Homemade Bone Broth (To Pressure Can or Freeze)

I make this about once a month because I use it constantly. Having jars on the pantry shelf means I actually reach for it (no waiting for frozen blocks to thaw), and it makes such a difference in how food tastes, particularly homemade soup. This whole process is so simple: put bones and vegetables in the slow cooker, let it do its thing overnight, then can it the next day while you’re doing other stuff around the house. Here’s exactly how I make mine.

Please stop throwing your chicken carcasses away. It’s like throwing away money! Once you have shelves full of this broth, you’ll find yourself using it for everything. Soup of course, but also reheating leftovers, cooking grains, making mashed potatoes. Don’t let pressure canning scare you. You can absolutely do this. But if you don’t have a pressure canner, freezing works absolutely fine.

What You’ll Need

You can use any kind of chicken bones, raw or leftover cooked bones. The more of a mix you have, the better. The apple cider vinegar will help the bones break down to release the collagen and nutrients. The poultry herb bundle is just a mix of fresh herbs like rosemary, sage, oregano, and thyme. Just get a few fresh sprigs of each and you’ll be fine.

This will make six pints and give you about 12 cups of broth. You can double or triple the recipe by making adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. But you’ll have to work in batches depending on how big your slow cooker is.

Equipment

• Slow cooker
• Pressure canner
• large bowl
• strainer
• Large pot
• small pot

Ingredients

• 2 chicken carcasses (about 3 pounds of bones)
• 3 medium carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic smashed
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
• 1 poultry herb bundle (rosemary, sage, oregano, and thyme)
• 12 cups of water

Instructions

 One thing I like to do is roast the bones in the oven before adding them to the slow cooker. It gives it a richer flavor, but it’s totally optional. You’ll also want to add cold water to the slow cooker to help extract the collagen.

Make sure you adjust your pressure if you live at a high altitude. Use this chart to help you.

Step One: Make The Broth

Put everything in your slow cooker and add water to cover.

Cook on low for 12 hours. Check at 8 hours and add more water if needed.

Strain out all the solids.

Cool the broth completely, then refrigerate overnight.

The next day, scrape off the fat layer that formed on top. Get as much as you can – it makes a difference.

Heat the broth back up in a large pot.

Step Two: Canning

Set up your pressure canner and the rack with 3 inches of water. Heat it up.

Wash your jars, fill them halfway with water, and put them in the canner to warm. Put lids and rings in simmering water.

When the broth is hot, pull out the jars, dump the water, and fill with broth using a funnel. Leave 1 inch headspace.

Wipe jar rims clean. Add lids and rings – tighten until snug, not tight.

Put your jars in the canner on high heat with the lid on. When the steam vents steadily, wait 10 minutes, then add your pressure weight.

Bring to 11 pounds pressure (adjust for altitude if needed). Start the timer: 20 minutes for pints, 25 for quarts.

If the pressure drops below 11, stop the timer and start over when it’s back up.

Turn off the heat when done. Let the pressure drop naturally. Wait 5 minutes after it hits zero, then carefully remove the lid away from your face. Remove the jars to cool for 12-24 hours.

Storage Instructions

Your sealed jars need to be stored in a cool, dark place like a pantry and will last up to a year. When you open a jar, put it in the fridge and use it within a week.

If you don’t pressure can your jars, you can freeze the broth instead for long-term storage.  Let the broth cool completely, then pour it into freezer-safe containers or bags, leaving an inch of space at the top for expansion. Frozen broth keeps for up to 6 months.

For convenient smaller amounts, freeze some of it in ice cube trays first inc are you just need a tablespoon or so for ar recipe.

How to Use it

You can use this for way more than just soup.

• Add it to any slow cooker recipes that call for chicken broth.
• Use it as the base of chicken noodle soup.
• Make rice or quinoa with it instead of water.
• Use it to make mashed potatoes.

Questions and Troubleshooting

More Practical Pantry Staples To Make

Use my canning tips to make your day of canning go much easier.

• This tomato soup canning recipe is great to have on hand. Add a grilled cheese for a quick dinner.
• Pressure canning green beans is not the most exciting, but once you taste them, you’ll understand why I do it.
• These pressure canned potatoes are SO useful. They can be thrown into soups or quickly made into mashed potatoes.

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