Chicken broth, rich in taste and nourishment, is the ultimate comfort food on a cold day, the go-to restorative when we have the sniffles. It is also one of the most common food enhancers in the restaurant business. Making broth at home elevates it to another level altogether — and all the dishes it enriches.
This recipe for chicken broth comes from Italy, where it is known as Brodo di Pollo, or simply Brodo. It is a foundational ingredient in many Italian kitchens. We use it in our risottos, soups, sauces… Chicken broth just gives everything depth. I once tried to make French onion soup without broth. Just not the same. Not even close.
After decades of making broth, I was surprised to find, or rather not find, even a word written down (or typed) about how I make it. Now that I have, this recipe feels like a good heirloom.
Yet it’s not really a recipe per se, just chicken simmered in a large stock pot with aromatics (a few vegetables, herbs and spices). You can make all sorts of broths, omnivore and vegetarian, using this same general method.
But doesn’t it take too long to make chicken broth?
Not really. Making chicken broth is very easy. The issue has always been time. We have all been told and read in numerous cookbooks to simmer the ingredients for hours and hours on end. As it turns out, we don’t actually have to clear our schedule for the day or overnight to make a good chicken broth. It can be simmered for just an hour and come out very tasty.
It just takes one hour of simmering to make this liquid gold.
Molecular Gastronomy experiments have shown that extraction from the meat takes place within the first hour, throwing out the widespread belief of having to absolutely simmer for several hours or overnight. Furthermore, if the meat is left in the broth while cooling (not advised), it will reabsorb the liquid broth up to about 10% of its weight.
That said, after the first hour of cooking, and all the solid ingredients are removed, the broth can be kept simmering for an additional hour or more, resulting in more water loss and thus more concentrated proteins, which can bring out a more gelatinous texture. Tip: If you decide to extend the cooking, taste before you do, then again after, to see if you like the flavor more, and how much — and then take note of it for next time.
Ingredients in Chicken Broth
The main ingredients in traditional Italian brodo, which is what our chicken broth is, are chicken, carrots, celery, onion, and water. Other aromatics can then be added.
For a Broth with More Gelatin
Bones and cartilage make a broth with more gelatin, which is derived from the protein collagen — its name originating from the Greek word for glue. This results in a jelly texture when cooled. Basically a savory jelly — think aspic, the predecessor of fruit flavored gelatins. Gelatin is what gives broth a round, full bodied mouthfeel.
For a broth with more gelatin, include the entire chicken, which includes a lot of gelatinous cartilage. Or if buying pieces, include pieces with joints, like wings.
You can also add additional bones. Some stores sell them prepackaged, and some meat counters even give them away. You can also save and freeze the bones from roasted chicken or beef to have ready for your next batch of broth. By the way, you could turn this broth into just a bone broth. However, a little meat on the bone does add flavor.
Aromatics for Chicken Broth
The time-honored trinity of onions, carrots and celery are traditional in Italian brodo, as well as garlic, bay leaves, parsley, cloves and peppercorns. However, many things have been and are used, such as tomatoes, tomato paste (adds nice color as well as flavor), thyme, mint, coriander leaves, coriander seeds, paprika, chili peppers, jalapeno, mushrooms, ginger, cinnamon or cassia, saffron…
A few aromatic notes to keep in mind for chicken broth:
- Celery – Less is more. Too much celery can cover up the sweet notes.
- Fennel Bulb (sometimes called anise in grocery stores) – Contributes a beautiful, ever so subtle touch of sweetness. You can use this instead of celery.
- Tomato (optional) – Adds an extra depth of flavor and color. In the absence of a nice ripe tomato, or just because you want to, you can use a dab of Italian double concentrated tomato paste. You can use it for slathering on bones before roasting or adding to the liquid. It conveniently comes in tubes, is kept in the refrigerator, and used to add depth in dishes here, there and everywhere.
Shouldn’t I add something acidic to broth?
