Instant Pot Chicken Broth Recipe for Rich, Homemade Flavor

Instant Pot chicken broth is the time-saving shortcut every home cook should know. Pressure cooking produces a rich, golden broth with deep flavor and nutrients in a fraction of the time a long simmer requires — about 3 hours total instead of 20. It’s fresher and healthier than store-bought options. Make large batches and freeze portions for quick use.

I began making homemade chicken broth in the Instant Pot out of necessity and now rarely revert to the stovetop method. The pressure environment extracts flavor and gelatin from bones faster and with less hands-on time. It’s straightforward, reliable, and yields a clean, golden broth you can sip or use in recipes.

Instant Pot Chicken Broth Recipe Snapshot

• Faster than traditional broth — ready in a few hours instead of an all-day simmer.
• Deep flavor from pressure cooking — concentrated, golden broth with rich taste.
• Versatile — great for sipping, soups, risottos and sauces.
• Lower histamine option — shorter cooking time can be gentler for sensitive eaters.
• Better than store-bought — you control the ingredients, salt and quality.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Chicken — meaty, bone-in pieces such as legs and thighs. A whole chicken works too; bones give body and flavor. Choose organic if possible.
• Onion — white, yellow or sweet, chopped to build a savory base.
• Carrot — adds natural sweetness and depth.
• Celery — balances flavors and adds subtle herbal notes.
• Leek (optional) — for a mild layered flavor.
• Garlic (optional) — enhances flavor.
• Herbs — fresh thyme, parsley and a bay leaf.
• Filtered water — for the cleanest taste.
• Black peppercorns — optional for mild spice; omit if histamine-sensitive.

Please refer to the recipe card for exact measurements.

Chef’s Tip: Do not add salt to the broth. Salt the finished dish so each person can control seasoning and to keep the broth versatile for different dietary needs.

Substitutions and Variations

• Garlic — omit if allergic or sensitive.
• Leek — use the dark green tops for broth; reserve the white part for other dishes.
• Thyme — fresh is preferred, but dried thyme works.
• Extra richness — add a few chicken feet for a more gelatinous, collagen-rich broth.

Chef’s Note: stock vs. broth — the terms are often used interchangeably. Technically, stock is bone-based and tends to be more gelatinous because bones release collagen; broth is made with meaty pieces and vegetables.

How to Make Chicken Broth in an Instant Pot

You can use either bone-in pieces (legs and thighs) or a whole chicken cut into parts. If cutting up a whole chicken, use a heavy chef’s knife or poultry shears to divide the bird into legs, thighs, breasts and backbone.

If Using a Whole Chicken (How to Cut It)

Place the chicken breast-side up on a stable cutting board. Cut between the leg and body, freeing the leg and thigh at the joint. Cut through the breastbone to halve the breast if needed and split along the backbone to separate halves. Remove excess skin and trim fat where possible.

Broth Instructions

Trim excess skin and fat from the chicken. Place the chicken pieces in the Instant Pot, then add the chopped onion, carrots, celery, leek (if using), garlic, thyme, bay leaf and filtered water. Do not overfill the pot — stay below the max fill line.

Lock the lid and set the vent to sealing. Select the Soup/Broth function on high pressure and cook for 2 hours. When cooking ends, allow a natural pressure release for 20–30 minutes, then release any remaining pressure. Including time to come to pressure and cool, expect about 3 hours total.

Straining and Chilling the Broth

Strain the broth through a fine sieve or colander to remove bones and vegetables. Return the strained liquid to the cleaned pot and place the pot in an ice bath (a sink filled with ice and cold water) to chill quickly. Stir occasionally to release heat. When the broth drops below 70°F, transfer to the refrigerator to chill further.

Chef’s note: For stovetop bone broth some cooks add a splash of apple cider vinegar to extract collagen. With pressure cooking this step is generally unnecessary because pressure and heat convert collagen to gelatin efficiently; adding chicken feet or backs will increase gelatin and body.

Refrigerate Broth Overnight

Cover and refrigerate the strained broth overnight. The next morning the fat will solidify on top and can be easily skimmed off. Portion the defatted broth, label containers and freeze.

Optionally, strain a second time through a fine sieve or cheesecloth for an extra-clear broth before freezing.

How to Freeze Chicken Broth

Portion broth into 1-cup and 3-cup containers for soups and sipping, or ½-cup portions for pan deglazing and sauces. Use mason jars, rigid freezer-safe containers or silicone molds. If using freezer bags, make sure the broth is fully chilled, seal well and lay flat to freeze on a rimmed sheet pan.

Label and date all containers. Glass is my preferred storage for longevity and to avoid single-use plastic.

Pressure Cooker vs Slow Cooker

I recommend a pressure cooker for homemade chicken broth. Pressure capture and higher temperature extract maximum flavor and nutrients in a fraction of the time.

Slow cooker — convenient but usually less concentrated flavor and smaller batches.

Instant Pot / electric pressure cooker — efficient for larger batches; scale ingredients for larger pots.

Stovetop pressure cooker — also works well if you prefer it.

Four Ways to Thaw and Reheat Chicken Broth

• Refrigerator overnight — move frozen portions to the fridge and reheat gently on the stove.
• Microwave then stovetop — loosen frozen broth in the microwave, then finish on the stove.
• Cold water bath — submerge the sealed container in cold water, changing water every 30 minutes until thawed enough to heat.
• Silicone cube method — thaw individual cubes directly in a saucepan over low heat.

When using freezer bags, place the bag inside a bowl when thawing to catch any leaks.

Recipe FAQs

More Broth and Soup Recipes

Try other broth and soup options like long-simmered chicken bone broth, roasted turkey broth or quick vegetable broth. Use homemade broth as the base for soups, stews and sauces for superior flavor.

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