Making homemade chicken bone broth in an Instant Pot is super easy. Using homemade broth in any recipe is a great way to add nutrients and flavor.

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Today’s post may not sound life changing. But knowing how to make homemade chicken bone broth in an Instant Pot is a total game changer. Homemade broth adds nutrients and flavor that can’t be produced with canned or packaged chicken broth. And the method is not hard.

You’ll first need to get your hands on a chicken carcass or two. A rotisserie chicken works great for this. I’ve also used turkey carcass from leftover turkey. You can cook it in a few batches if it’s too large to fit in the pot. Using expired laying hens or unwanted roosters to make bone broth also works (for more info on that, see below).

The Easy-to-Adapt Method

In testing this recipe, I used four 4 pound rotisseries from Costco. Once I removed the meat, I ended up with about 5-1/2 cups of chopped cooked chicken from each one.

The ideal cooking time is when the bones are soft and start to break down. I experimented by cooking the chicken carcasses for various times in the pressure cooker to find that time. I wanted to see when the bones started to soften and produce bone broth.

In each test, I used 6 cups of water to produce 6 cups of bone broth from each one. You might add more water to each carcass to create a milder flavor in the bone broth. Alternatively, you can add less water for a more intense flavor. Depending on the size of the pressure cooker, you could cook two carcasses at once. Just add more water to the pot.

As you can see, this is more of a method than a recipe. Once you understand the process, it is easy to adapt it to your needs and tastes.

How to Make Chicken Bone Broth in an Instant Pot

Place chicken carcass(es) in the Instant Pot insert and cover with water. I normally use about 6 cups of water for a 4 lb. rotisserie chicken carcass (meaning it was 4 pounds before I removed the meat).

If you want to add vegetables, that’s optional, but it does add a nice flavor to the broth. Celery, onion, carrots or other vegetables work well.

Lock lid in place and cook on HIGH pressure for 90 minutes. When the time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 10 minutes. Then turn the valve for a quick pressure release.

Strain the solids through a fine mesh strainer, reserving the liquids. At this point you can add salt and pepper, to taste if you want. I normally leave the broth unseasoned and then season it after I’ve added it in a recipe.

Let the broth cool to room temperature. Then you can refrigerate or freeze it for use late. Once refrigerated, the bone broth will gel together. And a fat layer will rise to the top of the container which can be skimmed off, if desired.

If you freeze it, make sure to allow room in the top of the container for the contents to expand. Chicken broth can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Using expired laying hens and unwanted roosters

We have kept chickens for many years, primarily for fresh eggs. If you’ve ever done chicken farming, you know that hens will stop laying after about 3 years. And if you hatch your own eggs like we do, it’s easy to get too many roosters. Both of those situations need to be dealt with, otherwise you will be left with an unhappy flock.

We tried many techniques for processing and cooking expired laying hens and roosters. But in most cases the meat is tough and not very enjoyable to eat. But this method works well to create the most delicious bone broth. Additionally, it actually tenderizes the meat enough to enjoy.

If you need help to process a live chicken, google it. The details are definitely beyond the scope of this post. Place the processed chicken (raw or frozen) in the Instant Pot.

Cook it at High pressure for 2 hours. You will end up with delicious chicken bone broth. The meat cooked this way is tender enough for soups. It can also be used in other recipes that call for cooked chicken.

As you can see, the method to make chicken broth in an Instant Pot is simple, but effective. The health benefits from homemade bone broth are beneficial. And the added flavor from homemade bone broth will level up your cooking significantly. Total game changer, right here.