I love chicken broth. It adds so much flavor and nutritional value to many gluten-free recipes, and homemade slow-cooker chicken broth couldn’t be easier!
Chicken broth is an awesome addition to soups, rice, gravy, sauces… and the list goes on. And like most things, there is just no comparing what comes off the shelves with what you can make yourself. Like homemade lunchmeat. There’s just no comparison.
Homemade chicken broth is out of this world!
But there’s something else – you can make it in the slow cooker with so little work that you’ll never want to buy it again!
In case I haven’t said this before, I love my slow cooker! It’s like magic – you throw a bunch of ingredients in, come back later, and, le poof! Dinner’s ready!
This is chicken broth and not, strictly speaking, bone broth. However, I’ve included apple cider vinegar to help leach the minerals from the bones, just like you would in a “real” bone broth recipe, and then cooked it for nearly 24 hours – until the bones were actually soft. In my opinion, it’s the best of both worlds.
PrintSlow Cooker Chicken Broth Recipe
This slow cooker chicken broth is so simple to make, and perfect to have on hand for all your recipe needs.
Ingredients
- 1 chicken carcass (skin-on for best results)
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 2 carrots, cut into chunks
- 4 ribs celery, cut into chunks*
- 2 – 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 10 peppercorns (optional)
- 2–3 quarts water
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions
*I like to use the leafy tops from several ribs of celery since they have the same flavor, but aren’t useful in a lot of other recipes
- Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook overnight for up to 24 hours.
- Remove chicken and veggies with a slotted spoon.
- Filter liquid through several layers of cheesecloth
or a coffee filter.
- Debone chicken, chop and add back to the broth or reserve for another use. (hint: it’s great for casseroles!)
- Divide broth into freezer bags or containers, or jars for canning.
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Lindielee Adamus says
I’m a bit confused. You say carcass but I see w whole chicken with the meat in the photo. Carcass means just the bones. I’m slow cooking in my crock pot now four or five carcasses but when I make chicken soup I make the same recipe as you have here.
Jenniffer says
You mention using Apple Cider Vineger but I see no mention of it in the recipe.
Elise says
Oh no! Thanks for catching that. The amount is 1/4 of a cup.
tj says
Hello, I too would like to know if you are using a whole chicken or a picked over chicken carcass? It looks as if you are using a whole chicken in your photo. Please clarify and thank you! :o)
Blessings.
Elise says
Yes, it’s a whole chicken. You can use a carcass if you’d rather, but I personally like to use a whole chicken so that I have a cooked chicken on hand to use in other recipes.
Thelma says
Is the crock pot on low or high? Thanks
Elise says
If you have time to let it cook for 12+ hours, then low is good. You can cook it on high for about six hours for a quicker turn around.
Vanessa @ Vanessa Baked says
Such a great idea!
Melanie M says
Could you please tell if you’re supposed to cover the chicken completely with water? The recipe says 2-3 quarts, but I didn’t know if you used the lower end or higher end of that to get to a certain water level with the chicken. Thanks!
Elise says
As much as your slow cooker will fit basically. Depending on the size of the chicken, it’s usually 2-3 quarts for me. 🙂
Cait says
How long does the broth keep in the fridge?
Elise says
I would say probably about a week.
Nikki Kauffman says
I don’t know how to can anything. But can I freeze the broth? If so, for how long?
Elise says
That’s a great question! As long as your container is air-tight, it should keep very well of 2-3 months.
Ryan Clay says
I have 8 thigh legs i saved that have a tad of meat on them and i was going to either smoke a whole chicken then use those bones or buy a rotessierie chicken and do same and combine all bones. Would that work and should i use smoked chicken or rotesserie chicken bones?