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Homemade broth is so easy to make at home with your slow cooker. This recipe yields approximately 5 quarts of broth at absolutely no cost to you!
{This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see my Disclosure Policy.}
Making your own homemade broth is super simple and very cost effective.
Compared to store-bought broths, the homemade version is fresh and free from additives, and you have complete control over what’s in it—usually just water + the extracted minerals and protein from meat bones, but you could also add vegetables or other seasonings to taste.
Homemade, good-for-you chicken broth is literally as easy as filling a pot with water! (In this case, a Crock Pot!) So if you don’t have a bit of cooking skills, you can still do this!
After cooking any bone-in meat, such as my Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken, save the bones (after removing the meat) and throw them into your slow cooker. Fill to the top with water, and you can walk away while your appliance does all the work! The delicious flavor of homemade broth (and its health benefits) is well worth a few minutes of prep to set it and forget it.
Uses for Homemade Broth
- A base for soups & stews
- A healthy drink
- Braise vegetables
- Flavor and cook rice, quinoa, couscous, etc.
- Add to homemade sauce & gravy
This recipe yields approximately 20 cups of delicious and healthy homemade broth. The broth can be easily divided into freezer-safe jars or bags to have on hand for later.
And if you don’t have time to use the bones immediately, just throw them into a freezer-safe bag and save for another day when you do have time!
If you are looking for ways to save money on food (and reduce food waste), this is one of the best ways to do it! Five (or more) quarts of free chicken broth is worth approximately $15! Depending on how frequently you use broth for soups, vegetables, rice, etc., this really adds up.
Cooking Tips
- If using bones from Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken or a similar recipe, start the broth as soon as all meat has been removed from the bones. Toss bones back into the same crock pot to get a more flavorful broth from the meat drippings.
- Start a freezer bag to collect veggie scraps—celery stalks, ends of onions and carrots—anytime you cut fresh vegetables. When you’re ready to make broth, add frozen scraps into your slow cooker.
- Freeze some broth in ice cube trays. Once frozen, transfer cubes to a gallon freezer bag to store until needed. This is great for when you only need a small amount of broth.
Yield: approx. 5 quarts
Let your slow cooker do the work making this set-and-forget homemade chicken broth. The same method works for beef broth and vegetable broth.
5 minPrep Time
10 hrCook Time
10 hr, 5 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- chicken bones and/or whole chicken carcass, meat removed
- water
- vegetable scraps (optional), such as carrots, onions, celery
Instructions
- Collect chicken bones and/or entire chicken carcass (with meat already removed).
- Place the bones into a large slow cooker. If desired, add onions, celery, carrots, etc. to flavor the broth and add nutrition. Add cool water to completely fill the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours.
- Using a colander over a large bowl, strain broth. (I line my colander with a coffee filter or cheesecloth to strain more thoroughly.) Discard vegetables. (If desired, the bones may be reused to make another batch of broth; repeat steps 1-3.) Let broth cool.
- Skim fat off the top of the cooled broth. Divide broth into desired containers and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
If using bones from Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken or a similar recipe, start the broth as soon as all meat has been removed from the bones. Toss bones back into the same crock pot to get a more flavorful broth from the meat drippings.
Start a freezer bag to collect veggie scraps—celery stalks, ends of onions and carrots—anytime you cut fresh vegetables. When you're ready to make broth, add frozen scraps into your slow cooker.
Freeze some broth in ice cube trays. Once frozen, transfer cubes to a gallon freezer bag to store until needed. This is great for when you only need a small amount of broth.
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