Name: Homemade Chicken Bone Broth
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 420 min
Total time: 430 min
Ingredients: 1 chicken carcass; neck and giblets, if available; 1 small yellow onion, quartered, skin on; 3 medium carrots, roughly chopped; 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped; 3 medium garlic cloves, lightly smashed, skin on; 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 1 whole bay leaf; 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; ½ tsp whole black peppercorns; 2 whole cloves; ⅛ tsp smoked paprika; 1 dash cayenne pepper; 1 tsp fine sea salt; 10 cups spring or filtered water, or enough to cover by about 1 inch

September 8, 2026 | Yields ~6 cups | Prep 10 min | Total 7 hr 10 min

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One leftover chicken carcass, a handful of vegetables and a long, gentle simmer turn into a rich, golden bone broth to sip on its own or use in soups, stews, quinoa, you name it!

Two glass jars filled with golden homemade chicken bone broth.

I’ve been making chicken bone broth for years, but until now, I’m not sure I’ve ever made it exactly the same way twice. I knew what went into the pot, but the measurements lived mostly in my head: a chicken carcass, some vegetables, apple cider vinegar, whole peppercorns and cloves, a little smoked paprika, a dash of cayenne and enough water to cover it all.

I really love winging it in the kitchen, but that doesn't quite work for a food blog, now does it?

So when I decided to finally turn my bone broth into a recipe for My Midlife Table, I had to do something I don't normally do when I make it: measure everything.

Last fall and winter, I made a batch almost every week. My son seemed to be bringing home one cold after another, and somewhere along the way, having a pot of bone broth simmering on the stove became a cold-weather ritual that I love. Interestingly, it's also something my husband loves that I do.

There’s very little actual work involved. I usually get a pot going in the morning, let it simmer for most of the day, and strain it in the late afternoon or early evening. It’s especially perfect for a fall or winter Sunday when I know I’ll be around the house anyway. We watch a lot of football around here.

I made the batch photographed here with the carcass from my Lemon Herb Whole Roasted Chicken with Carrots & Quinoa, and that's one of my favorite ways to make it. Save the neck and giblets from the chicken, too, because those can go right into the broth.

But, not gonna lie, I also make this all the time after pulling apart a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. I don't roast a whole chicken every week. I’ll use the meat for dinner, lunches or chicken salad, then save the carcass for broth.

Pouring homemade chicken bone broth from a glass jar into a glass mug.

The Method

My method is pretty unfussy. I leave the skin on the quartered yellow onion, which helps give the broth its beautiful golden color, and break the chicken carcass into smaller pieces so it fits compactly in the pot, breaking apart some of the smaller bones and joints as I go.

Before adding the water, I gently sauté the carcass, vegetables, garlic and seasonings in a little extra-virgin olive oil for a few minutes. I’m not looking to deeply brown everything, but I like giving the ingredients a chance to warm up and develop a little flavor first.

Then I add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and about 10 cups of spring or filtered water, or enough to cover everything by roughly an inch. I always use raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar with the mother. I’ve often read that the acidity helps draw more of the good stuff out of the bones during a long simmer. Who knows? But that’s why I started using it years ago, and I’m sticking with it.

Once the broth reaches a gentle simmer, I turn the heat way down, partially cover the pot and let it go.

And I do mean gentle. You’re looking for an occasional lazy bubble, not a pot of broth boiling away.

Four hours is my minimum, but I prefer closer to 7 or 8 when I have the time. Keep an eye on the liquid level as it cooks. If it drops too quickly, add a little more water, but don't continually fill the pot back to where it started. Some reduction is exactly what we want.

For this batch, I started with 10 cups of water, added just a little more during cooking and ended up with about 6 cups of finished broth.

Why It's on My Midlife Table

There’s something deeply satisfying to me about getting one more nourishing thing out of a chicken that has already fed my family.

Bone broth contains protein and collagen, but I don't make it because I think it's a miracle food. I make it because it tastes good, makes use of something I already have and gives me homemade broth to sip on its own or use in soups, stews, quinoa and other recipes.

But I think the ritual has become just as important to me as the broth itself. I love getting a pot started in the morning and letting it simmer while I go about my day, especially during the colder months.

By evening, the carcass that could have gone into the trash has become a couple of jars of golden broth in my refrigerator.

To think, I used to throw away chicken carcasses. For shame!

Ingredients for homemade chicken bone broth including a roasted chicken carcass, carrots, celery, onion, garlic and seasonings.

A Few Things You'll Need

Roasted chicken carcass
Carrots
Celery
Yellow onion
Garlic
Apple cider vinegar
Whole peppercorns + cloves
5- to 6-quart heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven
Large strainer
Fine-mesh strainer
Glass jars or other storage containers

Roughly chopping carrots, celery, onion and garlic for homemade chicken bone broth.

Roasted chicken carcass, carrots, celery, onion and aromatics gently sautéing in a pot.

Pouring water over a roasted chicken carcass, carrots, celery and onion in a pot.

Straining cooked chicken bones and vegetables from homemade bone broth through a fine-mesh strainer.

Cook's Notes & Substitutions

Homemade or rotisserie both work. I love making this after my Whole Roasted Chicken, but a grocery-store rotisserie chicken makes it incredibly easy. Remove the meat first and use the carcass just as you would one from a home-roasted chicken. Rotisserie chickens can already be fairly well seasoned, so you may want to use a little less salt and adjust after cooking.
Save the neck and giblets. If you're starting with a whole chicken and have the neck and giblets, add them to the pot. A rotisserie chicken obviously won't come with them, and that's perfectly fine.
Save your carcasses, too. If you're not ready to make broth right away, freeze the carcass in a freezer-safe bag or container. Sometimes I save a second carcass and add both to one batch. You can add more water if you want more broth, but I sometimes use that second carcass with roughly the same amount of water because it makes an especially rich batch.
If your broth doesn't gel, it's still broth. Bone broth can become jiggly and gelatinous once it's completely chilled, but every batch is different. The carcass itself, how much connective tissue is left, the amount of water and how far you reduce the broth can all affect the result. Using two carcasses or letting the broth reduce longer can help give you a more concentrated, gelatinous broth. But if yours stays liquid in the refrigerator, you haven't failed at bone broth. It can still taste great.
Don't overdo the salt. I use 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt because I often use this broth in other recipes that will be seasoned again. Taste yours after straining and add more if you want it, especially if you're planning to sip it on its own.
About the lemon. Sometimes I toss half a lemon into the pot during the last hour or two of cooking. I don't squeeze it in; I just let it simmer with the broth for a little brightness. I add it toward the end because leaving the peel in for hours can add bitterness.
Strain it twice. I first pour the finished broth through a large strainer to remove the carcass, vegetables and other solids. Then I run it through a smaller fine-mesh strainer as I pour it into jars. It's an easy way to catch the little bits that make it through the first time.
Cool and store it safely. After straining, divide the broth into smaller containers and allow it to cool down before refrigerating, but don't leave it sitting at room temperature for more than two hours. You don't need to wait for it to become completely cold on the counter; once it has cooled sufficiently, refrigerate it so it can finish chilling safely. I usually divide mine between two jars and use what I need over the next few days. If I don't think I'll get through it, I freeze the extra. If freezing in glass, leave plenty of room at the top for expansion, or freeze the broth in another freezer-safe container or freezer bag.