Adding an acid, like vinegar or citrus juice (to lower the pH of the broth) has been used for at least 1,000 years, and is said to help extract more nutrients, like minerals and the protein collagen for gelatin, when added to the water before cooking. It doesn’t seem to hurt, but whether it makes enough difference is up in the air. Plus, there are many variables, like if you include vegetables or not, how many vegetables, what kind of meat you are using, what parts, what bones, the size of the bones… Research results are inconclusive, perhaps from uncounted variables. Another thing to think about is that it will change the flavor.
Does broth, or brodo, have to be made with chicken?
Not at all. Traditionally made of bones, meat and vegetables, or seafood, the term broth now encompasses that made with all-vegetables as well. We are making an Italian chicken brodo here, but broth can be made with beef, veal, pork, duck, turkey, or a mixture, some or all bones, all vegetables, fish… The basic process is the same.
Tips & Guidelines
You could just throw everything in a pot together and boil it. However, there are nuances that do make a difference.
- Light Broth – The lighter version of broth or stock is generally preferred when you don’t want to color or darken certain sauces, soups or entrees. It is also faster.
- DarkBroth
- It is worth the extra step to make the dark version when you want a richer broth or stock, with deep caramelized flavors and color. To make a darker version, you basically do some roasting or caramelizing before adding water. Roasting only the bones is common in making dark stock. You can also caramelize the outside of the whole chicken, or chicken pieces.
- Or instead of caramelizing the meat/bones, you can caramelize the onion halves, face-down. Include the carrots too, if you like. This is your brodo after all.
- I like to brown the meat on the stove using the same pot that I will use for the broth, because it requires less effort. You can also use the oven, which takes more time and more pans to clean. On a plus side, a roasting pan allows more room to caramelize more ingredients—bones, meat, onions and carrots, all at once.
- Wash and dry bones before adding, for a less cloudy broth.
- Water – For a deeper flavor and color, reduce the amount of water by 2 to 3 cups.
- When to add salt to broth – You are not going to mess anything up by adding salt at the beginning. And it will make it taste good. However, it is generally preferable to add it, or at least some of it, at the end, according to your taste test. And not too much, so that it will allow for adjustments when adding to various recipes later.
- Lid on or off when cooking broth? Off for the convenience of not having to make sure it doesn’t turn into a boil, and boil over onto your stove. Off for a more concentrated broth. And since this recipe is not simmered for hours, the broth really doesn’t lose much volume anyway.
- Simmer, not boil – Advice on not boiling the broth has to do with cloudiness. Broth that starts out cooking in boiling water will be cloudier. And broth continually cooked at a rolling boil turns out cloudier (as does stirring). You could then clarify the broth. However, clarifying cloudy broth, while making it look more refined, can weaken flavor or substance. If you don’t need clear chicken broth, and the cloudy appearance of broth doesn’t concern you, its benefit is fuller flavor. It really depends on what you intend to use it for. When simmering, just remember to keep the temperature as hot and steady as possible without boiling.
- Don’t stir! – Again, to prevent cloudiness.
- Cook longer for more gel.
- If your broth still doesn’t gel like you’d like it to, it may be too diluted. Reduce it down further. And jot down a note to add less water next time, and/or add more bones and cartilaginous meat (the whole chicken, chicken wings…).
- Fat – After several hours of cooling in the refrigerator, usually overnight, the fat congeals, allowing for the removal of excess fat. This makes for a leaner, more refined broth. But it isn’t absolutely a must.
- Make a lot – It’s nice to have frozen stock around for the spur of the moment. The modus operandi at our house is to make it once and enjoy it several times.
Chicken Broth Questions
No, you don’t need to dilute homemade chicken broth like with some store-bought broths. A regular homemade chicken broth is not concentrated, and is made to be enjoyed as it is. Dilution would weaken the depth and flavor of the dish. However, you may, from time to time, want or need to stretch it out when you don’t have quite enough for a recipe.
Did I mention convenience? Chicken broth has been a foundational part of our home’s kitchen repertoire for decades, and in our freezer we always make room for it. We usually make it every few months, freeze it, and enjoy it all year round. To thaw, take the broth out of the freezer a couple of hours before use, or place it in the fridge the night before. (See box on freezer containers below)
– In the refrigerator, chicken broth keeps for about 3 days.
– In the freezer, chicken broth keeps well for about 3 months.
Stock or Broth?
