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This Crockpot Chicken Broth is SUPER easy to make and so much better than any store bought broth! Plus, it's mostly hands-off as it's made right in the slow cooker.

This recipe was originally published in March 2017. It has been updated for photos and content. Scroll down too the bottom of the post to check out the old photo for a good laugh!

Homemade chicken broth is just so incredibly easy to make. Chicken, onions, carrots, celery along with some seasoning and herbs simmering in the slow cooker for hours results in a deep, rich, incredibly flavorful broth.

It's so much better than store bought. Freeze it in ice cubes in your freezer, and you've got homemade broth on hand at all times!

It's perfect to make some of my favorite soups like this Chicken Curry Stew, Wonton Noodle Soup, Thai Chicken Soup, or Roasted Butternut Squash Soup.

The best part about making it in the crockpot is you can leave it once you've got it turned on. Go to work, go shopping, takes naps...whatever you want to do. Buy a crockpot. (affiliate link)

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Ingredients
Step By Step Instructions
Expert Tips
Recipe
💬 Comments

Ingredients

It's a pretty basic recipe. I use a whole skinned chicken (watch how to skin a chicken), onion, carrot and seasonings.

Buy a whole chicken.

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Step By Step Instructions

Step 1: Skin the chicken. Watch how to skin a chicken if you need help.

Step 2: Chop the carrots and celery into 1-2 inch pieces and cut onion in half or in quarters.

Step 3: Add all ingredients to a 6 quart slow cooker.

**you can make this broth salt free by eliminating the salt. Salt free can be useful if you plan to use the broth for cooking.

Step 4: Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours.

Step 5: Strain through a mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Using cheesecloth will provide the best, clearest results, but a strainer works just fine as well.

Store the homemade chicken broth in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 year.

A great idea for smaller portions of the broth is to freeze it in an ice cube tray, and then store the broth cubes in a freezer bag.

After you try your amazing new broth, you'll never want to use that store bought stuff again!

How to Use Leftover Chicken

But now you have this whole cooked chicken leftover. Luckily, there are so many awesome ways to use this chicken!

Shred it and use it in this Chicken Pho;
Use it in these Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps;
It would be great in this Chicken Udon Stir Fry;
Use it on a sandwich or in a quesadilla;
Use it in salad (try it in this Spinach Strawberry Salad);
Use it in this Chinese Fried Rice;
Try this Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili.

How to Use Homemade Chicken Broth

In addition to using it in soups and stews like Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup, Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup or this Spicy Kimchi Stew, it can be used in these popular recipes recipes:

You may also be interested in making this Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth or this chicken feet bone broth.

Expert Tips

Make sure you use a skinned chicken as the skin will cause the broth to be greasy. How to skin a chicken.
Reduce the amount of pepper if you prefer a less peppery flavor.
Make this broth salt free by eliminating the salt. Salt free can be useful if you plan to use the broth for cooking.
If you're in a hurry, you can cook it on high for 6-8 hours. However, I believe you get better results cooking it on low.
Use a cheesecloth to strain to get the clearest results.
Store in in a airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freeze the broth in individual 1 cup containers, or in ice cubes (I like this the best) so you can use small portions at a time. It will keep in the freezer for up to 1 year.