Homemade Chicken Broth
Why you’ll love it
A simple, nourishing broth made with a whole chicken, vegetables and fresh herbs. The chicken can then be used for meals throughout the week, including my creamy Chicken Alfredo Pasta.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken
1 leek, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
Fresh herbs — parsley, thyme and/or rosemary
1–2 bay leaves
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1–2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt, to taste
Water, enough to cover the chicken + more
Method
Place the whole chicken into a large stockpot with the leek, onion, carrot, fresh herbs, bay leaves, peppercorns, apple cider vinegar and salt.
Cover completely with water and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
Carefully remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool.
Strain the broth through a fine sieve, removing the vegetables, herbs and peppercorns.
Allow the chicken to cool slightly, then remove the meat from the bones and shred or chop.
Store the broth and chicken separately in the fridge, or freeze in portions for later use.
Tip: Keep the broth at a gentle simmer rather than a rapid boil for a clearer, more delicate broth.
One Chicken, Multiple Meals
One of my favourite ways to make cooking easier is to cook a whole chicken once and turn it into multiple meals.
Once you've made your broth, remove the cooked chicken from the bones and shred the meat. Store it in the fridge and you've got a ready-to-go protein for the next few days.
Use your chicken for:
Creamy Chicken Alfredo Pasta — add your shredded chicken to the creamy vegetable sauce.
Chicken soup — add chicken back into your homemade broth with vegetables, herbs and noodles or rice.
Chicken wraps — chicken, avocado, salad, cheese and a simple yoghurt or mustard dressing.
Chicken fried rice — leftover rice, chicken, egg and plenty of vegetables.
Chicken quesadillas — chicken, cheese, capsicum and spinach toasted in a tortilla.
Chicken salad — shredded chicken with leafy greens, cucumber, avocado, herbs and a simple olive oil and lemon dressing.
Chicken pesto pasta — chicken, pasta, pesto, spinach and cherry tomatoes.
Chicken and vegetable pie — use the chicken and vegetables in a creamy filling topped with pastry.
Chicken toasties — chicken, cheese, spinach and wholegrain mustard.
Chicken curry — add the shredded chicken to your favourite curry with vegetables and coconut milk.
A few tips
Don't throw the bones away.
If you've removed the meat from the chicken, the bones can go straight back into the pot to make another batch of broth.
Freeze it.
If you know you won't use all the chicken within a few days, portion it into containers and freeze it. It's perfect for quick dinners when you don't feel like cooking.
Freeze your broth in portions too.
I love freezing broth in 1–2 cup portions so it's ready to grab for soups, sauces, risotto, pasta dishes or cooking grains.
Think beyond dinner.
Having cooked chicken in the fridge makes it much easier to add protein to breakfast, lunch or snacks without having to start from scratch.
It's one chicken, but it can become the base for so many different meals — less waste, less cooking and more real food ready to go.