Learn how to make chicken broth for free using leftover bones and kitchen scraps, plus tips for the most flavorful broth and which ingredients to avoid. Use the stovetop, Instant Pot, or slow cooker for the best homemade chicken broth!

Whenever I’m sharing about how to save money on food, I always mention that I keep an old yogurt container in the freezer for chicken stock.
I usually get a couple of strange comments and looks, so I explain that the container is for kitchen scraps – anything and everything that could possibly be added to chicken stock to enhance the flavor should be put into the container.
In my most recent class, the odd looks didn’t disappear, and I could tell more questions were coming. This is one of my best and longest-used money-saving tricks, so I thought I’d share with you guys just exactly how to make chicken broth using kitchen scraps, including which scraps you should avoid!
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WHY MAKE CHICKEN BROTH
Chicken broth is a fantastic ingredient to have on hand for many recipes. When I discovered how easy it was to make with just chicken bones and vegetables, and how much money it saved me to make it homemade, I never turned back. Here’s why I make chicken broth myself:
- It prevents food waste. You use a lot of scraps and bones from chicken to make an amazing broth!
- Saves money. Chicken broth can be pricey, especially if you want to buy organic. This chicken broth recipe uses up vegetable scraps and bones from ingredients you already bought.
- It is incredibly delicious. Using homemade broth in recipes elevates any dish!
- Perfect for batch cooking! Save your scraps and make a whole bunch of chicken broth at one time.
- Freezes well. Chicken broth is a great ingredient to keep in 1-cup or 2-cup portions in the freezer – just thaw and add to whatever you’re making.

IS CHICKEN BROTH THE SAME AS CHICKEN STOCK?
While it may be tempting to think that chicken broth and stock are similar in some ways, they do have their differences.
- Thickness: Chicken stock is much thicker than chicken broth.
- Ingredients: Chicken stock uses chicken bones while chicken broth uses actual meat also.
- Nutrition: Chicken stock has higher vitamins and minerals than bone broth, but also has more calories.
However, most people don’t differentiate between the two, and in general, you can use either in recipes.
MAKING CHICKEN BROTH WITH KITCHEN SCRAPS
Kitchen scraps are how you can make the best chicken stock you’ve ever had. Once you taste it, you’ll NEVER go back to store-bought, and you’ll think twice about throwing your kitchen scraps away!
Here’s how to shift to saving kitchen scraps for making chicken broth:
Step 1: Break out of the mindset that kitchen scraps belong in the trash can. This goes for peels, rinds, skins, cores, stems, greens, leaves, cobs… ANYTHING you would typically throw away can possibly be used in homemade chicken stock. The exception is bits that have gone bad or grown mold – throw those in the garbage!
Step 2: Realize the importance of washing ALL of your produce. I admit that sometimes I skimp on washing the foods that we don’t eat the outside of, but since we are using them to add flavor to homemade chicken stock – you do need to wash them. Here’s my guide to washing produce naturally.

INGREDIENTS FOR HOMEMADE CHICKEN BROTH
To make homemade chicken broth, you first need chicken bones. These bones can be…
- Raw chicken bones from a whole chicken you cut up yourself
- Random drumsticks and thighs from meals
- Raw bones with meat on them
- Eaten off of bones from dinner plates
- Bones bought from a butcher
- A whole cooked chicken carcass you cooked (via the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker) and picked all the meat off of, or a rotisserie chicken you picked all the meat off.
- You can also use the giblets and any other innards if your chicken includes them.
It doesn’t really matter where the bones come from, but the quality does matter since you are using these bones for making chicken broth. Try to buy the best quality you can afford.
In addition to chicken bones, you also need kitchen scraps. These add great flavor to your chicken broth. Some of the best kitchen scraps for homemade chicken stock include:
- Asparagus – the ends and any part beyond the natural snapping point
- Beets – greens and roots
- Carrots – all ends, peels, and greens (you can also use green carrot tops to make Carrot Top Pesto!)
- Cauliflower – leafy base
- Corn – corn cobs
- Garlic – the outer paper of the head, the peel of each clove, and the garlic itself
- Celery – the white parts near the root, the “mini-rib” near the top, and both the inner and outer leaves
- Ginger – outer skin
- Green beans – the snipped or pinched-off ends
- Greens – any sturdy and hearty greens like beet greens, turnip, collards, chard… you can use the leaves and the stems
- Herbs – most mild and savory herbs are great for stock, like chives, parsley, and basil. However, there are a few to avoid (see the list below).
- Leek – all parts of the leaves
- Lettuce – it doesn’t add much flavor, but it can be added
- Mushrooms – stems and caps
- Onions – papery peel, outer layer, and all varieties
- Parsnip – all ends and peels
- Pea pods – the outer shell of peas
- Potatoes – peels
- Squash – the hard outside of winter squash (acorn squash, butternut squash, pumpkin, etc.), the seeds of any squash
- Sweet potatoes – peels
- Turnips – all ends and peels
Starchy scraps like potato peels and corn cobs may make your finished chicken broth a little bit cloudy but it will taste just fine.
The worst kitchen scraps for homemade chicken stock:
- Avocado – pits and skin
- Broccoli
- Cabbage – any kind (including Brussels sprouts, napa, green, red)
- Fennel
- Herbs – cilantro, and rosemary in large quantities
- Peppers (hot) – any kind
- Peppers (sweet)
- Radish
Most of these add too strong of a flavor to the chicken broth, making it bitter or pungent.
Some people add salt to their homemade chicken broth recipe, but I prefer to wait to add the salt until I’m using the broth in a soup recipe to avoid an overly salty finished dish.

