This simple and flavorful chicken stock can be made in a pressure cooker in just an hour. This recipe makes it really easy to keep a supply of homemade chicken stock on hand so you can enhance all your savory dishes. {Gluten Free}
Chicken stock is definitely among the most common elements in savory cooking – you frequently see it in recipes for soups, stews, sauces, and sometimes even for stir fries. Indeed, it is a versatile ingredient that will give a flavor boost to practically any savory dish.
There are a few reasons homemade chicken stock is better than store-bought:
- It contains way less sodium. Industrially produced chicken stock usually uses extra salt to enhance the flavor.
- It is healthier. Once the chicken stock cools off, you’ll notice it forms a gel-like texture. That is natural gelatin, which is very good for your skin.
- It’s fresher and more flavorful.
For those reasons, it’s a no-brainer to keep this simple recipe on file so that you can have rich, tasty homemade chicken stock at a moment’s (or hour’s) notice.
Why pressure cooker chicken stock
This recipe uses a pressure cooker to quickly and thoroughly transform a few pieces of chicken into a flavorful stock with very tender meat. Some benefits of this method:
- It’s fast. Chicken stock in an unpressurized pot takes several hours to make, while this version just needs one hour at high pressure.
- It’s super simple. Just chicken, green onions, and ginger. The flavor profile lends itself well to Asian dishes, but the ginger is subtle enough that the stock will go well with any savory dish.
- You can use frozen chicken (see recipe here). No need to worry about thawing chicken and using it in time. Keep the chicken bones in your freezer (or let them accumulate there) until you’re ready to cook.
Once you have a pot of chicken stock, you can use it in an endless variety of dishes. Some of my favorites include:
- Kimchi Stew, the ultimate comfort stew. It’s a little of spiciness, a little bit of sourness, and A LOT of savory deliciousness. Chicken stock elevates the whole dish to a level of heavenly brothy satisfaction.
- Da Lu Mian, a family recipe for the best sauce to ever be eaten on noodles. It has shrimp, pork, mushrooms, and tomatoes – the addition of chicken stock makes it a true umami bomb!
- Wonton Noodle Soup is a classic Cantonese staple. Springy noodles and shrimp-filled dumplings go perfectly in this chicken broth.
- Moo Goo Gai Pan – you’ve had the chicken and mushrooms countless times as takeout, but you don’t know what you’ve been missing until you cook it with homemade chicken stock.
More homemade stock recipes
- Chinese chicken broth made with whole chicken
- Pressure cooker bone broth made with frozen bones
- Chinese pork stock
- Asian beef stock
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
Pressure Cooker Chicken Stock
Ingredients
- 4 lbs (1.8kg) chicken back and neck (or other mixed parts)
- 6 green onions , halved lengthwise
- 1/2 thumb ginger , sliced
Instructions
- Add chicken bones in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, arrange them in a way to minimize gap between the bones. Add just enough water to cover the chicken without exceeding the pot’s max filling line, about 8 cups and no more than 10 cups. Add the green onion and ginger. It is OK the top of the chicken parts are not fully covered.
- Set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 1 hour. Use natural release once done. You can also use 10 minutes release by letting the soup to sit 10 minutes, then use fast release.
- Let the broth cool down a bit, then strain the broth and transfer to sealed containers.
- (Optional) once the broth is cooled completely in the fridge and the fat layer solidify, you can easily separate it and discard the fat part. The fat layer helps preventing the broth from spoil, so you should only discard it right before using the broth.
- Store the broth in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for up to 2 month.
I haven’t made stock in my Instant Pot yet (why not????). You really have got me newly motivated to do it. In the past I have used my slowcooker to make it, but this is even better. Love homemade stock!
1. do you have to remove the fat before putting it in freezer ?
2. what is the “footnote 1″…I can’t find it
3. what should we use to strain the broth ?
thanks so much
Sound great, Magi I cant tins “foot not1′
No footnote for the recipe. Just updated it so it’s less confusing. Happy cooking!
Hi Maggie, can I use a whole chicken for this recipe similar to your stock recipe using a normal cooking pot?
I have a regular stove top chicken stock recipe here (it uses a whole chicken): http://omnivorescookbook.com/recipes/chinese-chicken-stock
What’s an easy way to remove the fat if I use the stock right away?
You can use a fat separator or use a ladle to skim the fat from the top of the stock. It will remove about 80% of the fat if not more.