Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth turns leftover chicken bones and scraps into deeply nourishing, flavorful broth in about an hour. It’s simple, affordable, and incredibly versatile — perfect for sipping, cooking, and stocking your freezer with a homemade kitchen essential that truly pays for itself.
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Pull up a chair, because this is one of those recipes that quietly changes how you cook. Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth is my go-to way to stretch ingredients, cut grocery costs, and always have something nourishing on hand. It’s low effort, high reward, and once you start making it yourself, it’s hard to go back to store-bought.
Why This Recipe Works
- Pressure cooking does the heavy lifting: The Instant Pot extracts deep flavor, collagen, and nutrients in a fraction of the time.
- Uses what you already have: Leftover bones and veggie scraps turn into something incredibly useful instead of going to waste.
- Budget-friendly: Homemade bone broth costs pennies compared to boxed versions.
- Versatile kitchen staple: Sip it straight, use it in soups, or cook grains and sauces with it.
- Deeply nourishing: Rich in collagen and minerals, it’s comforting and functional at the same time.
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Food as Medicine
Bone broth has long been valued for its nourishing, restorative properties. While it’s not a cure-all, it’s packed with nutrients that support overall wellness and make it a powerful addition to your routine.
- Supports immune health: Rich in minerals and amino acids that help support the body, especially during cold and flu season.
- Great for joints and bones: Naturally contains collagen, glucosamine, and chondroitin, which are commonly associated with joint and bone support.
- Promotes gut health: Amino acids like glycine and glutamine are known to support digestion and overall gut comfort.
- Encourages relaxation: Glycine may help promote calm and better sleep, while magnesium supports stress regulation.
- Supports healthy skin: Collagen helps maintain skin elasticity — I lovingly call it liquid Botox, but that’s just me.
- High in protein: Bone broth is naturally protein-rich, making it both nourishing and satisfying.
This is one of those quiet kitchen habits that adds up over time — simple, comforting, and genuinely good for you.
What You'll Need & Why
For the most basic of Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth, you will need very little. Here’s everything you’ll need to make it:
- Chicken bones from 2 or 3 chickens: Rotisserie or roasted chicken bones work perfectly and give the broth deep, savory flavor.
- Celtic sea salt: Adds mineral-rich seasoning without overpowering the broth.
- Whole peppercorns: Provide gentle warmth and depth without making the broth spicy.
- Turmeric: Adds subtle earthiness and a boost of anti-inflammatory benefits.
- Water: Covers everything and transforms scraps into deeply nourishing broth.
How to Use It
Chicken bone broth is one of those ingredients that earns its keep in the kitchen. Once you start using it, you’ll find yourself reaching for it constantly.
- Sip it straight: Warm, soothing, and deeply comforting — especially during cooler months. It’s a favorite in our house, and every batch disappears faster than you’d think.
- Use it anywhere you’d use broth or stock: Soups, stews, casseroles, and skillet dinners all benefit from the extra depth of flavor and protein.
- Make sauces and gravies: Bone broth adds richness to homemade sauces and pan gravies without extra effort.
- Cook grains with it: Use bone broth instead of water when cooking pasta, rice, quinoa, or orzo for added flavor and nourishment.
Once you start cooking with it, you’ll wonder how you ever didn’t.
Swaps & Flavor-Boosting Variations
This recipe is written for a simple, neutral chicken bone broth — the kind you can use for just about anything. But once you’ve mastered the basics, there are endless ways to customize it depending on how you plan to use it.
- Asian-inspired broth: Add scallions, ginger, garlic, onion, and fresh cilantro. A star anise or two creates a subtle, pho-style depth that’s especially good for sipping or noodle soups.
- Classic chicken soup base: Toss in carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and parsley for a well-rounded, traditional broth. This is a great way to clean out the veggie drawer.
- Herb-forward broth: Dried herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, or dill add big flavor with minimal effort. Use what you love and keep it simple.
- Mexican-inspired broth: Add onion, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, and a bit of taco seasoning for a broth that works beautifully in enchiladas, tortilla soup, or rice dishes.
- Tomato-enhanced broth: A tomato or two adds acidity and depth, making the broth richer and slightly more robust.
- Spicy broth: Toss in dried chiles, chili flakes, or crushed red pepper for gentle heat or a bold kick.
This is one of those recipes where experimentation is encouraged — adjust the flavors to fit the meal you’re planning and make it your own.
Tips & Tricks
Before you get started, a few simple tips will help this bone broth turn out perfectly every time.
- Save your scraps: Keep leftover chicken bones and carcasses from rotisserie or roasted chickens in a freezer-safe bag so you’re always ready to make broth without a special grocery trip.
