Making Chicken Broth from Scratch
A good broth relies on patience and the quality of the bones you start with. If you treat the pot with care, the result is a base that carries the flavor of your kitchen into everything else you cook.
The clarity comes from cold water.
Start with cold water to draw out proteins slowly; if you start with hot water, you lock in impurities that make the broth murky.
- 8-quart stockpot
- fine-mesh sieve
- ladle
- cheesecloth
What goes in.
- 4 lbchicken backs, wings, or carcasses
- 2 largeyellow onions, unpeeled and quartered
- 3 stalkscelery, chopped into large chunks
- 3 largecarrots, scrubbed and chopped
- 1 headgarlic, halved horizontally
- 1 bunchfresh parsley stems
- 2bay leaves
- 1 tspwhole black peppercorns
Maintaining a gentle convection
Keep the liquid at a lazy simmer where only one or two bubbles break the surface at a time. Vigorous boiling emulsifies the fats and shakes off debris, which will permanently cloud your finished broth.
The method.
Prep the pot
Place the chicken bones in the stockpot and cover with cold water by two inches. Bring to a very low simmer over medium-low heat.
Skim the surface
As the water nears a simmer, a grey foam will rise to the top. Use your ladle to skim this off steadily until the surface stays clear.
Add aromatics
Once the broth is clear of foam, add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, parsley, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Adjust the heat to maintain that lazy simmer.
Simmer
Cook uncovered for 3 to 4 hours. Do not stir the pot; let the bones and vegetables settle into their own space.
Strain
Place a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth over a large clean bowl. Ladle the broth carefully through the cloth, avoiding the urge to press on the vegetables, which pushes sediment through.
Cool
Cool the broth rapidly by setting the bowl in an ice-water bath before transferring it to the refrigerator.
Other turns to take.
Roasted Bone Broth
Roast the chicken bones at 400°F (200°C) until browned before starting the simmer for a deeper, nuttier color and intensity.
Ginger-Scallion Base
Add a 3-inch knob of smashed ginger and a bunch of scallions during the last hour of simmering to pivot the broth toward Asian-inspired applications.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Never salt the broth during the simmer; salt it only when you use it in a final dish so the reduction doesn't become over-seasoned.
If you have extra chicken feet, throw them in—the gelatin content provides a superior mouthfeel.
Store cooled broth in glass jars, leaving an inch of headspace if freezing to account for expansion.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why did my broth turn cloudy?
Usually, the heat was too high during the simmer, causing the fat and proteins to emulsify into the water rather than remaining separate.
Can I reuse the bones?
After four hours, the bones have given up their structural integrity and flavor. They are best discarded after straining.
How real cooks make it.
No one’s shared their version yet. Be the first to put your kitchen on the map.
Cook this your way?
Share your version — your steps, your story. We’ll feature it right here.
Add your recipe