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN BROTH RECIPE
Here’s my exact method for making chicken broth.
- Cook an Instant Pot Whole Chicken.
- Leave the liquid in the Instant Pot and remove the chicken. Pick the meat off the bones and put all the bones back into the Instant Pot.
- Add any frozen chicken bones and frozen kitchen scraps.
- Add 1 Tablespoon black peppercorns and 1 teaspoon celery seed.
- Fill the Instant Pot to the fill line with water.
- Press the “broth/stock” option and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release.
- Strain the stock through a colander set over a 12-quart stockpot or large bowl.
- Put the bones and scraps back into the Instant Pot and repeat steps 5-7 until the large stockpot is full. Discard remaining scraps.
- Let the stock cool to room temperature and ladle it into old yogurt containers.
- Freeze for homemade stock whenever I need it!

Here’s my method for making Slow Cooker Chicken Stock, and here’s the full tutorial to make Instant Pot Chicken Stock (pressure cooker). If you want to make this chicken stock recipe on the stovetop, combine everything in a large stock pot and simmer for 2-4 hours.
I typically choose whatever appliance for this chicken broth recipe that I used to cook the whole chicken. This helps save on dishes and streamline the whole process!
- If I cooked the chicken in the Instant Pot, I’ll make Instant Pot Chicken Broth.
- If I cook the chicken in the slow cooker, I’ll make Slow Cooker Chicken Stock.
- And if I decide to make an Oven Roasted Whole Chicken, I’ll either make stock on the stovetop or save the bones in the freezer for another time.

TIPS FOR THE BEST KITCHEN SCRAPS STOCK
- Start with chicken bones. Whenever you make bone-in chicken for dinner, save the bones for your next batch of stock. Bones from chicken wings work too!
- Save a variety of food scraps (for evenly balanced and rich flavor) in the freezer and avoid scraps you don’t like. Use an old yogurt container or one of these containers until you are ready to make chicken stock.
- Use enough bones and scraps for the best flavor. I have an 8-quart Instant Pot (You get buy this Instant Pot locally at Walmart or have it shipped to you via Amazon) and use about one gallon of chicken bones to one gallon of kitchen scraps. The more bones and scraps you have, the richer and more flavorful the broth will be.
- You can reuse the bones and scraps for multiple batches of stock! I typically make 3 batches of chicken broth with my bones and scraps before the bones fall apart and the broth becomes less flavorful.
- Strain and store homemade chicken broth in old yogurt containers or these freezer-safe containers for chicken stock any time you need it! (If you have a small freezer and can’t fit in a lot of containers, consider using plastic freezer-safe bags. These nifty things will help you fill them without making a mess!)
- This chicken broth recipe also works for turkey! If you happen to be roasting a turkey, save the carcass for a big batch of turkey broth! I usually make the first batch in my biggest stockpot, since the turkey carcass is so large. After that, it’s easier to break down into smaller pieces that will fit in the slow cooker or Instant Pot for subsequent batches.

EASY CHICKEN BROTH RECIPES
I use homemade chicken broth in all my favorite soups:
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Leftover Pork and Potato Soup
- White Bean with Sausage and Kale Soup
- Red Pepper Tomato Soup
- Kung Fu Panda Soup
- Red Lentil Vegetable Soup
- Northern Beans and Ham Soup
- Tortilla Chicken Soup
I also use homemade chicken stock in these recipes:
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
- 30-Minute Cashew Chicken
- Chicken Piccata
- Spring Vegetable Pasta Salad
CHICKEN BROTH FAQS
Can you use leftovers for making chicken broth?
Yes! As I mentioned above, you can use bones from chicken you cooked for meals, like bones from random drumsticks and thighs, eaten-off-of bones from dinner plates, or a whole chicken you cooked and picked all the meat off.
How long does chicken broth last?
Store homemade chicken broth in the refrigerator for up to 5-6 days or freeze it for up to 4 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before using it in chicken broth recipes.
Can you make chicken broth or stock without chicken?
Simply put, no. Chicken broth and stock must be made with chicken/chicken bones if you want the chicken flavor. If you want to make stock or broth without chicken, you can make vegetable stock using a variety of kitchen scraps.
Can you use this method for making beef broth with beef bones?
Yes! You’ll want to cook it longer because the beef bones are more concentrated than the chicken bones, but the same method will work.
MORE HOMEMADE KITCHEN STAPLES
- How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar
- How to Make Vanilla Extract
- Homemade Almond Milk
- How to Soak and Cook Dry Beans
- How to Make Yogurt

