How to Make a Small Batch of Homemade Chicken Broth

There are recipes that are made ‘from scratch’ that can be a lot of work, like making your own pasta or baking bread. Making chicken broth from scratch is certainly NOT a lot of work and once you know the basic ‘rules’ you won’t be able to ever go back to the store-bought versions.

What convinced me to make my own chicken broth, is the control I have over the ingredients. Second reason is the fact that most store-bought broths always disappointed me with the lack of flavor, and the excessive use of salt.

Is it Broth or Stock?

In many recipes broth and stock are used interchangeably and I do that myself. Broth and stock are rather similar in ingredients and usage, so if you need a little bit in a recipe, it does not matter what you use. There are however distinct differences:

• Broth – made with animal flesh, with or without bones, plus vegetables, aromatics and seasonings.
• Stock – made from primarily animal bones, vegetables, and aromatics. A stock is cooked for a lot longer than a broth. The bigger the bones, the longer it takes to extract the flavor, so a good chicken stock would cook about 4 to 6 hours.

But when you buy either of these products in a store, have a look at the ingredients list on the label. You would want to know what you’re buying. Sometimes, sugar is added or unspecified flavors, meat instead of bones is used etc. With the risk of confusing you, there are two other products in the market that you may recognize:

• Bone broth – this is the relative new kid on the block and a product that certainly is confusing. The word bone indicates that bones instead of meat are used and that’s indeed the case when you look at the ingredients. But that it would make sense to call it a stock and not a broth. So, I guess bone broth is a ‘marketing’ term and does not follow the long held believed differences between stock and broth.
• Bouillon – this is dehydrated stock or broth, pressed in cubes, powder, and granules, Bouillon is also available in liquid and paste form. They all have a concentrated flavor of chicken, meat or vegetables, but often brands have added a host of other ingredients that contribute to the end flavor, so check this out first.

When you make a broth or a stock yourself, you can decide what goes in it and how much you make; those are for me the biggest advantages. You can decide to make a small batch every time you make a soup, or you can double or quadruple the recipe. You can make this recipe for two and store it in the refrigerator for future recipes. Below are the ingredients I use for the basic version.

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Key Ingredients in This Recipe

You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.

• Chicken thighs (bone-in, skin on)
• Vegetables
  • Celery
  • Carrot
• Alliums
  • Onion
• Aromatics
  • Parsley
  • Peppercorns
  • Bay leaves
  • Cheese rind (optional)

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How to Make a Small Batch Homemade Chicken Broth

• Step 3 – Strain the broth through a sieve and press to get as much liquid extracted from the vegetables and chicken thighs. If you’re not using the broth immediately, cool it down quickly and collect the broth in a container.

Making a broth or stock does not really require a recipe, as you can basically do what you like, but there are a few ratios will help you get the most out of this valuable liquid.

• The classic ratio for stock is 20 percent of the weight of your bones in vegetables. So, if you’ve two pounds of bones/meat, then add 6 ounces of vegetables, of which 50% is onions and 50% celery and carrots.

If you prefer to ditch classic ratios and like to go on your own, go at it. That’s why I usually do. There is nothing wrong with throwing whatever vegetables you have in your fridge into the pot; think of vegetable scraps, left-over bones from a rotisserie chicken or steak bones etc. There is flavor in all of it. I have to admit that I throw vegetable scraps away, way too often and that I should indeed make broth more frequently from whatever I have on hand.

Alternatives and Substitutes

• Instead of chicken thighs, use drum sticks, wings, legs, breast. Keep skin on and bone in.
• Vegetables – can be celery, carrots, fennel, mushrooms, parsnips, turnips.
• Alliums – can be garlic, onion, scallions, leek.
• Aromatics – think about parsley, thyme, ginger, peppercorns, rind of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, lemon grass, bay leaves.
• Cooking alternative. Instead of adding water to your vegetables and chicken meat, an alternative option is to sear the chicken meat first. This browning may enhance the flavor of your broth. Please be aware that it will also turn the stock into a darker liquid.

Frequently Asked Questions

Chicken Soup Recipes to Try

• Italian Chicken Soup with Fennel & Zucchini
• Chicken Soup with Potato and White Beans
• Tomato Chicken Pasta Soup