- Freeze veggie trimmings: Onion ends, celery leaves and root ends, mushroom stems, garlic skins, and leftover herb stems add extra flavor — stash them in the freezer and toss them in as needed.
- Check the seal: Make sure the Instant Pot valve is set to sealing and that the silicone ring and lid are clean and completely dry so the pot can properly pressurize.
- Don’t overfill: Never add water past the MAX fill line or the Instant Pot may not come to pressure correctly.
- Release pressure safely: If manually releasing pressure, keep your hands and face away from the vent valve to avoid burns.
- Holiday bonus: Save turkey bones during Thanksgiving and Christmas — they make an incredible bone broth.
- Adjust for pot size: If you have a smaller Instant Pot, simply cut the recipe in half. This recipe is very forgiving.
- Defat the broth easily: Chill the finished broth overnight in a large container. Once cold, the fat will rise to the top and solidify, making it easy to skim off before storing.
- Don’t worry about the jiggle: Gelled broth is a good sign — it’s full of collagen and will turn liquid again as soon as it’s warmed.
- Freeze extras: Store extra bone broth in the freezer so you can “shop” your freezer for high-quality broth that costs next to nothing to make.
Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth Recipe
Equipment
- large pot or container to store the broth after straining
Ingredients
- chicken bones from 2-3 chickens
- 1-2 tablespoon Celtic sea salt
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- water
Instructions
- Add the chicken bones, salt, peppercorns, and turmeric to the Instant Pot. Add water up to the MAX fill line.
- Secure the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on High Pressure for 1 hour. Allow the pressure to release naturally or carefully perform a manual release.
- Using tongs or a spider strainer, remove and discard the chicken bones and solids — they’ve done their job.
- Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large container. Line with cheesecloth if desired, then carefully strain the broth.
- Transfer the strained broth to the refrigerator and chill overnight. This makes defatting and portioning much easier.
- Once chilled, skim off the solidified fat from the top and discard. The broth will be jiggly — that’s exactly what you want.
- Store the bone broth in airtight containers in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
Nutrition
Storage & Freezing
Proper storage makes it easy to keep homemade bone broth on hand whenever you need it.
- Refrigerator: Store cooled bone broth in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze bone broth in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Leave a little space at the top of each container to allow for expansion as it freezes.
- Portioning tip: Freezing in smaller containers or ice cube trays makes it easy to grab exactly what you need for soups, sauces, or cooking grains.
- Reheating: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or gently warm on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated through.
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Buy Now → You Asked, I Answered
Do I need to add apple cider vinegar?
No, it’s optional. Apple cider vinegar is often used for beef bone broth to help break down dense bones, but chicken bones are much more delicate. The Instant Pot extracts collagen and nutrients just fine without it. I don’t typically add it, but you can if you prefer.
What parts of the leftover chicken should I use?
All of it. Use the bones, skin, and any juices left in the container from a rotisserie or roasted chicken. Everything adds flavor and nourishment, and it all gets strained out at the end.
Is this recipe gluten-free and dairy-free?
Yes! Chicken bone broth is naturally both gluten-free and dairy-free.
Can you cook the bone broth too long?
You can. Cooking much longer than 2 hours in the Instant Pot can result in a bitter broth. About 1 hour on high pressure works best. The broth can safely stay on the keep warm setting for a while after cooking.
Why does my bone broth jiggle after chilling?
That’s a good thing. The jiggle means collagen from the bones has transformed into gelatin during cooking. Once reheated, the broth will return to liquid form.
Can I make this in a slow cooker instead?
Yes. Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for at least 24 hours, and up to 36 hours for a richer, more gelatinous broth.
Can I reuse the bones?
You can reuse them once, but the resulting broth will be lighter in both flavor and nutrients.
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Who’s Stirring the Pot?
Hi, I’m Ruth—recipe developer, comfort-food creator, and the voice behind Rufus For Real. I specialize in cozy, doable, flavor-packed meals for real-life kitchens, and I’m a firm believer that breakfast, dinner, and everything in between should be simple, satisfying, and impossible to mess up.
You’ll find me sharing even more comfort-food goodness, kitchen tips, and behind-the-scenes chaos over on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube (@rufusforreal everywhere).
If you love approachable recipes with a whole lot of personality, pull up a chair—there’s always room at this table.
Happy Cooking!
-Ruth aka Rufus
Amanda says
I can’t believe how easy this was! I’ll be doing this again very soon! Thank you!
Rufus says
Yesssss! It's the only way I make chicken bone broth now!
Sara Menix says
Fast and delicious!
Rufus says
I'm so glad you liked it!