Broth goes by various interchangeable names. Broth, and the Italian word brodo, are related to the German word for brew. While bouillon, comes from the French bouillir, from latin bullire, to boil. (Bouillon cubes (dehydrated broth) came around in the 1900s.) And then there is stock. Something to always have in stock, or a foundation like a tree stock (trunk).
Sometimes distinctions are made — with no consensus. Some consider broth to include the meats and vegetables, with stock being the liquid after all solid ingredients have been taken out. Others consider stock to be made from bones without meat, or cooked for a longer period of time. The dictionaries have decided both the terms broth and stock can contain bones, meat, fish and vegetables. So call it what you want. It’s your brew, broth, brodo, bouillon, stock.
Then there is consommé, a clarified broth or stock made using a concentrated broth or stock. (It is made clear often by using egg whites.)
Great Uses for Chicken Broth
A cube, a ladle, or a cup of broth will do wonders to many, many dishes. And for things like risotto and onion soup, it makes all the difference. It’s also the foundation for many sauces, and the deep flavor booster demi-glace. Use broth to add depth of flavor, body and nutrients to dishes.
For ideas on how to use chicken broth, here are a few ways we make good use of it in our kitchen:
- Risotto (Risotto Milanese being by far the most made risotto at our house).
- Soup – All kinds of soups: noodle soup, French onion soup, Mediterranean pumpkin soup, cauliflower soup, Tuscan ribollita, Mediterranean avgolemono chicken soup…
- In a Mug, with a squeeze of lemon or lime (by the fireplace). For a delicious, super strength mighty mug of protein and citrus, beat one egg yolk with juice of 1/2 lemon, and pour into the hot broth. Salt to your taste. (You might recognize this as avgolemono, or one of its many other names.)
- To Enrich – A few cubes added to lentils, lasagna, pasta, rice…
- To Moisten
- For basting, oven or stovetop dishes.
- For rewarming or heating up dishes – Frozen broth cubes are great for this. We like to make big batches of lasagna, portion it out, and freeze it right away to enjoy on chilly nights when we want to enjoy a wonderful meal at home with no work whatsoever. When heating it up, we usually throw a couple of frozen broth cubes into the pan to keep it all nice and moist.
Recommended Kitchen Tools for making Chicken Broth
- Pot – A 10 quart (9-10L) pot is a good size for this recipe. We also like to use a 16 quart (15L) stockpot to make double the amount of broth, so that we are set for a while.
- Skimmer – A skimmer helps you twice: to skim the initial foam off the top of the broth, and to remove the meat and vegetables from the broth.
- Large sieve – To strain more broth from the cooked meat and vegetables.
- Ladle – A ladle is a big helper in scooping the broth into various containers.
Freezer Containers
Make it once and enjoy it over time. I’ve learned to freeze broth in portion sizes that I’ll most likely use the most, so that only what is needed is thawed. Here are some approximate amounts we use in various recipes in our kitchen, in case you’d like to use it as a reference.
- Glass Jars – Tip: Don’t fill glass jars that are destined for the freezer all the way! The broth expands as it freezes. Leave at least an inch of margin empty at the top. Or seal with plastic wrap or wax paper, allowing the broth to expand until frozen, then seal with lid.
- Sealed Plastic Bags – If stacking, use a cloth between layers to prevent them from sticking together.
- Ice Trays – Frozen broth cubes are great to add when rewarming dishes, adding moisture while enriching the flavor.
