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Classic Chicken Broth

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on January 23, 2017

Time

5½ hours

Yield

Makes 8 cups

Classic Chicken Broth

Ingredients

4 pounds chicken backs and wings 3 ½ quarts water 1 onion, chopped2 bay leaves 2 teaspoons salt

Before You Begin

If you have a large pot (at least 12 quarts), you can easily double this recipe to make 1 gallon.

Instructions

  1. Heat chicken and water in large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until boiling, skimming off any scum that comes to surface. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 3 hours.
  2. Add onion, bay leaves, and salt and continue to simmer for 2 hours longer.
  3. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer into large pot or container, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Let broth settle for about 5 minutes, then skim off fat.
Classic Chicken Broth

Classic Chicken Broth

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

5½ hours

Yield

Makes 8 cups

Ingredients

4 pounds chicken backs and wings
3 ½ quarts water
1 onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt

Ingredients

4 pounds chicken backs and wings
3 ½ quarts water
1 onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt

Ingredients

4 pounds chicken backs and wings
3 ½ quarts water
1 onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt

Why This Recipe Works

This classic approach to making chicken broth calls for gently simmering a mix of chicken backs and wings in water for several hours and requires almost no hands-on work. The long, slow simmer helps the bones and meat release both deep flavor and gelatin and results in a full-bodied, all-purpose broth.

Before You Begin

If you have a large pot (at least 12 quarts), you can easily double this recipe to make 1 gallon.

Instructions

  1. Heat chicken and water in large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until boiling, skimming off any scum that comes to surface. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 3 hours.
  2. Add onion, bay leaves, and salt and continue to simmer for 2 hours longer.
  3. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer into large pot or container, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Let broth settle for about 5 minutes, then skim off fat.

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