Can you use this recipe, but substitute beef bones for the chicken bones?
Hi Vivian,
Yes, of course you can. You’ll want to cook it longer because the beef bones are more concentrated than the chicken bones.
I’m wondering why strain multiple times, rather than cooking longer– get a more condensed broth that takes up less space to store, and is a lot less work.
Holly, this is the recipe that works for us but if you want to adjust the recipe to your needs or wants you should do that.
I noticed that you don’t typically wash the pineapples because you don’t use the skins. While they probably wouldn’t go very well in chicken broth, unless you’d like an Asian flair, they do make a very good pineapple drink. In South America, they boil the pineapple skins with a little cinnamon and piloncillo or panela (pure sugar cane boiled down to a block) and make an awesome drink, hot or cold. There’s actually more flavor and nutrition in the skins than in the fruit.
Hi Glen!
Very interesting! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
If cooking vegetable scraps on the weekend is inconvenient or there are not enough, they keep well in a gallon bag in the freezer until there are enough. The resulting broth can be reduced and/or canned for future use.
I do not whom to credit with the term, but we came across it years ago when we began saving vegetable scraps to cook in water. That concoction was strained to yield a broth called GARBAGE SOUP. It is the primary ingredient in several soups and in PROGRESSIVE STEW. The latter recipe calls for Garbage Soup and whatever leftovers have survived for 3 days or more in the refrigerator-meats, pastas, gravies, vegetables and whatever else might taste good.
Vegetables too strong or fragrant for garbage soup go to the chickens to build future chicken stock.
When you say repeat steps 4-6, do you mean to add more peppercorns and celery seeds? Thanks in advance.
Oh and do the onion papers really give flavor?? great tip.
Hi Joanne!
The onion skins actually have a lot of nutrition in them! 🙂
And give your stock a beautiful color.
Sharon,
Yes! Also a great thing! 🙂
I’ve been making my own stock for years but didn’t realize the bones could be used more than once!!
Do you get just as much flavor from them the second time? If so, that’s fantastic.
Hi Joanne,
Yes, you can continue to get nutrition and flavor from bones a second time! 🙂
Do you wash your garlic and onions? How do you get the papery outer layer clean to use in the broth?
I usually add a tablespoon or two of vinegar before cooking my stock. I’ve read in many places that it helps pull more of the calcium and other minerals out of the bones for an even more nutritive stock. I’ve had so many people comment on how more flavorful my soups are – homemade stock is the key!
Can you use the giblets from inside the bird? I made the chicken and was going to make bone broth with the bones but wasn’t sure if I could add them to it. I believe the giblets in my were the neck and either the liver.
Absolutely!
Hi there, I am halfway through my first whole30 and found your website so helpful so recipe ideas! I am having trouble finding a compliant vegetable stock ( I live in Australia) so am planning to make my own. Could I use your method and suggestions above and just not include the chicken/bones etc?
Absolutely!
Anyy thought s about cucumbers or zuccinni? Both seems innocuous but any reasons not to add then? I’m also going to add bits of tomtato – thoughts?
I think cucumber in small quantities would be fine, as well as zucchini because it’s so mild. Tomato will add some flavor, but if you don’t mind it in your final product you’ll be fine!
You really should wash cantaloupe and other fruits and veggies before cutting as they often carry germs. When you cut into the fruit your knife will transfer whatever is on the outside to the fruit.
Once someone has eaten something (like chicken off the bone) I could not put that into stock. Other than that it all sounds good.
To each their own Christine!
Corn cobs!? I make my own chicken stock but never considered adding corn cobs. Interesting.
It’s pretty tasty. 🙂
Corn cobs tend to add a little sweetness, and will contribute to the cloudiness Tiffany mentions,because of their ‘milkiness’.
I’m curious why you have broccoli on the worst veggies list? I save broccoli stems and frequently add a couple to my broth. I usually do the slow cooker method so maybe the pressure cooker is different. Also, I used to cook a whole chicken in the crockpot, but now I rely to make sure I have time to roast my chicken in the oven. The added roasting flavor comes out it the broth and is amazing. You can make Turkey broth after you roast the Turkey at Thanksgiving too! It’s very flavorful!
Broccoli is very pungent and sometimes can overpower the stock in general. If you enjoy it, then by all means add! I just didn’t want to suggest as a rule of thumb, especially since many of my readers aren’t experience cooks. 🙂