe that I’m making.

If you’re looking for some good new crockpot soup recipes, here are some of my favorites:

The total amount of chicken broth will depend on the size of your crockpot, but I get about 12 cups of broth from my 7-qt crockpot (affiliate link).  I’ve been making my own broth for a month now and haven’t needed to buy any at the grocery store.  Yay!

Homemade Chicken Broth in the Crockpot

Thoughts or questions?  Please leave a comment below.  I’d love to hear from you.

 

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[…] Kelly from New Leaf Wellness shows you how to make Homemade Chicken Broth in the Crockpot. […]

ms.v
9 years ago

Thanks for the great recipe. I was wondering how many days broth will last in the refrigerator. And how long in the freezer?

Meghan O.
Meghan O.
9 years ago

Thanks for sharing. I keep meaning to this, I really try to watch our sodium intake and store bought has too much. I end up paying $3 or more for the healthy kind! Meghan

Ann
Ann
9 years ago

I do the same thing but add more seasoning to mine along with a whole bunch of garlic as well for the health benefits. I will roast a chicken then put the carcass in the crockpot as we are cleaning up and stripping the meat off of the bones to put away for leftovers. I toss in the veggies and seasonings (usually thyme, rosemary, tarragon, sage, parsley and some salt and pepper) and then let it cook all night. By morning, the broth is a lovely dark golden color! After breakfast, I can strain it all and pick through and… Read more »

Ronni
9 years ago

I make my own chicken broth like this now too. Once I did it once, I realized how incredibly easy it is. Now I make and freeze broth anytime I have leftover chicken bones!

Heidi
Heidi
9 years ago

I have the crockpot out making chicken broth as we speak. I also do like your mom and save veggie scraps. And I toss in some whole peppercorns, a bay leaf, and some dried thyme. I use the chicken broth for all kinds of things: chicken soup, as liquid in my cooked beans, in my lentils, as liquid when I cook brown rice in the rice cooker. It is a staple around here.