How to Simmer a Whole Chicken and Make Chicken Broth

The most decadent and flavorful homemade chicken broth is made from a slow-simmered whole chicken. This recipe takes 5 minutes of hands-on time, then slow-simmers over 2.5 to 3 hours. Not only will you have rich and delicious broth, but you also have tender, falling-off-the-bone chicken meat.

Homemade chicken broth is very easy to make and, in my opinion, tastes much better than store-bought carton chicken broth. It's also easy to make low-sodium chicken broth from scratch.

If this is your first time making chicken broth using a whole chicken, I promise you it's straightforward. Give it a try at least once!

I use this recipe all the time, at least over 100 times. Hands down, it's my favorite way to have chicken broth (and a rotisserie-style chicken on hand).

What You'll Love

This recipe makes great-tasting chicken broth from scratch, and you can use the chicken afterward (like you would for any rotisserie chicken recipe). The hands-on time is 5 minutes, which means it takes less active time than driving to the store.

There are many health benefits of slow-simmered chicken broth, which is why chicken noodle soup is so famous for colds!

Ingredient Notes

The base ingredients for this recipe are simple: a whole chicken, onion, salt, and bay leaves.

• Whole chicken: Use a whole chicken with bones, skin, and meat. Alternatively, use an entire chicken cut-up.
• Medium onion: Any onion can be used.
• Bay leaf
• Water: I like to use filtered or distilled water for my broth. Tap water throws the taste off a bit.
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional ingredients: Experiment with different flavor makers for your broth. I've recently added garlic cloves, cardamom pods, and coriander seeds. Another great flavor maker is fresh herbs, like fresh rosemary, fresh oregano, and fresh thyme. Or add different spices, like cinnamon and cloves.

How To Make Homemade Chicken Broth

Add the peeled quartered onion, whole chicken, bay leaf, salt, and pepper in a large pot. Include any additional flavor makers of choice.

Pour filtered water, completely covering the whole chicken.

Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce to low temperature and cover. Cook slowly for about 2.5 to 3 hours or until the meat falls off the bones.

Strain the chicken from the broth. The easiest way I've found to do this is by using two slotted spoons and removing the whole chicken and pieces from the broth.

Pour the homemade chicken broth through a fine mesh strainer for a smooth broth.

Tips

• Make sure to have the correct water ratio. If the water ratio is incorrect, the broth will be watered down or too rich. You need 10 cups of water for a 3.5 lb whole chicken. Add a cup of water for every additional 8 ounces (226 grams) of chicken.
• Use a whole chicken. You can also use a whole chicken that's cut up into pieces. However, make sure the entire cut-up chicken is with bone, skin, and meat. That's what gives this broth flavor.
• Adjust the salt to your preference. If you want to make this low-sodium, then adjust the salt quantity.
• Cook on low for a long time (2.5 to 3 hours). A rapid boil cooks the chicken faster and doesn't give the broth the time it needs to form a rich and flavorful taste.
• Strain the broth. This filters out all of the pieces floating about.

Variations

• Make this chicken broth low sodium by reducing the added salt to the recipe.
• Use a whole duck instead of a whole chicken. Duck is fattier, so the broth is richer. Duck broth is excellent for an Egyptian recipe known as mahshi crumb.

Ways to Use Chicken Broth

Use this broth for Middle Eastern recipes like taro root stew, khobiza, mahshi crumb, mulukhiyah, or rice-making. Or turn this recipe into homemade chicken noodle soup, chicken pot pie with biscuits, or crustless chicken noodle soup.

How to Freeze Chicken Broth

Make sure the chicken broth has cooled to room temperature. Pour the chicken broth into a freezer-friendly storage bag (quart or gallon size). Fill the bag half to two-thirds full. Seal the bag tightly.

Tip: Use a second freezer-friendly storage bag to ensure no leaks in the freezer. This is a fail-safe for no leaking liquid!

Thawing Frozen Chicken Broth

Remove the frozen chicken broth from the freezer and place the freezer bag in a bowl with water. The broth will partially thaw, making it easy to remove from the plastic bag.

Equipment

• Chef's knife and cutting board
• Large stovetop pot
• Strainer

FAQs

Chicken Broth Recipes

Join the Tribe

Subscribe to The Matbakh Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Pinterest pages. We also have a saucy newsletter.

📋 Recipe