Common Containers Sizes We Use
- 2 cups (1 pint, 475 ml)
- 4 cups (1 quart, 950 ml), and sometimes 5 cups (1200 ml)
Approximate Amounts for Various Recipes:
- Mug – for chilly or under-the-weather days (see above): 1 cup
- Risotto: about 8 cups (for 2 cups risotto-rice) for 4-6 servings
- Lasagna – a cube or two for a 2-portion pan
- Fennel Pumpkin Soup: 8 cups for 6 servings
Tape or Labels
It’s amazing how everything looks alike in the freezer! Labeling the containers that you put in the freezer with name date and quantity—and even weight—is very convenient for later when you’re trying to identify and decide what to take out of the freezer. Since we know exactly what the contents are, and the date, when we put the containers in the freezer, we tend to think we will continue to know that in the future. Months later? Hmm, is this broth, or pumpkin soup? And how long has this been in here? Um, dunno. You’ll be glad you labeled it!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4½ lb chicken, pasture raised, whole (or pieces with joints, bones and skin, such as wings, thighs, drumsticks)
- 2 lb bones (optional), fresh or frozen chicken, beef, or veal
- 2 whole cloves (for onion)
- 1 large onion, cut in half, peeled, root ends trimmed, and a clove stuck in each half
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and halved crosswise
- 1 stalk of celery, without leaves, halved crosswise (or half a fennel bulb)
- 2 cloves of garlic, unpeeled and crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs of Italian parsley
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)
- 1 whole tomato (optional), ripe, halved (and/or 2 tsp concentrated tomato paste)
- a few whole black peppercorns
- 1 Tbsp sea salt
Instructions
- Place chicken (and optional bones) in a large stock pot.3 Add enough water to cover the meat by at least 2 inches (5cm), about 4.5qt/9pt/4.25L of water. Cover with lid slightly askew, to bring almost, but not quite, to a boil (takes about 15 min). Skim any foam from the surface.
- Gently simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, adjusting the heat to keep it steady and as hot as possible without boiling. Don't stir or skim.
- Add the vegetables, herbs, spices, and half the salt, and gently simmer for a further 30 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and vegetables without delay,4 with a skimmer or slotted spoon, and set aside for a later use.
- Strain: Ladle the broth through a fine sieve into a large heatproof bowl. (Optionally repeat for further straining.)
- Taste and add the final amount of salt to your liking, or according to intended use. The broth can be used immediately, or after the fat is skimmed off, once cold.
- Cool (in an ice bath) to room temperature, then refrigerate.
- The next day (or when the surface of the broth has solidified after about 6-8 hours in the refrigerator), you can skim the congealed fat off the top. Place broth in containers of different sizes for future use (see notes).
- Enjoy with many wonderful dishes.
Notes
- Makes approximately 16 cups (4 quarts/liters)
- Tools: stockpot: 10 qt/L or larger (16qt/L is ideal to accommodate double the amount), large bowls, skimmer or slotted spoon, ladle, large sieve
- To make a dark broth for deeper color and flavor (adds 15-20 minutes): Before adding water in step 1, cook the chicken in the stockpot with about a tablespoon of oil over medium to med-high heat, stirring occasionally, until caramelized to golden brown. For a touch more depth, you can first lightly slather the chicken with some concentrated tomato paste along with a light dusting of flour. You can also brown the onions and carrots.
- Note, if the meat is left in the broth while cooling, it reabsorbs some of the broth.
- Refrigerate: Keeps in the refrigerator for about 3 days.
- Freeze: Keeps in the freezer for about 3 months. It’s convenient to fill containers of various sizes. We usually fill 2, 4 and 5 cup (475,950,1200ml) containers, as well as an ice tray for adding cubes of broth to various dishes. Tip: Labeling containers with content, quantity, and date is very helpful for later.
2 comments
thanks for your recipe as this is how I make my broth but today for some reason my broth was not golden but rather mucky brown. I used cut up chicken legs, thighs, and some left over uncooked pieces of chicken that I had removed from chicken I cooked in other dishes along with the regular carrots, celery, onion, and a bouquet of fresh parsley. Put the chicken in the pot added the vegetables and covered with water. brought the water to s slow boil and immediately reduced heat to about medium. I did skim off the foam as the broth was cooking and i have to admit that I did stir the broth when I scooped out the foam. I have made chicken broth over the year exactly like this but never have the end results been so disappointing to the point I am ready to toss it. Can you tell me why broth cooked like this would have an unpleasant mucky color instead of being golden. thanks
If it tastes good, don’t throw it out! You can use it to add depth of flavor and moisture to the many things that don’t require a clear broth. Boiling is a culprit, even a slow boil. And even medium heat can be too much if it is above a simmer. Also, whole pieces keep the water clearer, as well as cooking the chicken without the vegetables for the first half. Avoid stirring. And after cooking, strain as soon as possible with a fine sieve. Hope this helps for next time.