Instant Pot Chicken Stock
Published Mar 08, 2021•Updated Mar 12, 2022
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Forget simmering for hours – this Instant Pot Chicken Stock is rich, packed with flavor, and takes much less time. Chicken wings are the base of the stock – roasting them first will build flavor, but feel free to skip this step if you’re short on time. The stock will still have great flavor even without roasting first.
One of the most versatile ingredients in the kitchen is chicken stock – make soup, stew, risotto, pan sauce, use it to cook grains and noodles. And you can’t beat the flavor of homemade. Making chicken stock in the Instant Pot is much faster than the stovetop and there’s no need to worry about overproducing.
Over the years I’ve made homemade stock / broth a handful of ways – with roasted vegetables, with a whole chicken, and with leftover chicken bones (or leftover turkey bones and vegetable scraps around the holidays), but recently the Instant Pot has taken center stage in stock-making endeavors.
The fact is, you can’t beat the flavor of homemade chicken stock. It will make even the simplest 30-minute weeknight soup taste like it simmered all day. While there’s no shame in the store-bought stock game (I keep my pantry stocked with store-bought stock too), every once in a while treat yourself to rich, flavorful homemade stock.
The IP makes it easy!
Ingredients
- Chicken Wings – Chicken wings are inexpensive and have a high ratio of bones which lend lots of flavor the stock. You can also use chicken drumsticks or make the stock with leftover bones.
- Carrots, Celery, Onion, Garlic – This is the classic vegetable mix for stock and will yield a flavor that goes with almost any use you might have for the stock.
- Bay Leaves – Dried bay leaves have a fresh flavor that is a natural fit for chicken. If you’d rather add fresh herbs, try thyme sprigs, rosemary, or oregano.
- Salt – Salt will bring out the flavor of the stock, but you can completely skip it at this stage, and add seasoning to taste later when you use the stock in a recipe. Keep in mind that if you use minimal or no salt, it will have almost no flavor after it cooks (don’t be thrown off by this – all of its flavor will come out when you cook with it and season later).
- Water – You can use almost any amount of water in this recipe as long as you insure that the water level is below the fill line on the Instant Pot.
To Roast or Not to Roast
This step is completely optional, but to add a rich, roasted flavor to the stock you can roast the chicken wings in the oven before baking. I make this stock both ways — roasted and un-roasted — and don’t have a strong preference. If I know I’ll use the stock in a soup with lots of spices and seasonings that will overshadow its flavor, I usually skip the roasting. If I want to use the stock in a soup where its flavor will really shine through (like Italian Meatball and Orzo Soup), I’ll take the time to roast first.
What is the difference between stock and broth?
Stock and broth can be used interchangeably. Both are liquids made when water is simmered with protein, vegetables, and / or herbs until it is infused with flavor. The term stock is often used when this liquid is minimally salted because it will be seasoned after it is combined with other ingredients. Broth is often used when this liquid has been seasoned with enough salt to be flavorful when served on its own.
Ways to Use Homemade Chicken Stock
- Slow Cooker Corn Chowder
- Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
- Simple Chicken Noodle Soup with Miso
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Biscuits
- Thai Curry Noodle Soup with Chicken
- Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini and Kale
- Thai Coconut Chicken Curry
- Instant Pot Honey Adobo Chicken
- Slow-Cooker Mango Sriracha Pulled Chicken
- Skillet Chicken Pasta with Sweet Potato and Crispy Sage
Favorite Tools
- 6-inch Global Knife
- Cutting Board
- Half Sheet Pan
- 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot
- OXO Good Grips 6-Inch Fine Mesh Strainer
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Instant Pot Chicken Stock
Equipment
- Half Sheet Pan
- 6 qt or 8 qt Instant Pot
- Wire Mesh Strainer
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs Chicken Wings
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 8 oz Carrots, rinsed and chopped
- 2 stalks Celery, rinsed and chopped
- 1 Onion, peeled and quartered
- 6 cloves Garlic, crushed (no need to remove peel)
- 4 Bay Leaves
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- ~ 4 qts Water (4 quarts = 16 cups)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F / 232°C. Line a sheet pan with foil and spread chicken wings out in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and season light with some salt and black pepper.
- Roast chicken wings until golden brown, ~30 minutes.
- In the bowl of a 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot combine roasted chicken wings, carrots, celery, onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves, and salt.
- Add water. (Though I’ve given an estimated range, you can add any amount of water, up until just below the fill line.)
- Close and lock the lid. Set steam valve to Sealing. Cook on manual / high for 45 minutes.
- Let pressure release naturally (or for at least 20 minutes before manually releasing any remaining pressure).
- When all pressure has released, press Cancel and remove the lid.
- Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve or use a small sieve to remove solids. Discard solids.
- Let cool and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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