Recipe for Quick Full-Flavored Chicken Broth

Name: Quick and Full-Flavored Chicken Broth
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1 medium onion (cut into medium dice); 3 pounds chicken legs and thighs (trimmed of excess fat, cut into 2-inch pieces); 2 quarts water; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 bay leaves

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 60 mins

Total: 75 mins

Servings: 2 servings

Yield: 2 quarts

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Make a rich chicken broth in less than an hour using chicken legs, thighs, and backs. This recipe, taken from "The Perfect Recipe" by Pam Anderson, uses just a few ingredients and is quite simple to make. It yields about 2 quarts of broth, which can be frozen and on hand whenever you need chicken broth for a dish you're serving.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, cut into medium dice
3 pounds chicken legs and thighs, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 quarts water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 bay leaves

Gather the ingredients.

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Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.

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When the oil shimmers, add the diced onion and cut-up chicken pieces and sauté until the chicken is no longer pink (about 5 to 7 minutes).

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Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the chicken releases its juices, about 20 minutes.

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Increase the heat to high and add 2 quarts of water (already boiling if you are in a hurry), salt, and bay leaves.

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As soon as the water comes to a simmer, immediately reduce the heat to low again, cover, and simmer until the broth is rich and flavorful, 20 to 30 minutes longer.

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Strain and discard the solids.

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The broth is ready to use. Enjoy!

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Tip

If you are making this ahead, cool to room temperature before you refrigerate or freeze.

Suggestions for Use

Chicken broth can be eaten as soup with crackers or bread, but it is most often an important part of other recipes. Chicken noodle soup, chicken meatball soup, chicken with rice soup, chicken vegetable soup, cream of chicken soup, and tortilla soup are just a few ideas in the soup department.

Risotto recipes nearly always call for chicken stock, so it's helpful to have on hand to cook up a delicious batch on a weeknight or when you have limited time to make a meal. As a riff on risotto and less complicated, use chicken stock instead of water in the same proportion when you cook white rice. Season with butter, salt, pepper, and any other spices you are in the mood for to make a delicious side dish in just a few minutes. You can substitute chicken stock when you make polenta in the same way you do for rice.

If you are on the hunt for comfort food, chicken and dumplings, and chicken pot pie both call for chicken broth and are much quicker to make if you have a batch on hand.

How to Store and Freeze

The chicken broth can be stored in a Mason jar or plastic container in the refrigerator for up to one week. It can also be placed in airtight freezer-safe containers or bags and frozen for up to three months.

What's the difference between chicken broth and chicken stock?

The difference is in the ingredients. Chicken broth has meat and vegetables, while chicken stock's main ingredient is bones; thus it is rich in gelatin.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1333	Calories
68g	Fat
5g	Carbs
164g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories	1333
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 68g	87%
Saturated Fat 17g	86%
Cholesterol 864mg	288%
Sodium 1335mg	58%
Total Carbohydrate 5g	2%
Dietary Fiber 1g	3%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 164g
Vitamin C 3mg	13%
Calcium 122mg	9%
Iron 8mg	42%
Potassium 1875mg	40%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.