Homemade Chicken Bone Broth (Stovetop or Slow Cooker)

By Rey HONA, Home cook and founder of Chicken in the Pan · Updated October 12, 2026

To make chicken bone broth, roast about 3 pounds of bones and wings, cover them with cold water and a splash of vinegar, and keep the pot at a bare simmer for 12 to 24 hours with onion, carrot and celery. Strain, chill and skim the fat. You get about 3 quarts of rich broth that sets like jelly when cold.

What makes chicken bone broth different from stock

The difference is mostly time and ingredients. Stock usually simmers 3–6 hours and is unseasoned, while bone broth simmers much longer, often 12 to 24 hours, and uses more joints, wings, backs and feet. The long simmer dissolves more collagen into gelatin, which gives the broth body and a silky texture.

If you want the side-by-side comparison, our guide to chicken stock vs broth explains when each one works better. For a shorter classic version, see our chicken stock recipe.

Ingredients for chicken bone broth

This chicken bone broth recipe needs bones with plenty of connective tissue, a few vegetables and patience. The exact quantities are in the recipe card below. Homemade bone broth costs very little if you save carcasses in the freezer after every roast chicken until you have two or three.

• Bones and parts: carcasses from roast chickens plus raw wings, backs, necks or feet. Wings and feet bring the most gelatin.
• Vinegar: a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar is traditional. It does not change the flavor noticeably.
• Vegetables: onion (skin on for color), carrots and celery, added after skimming.
• Aromatics: bay leaves, black peppercorns, a head of garlic, parsley stems and thyme near the end.
• Salt: add it only when you use the broth, so it does not become too salty as it reduces.

How to make chicken bone broth on the stove

The stovetop method gives you the most control. Plan on about 30 minutes of hands-on work spread across the day.

Roast the raw parts

Spread raw wings, backs or necks on a sheet pan and roast at 400°F for 30 minutes, until deep golden. Roasting adds color and a deeper, savory flavor. Cooked carcasses from a roast chicken do not need roasting.

Soak, heat and skim

Put all the bones in a 10- to 12-quart stockpot, add the vinegar and enough cold water to cover by about 1 inch, and let it stand 30 minutes. Bring it slowly to a simmer over medium heat and skim off the gray foam that rises during the first 20–30 minutes.

Simmer low and slow

Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns. Lower the heat until only a few bubbles break the surface, partly cover, and simmer 12 to 24 hours. Top up with hot water if the bones become exposed. Add parsley stems and thyme for the last 45 minutes.

Strain, cool and skim the fat

Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. Cool it quickly by setting the container in an ice-water bath, then refrigerate. Follow the CDC advice to chill food promptly: get the broth into the fridge within 2 hours. Lift off the solid fat layer the next day.

Slow cooker and pressure cooker options

Slow cooker bone broth is the easiest way to keep a long, gentle simmer overnight without watching the stove.

A slow cooker set to LOW holds the liquid just below a simmer, which is ideal. An electric pressure cooker makes a good broth in a fraction of the time, though it is usually a little cloudier.

If you use a pressure cooker, fill it no more than two-thirds full and follow the manufacturer’s instructions; the University of Florida guide to electric pressure cookers covers the common misconceptions.

How long to simmer bone broth

How long to simmer bone broth depends on what you want from it. After about 6 hours you have a good, light broth; between 12 and 24 hours the body and flavor deepen; beyond 24 hours the vegetables break down and the broth can taste flat or bitter.

Taste the broth at 12 hours. If it is already rich, strain it; if it tastes thin, keep going and check every few hours.

Choosing bones for the richest chicken bone broth

Not all chicken parts give the same result. Carcasses bring roasted flavor, while joints and skin-on parts bring the gelatin that makes chicken bone broth feel rich on the tongue.

A mix of about two-thirds carcasses and one-third wings or feet gives a balanced broth with a firm set.

Why your broth did not gel

A good broth wobbles like jelly when cold. If yours stays liquid, it is still good to use, but there are three usual reasons.

• Too much water for the amount of bones. Next time, cover the bones by only an inch.
• Not enough collagen-rich parts. Add wings, feet or necks to the carcasses.
• A hard boil. Vigorous bubbling breaks down gelatin and emulsifies fat into the broth.

How to use your homemade broth

Warm a mug with a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon, or use it anywhere a recipe calls for broth or stock. It gives soups more body and makes pan sauces glossy.

• As the base for chicken soup recipes such as noodle, rice or potato soups.
• In a quick rotisserie chicken soup on a busy weeknight.
• For cooking rice, grains or risotto.
• To deglaze a skillet after searing chicken.

Storing and freezing chicken bone broth

Keep the broth in covered jars or containers in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, as listed in the FoodSafety.gov cold storage chart for soups. For longer storage, freeze it in 1- or 2-cup portions or in ice cube trays for pan sauces; it keeps its best quality for 2 to 3 months. Leave an inch of headspace in jars. Bring refrigerated broth to a boil before using it.

A note on nutrition: broth contains protein and minerals in small amounts that vary a lot from batch to batch. Treat it as a flavorful cooking ingredient rather than a remedy, and salt it to taste when you serve it.

Recipe / Rey HONA

Homemade Chicken Bone Broth

Roasted bones simmered low for a rich, jelly-like broth.

Prep

20 min

Cook

12 hr

Total

12 hr 20 min

Easy · Soup · American · Simmering

Makes 12 cups (about 3 quarts)

1×2×3×

Print

Done when Rich golden color; sets like jelly when chilled

Ingredients

Bones

• 2 lbroasted chicken carcasses, from 2 to 3 chickens
• 1 1/2 lbraw chicken wings, backs, necks or feet

Broth

• 2 tbspapple cider vinegar
• 16 cupscold water, enough to cover by 1 inch
• 1 largeyellow onion, quartered, skin on
• 3carrots, roughly chopped
• 3celery ribs, roughly chopped
• 1head garlic, halved crosswise
• 2bay leaves
• 1 tbspblack peppercorns
• 1 small bunchparsley stems and thyme, added at the end

Equipment 10- to 12-quart stockpot or 7-quart slow cooker, Sheet pan, Fine-mesh sieve and cheesecloth

Method

1. 1

   Roast. Roast the raw wings, backs or necks at 400°F for 30 minutes until deep golden.

2. 2

   Soak. Put all bones in the pot with the vinegar and cold water to cover by 1 inch. Let stand 30 minutes.

3. 3

   Skim. Bring slowly to a simmer over medium heat and skim the foam for 20–30 minutes.

4. 4

   Simmer. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns. Keep at a bare simmer, partly covered, 12–24 hours, topping up with hot water if needed.

5. 5

   Herbs. Add the parsley stems and thyme for the last 45 minutes.

6. 6

   Strain and chill. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve, cool in an ice bath, refrigerate within 2 hours and lift off the fat once set.