Chicken Broth/Stock Canning Recipe

With three sick kiddos over the past week, I decided it was time to try my hand at making some homemade chicken noodle soup. But I really wanted to make the broth from scratch for the healthiest option possible.

Having never really made chicken broth from scratch before, I searched around until I found what seemed to be a really good recipe. And boy did I find a winner! I am so pleased with how this stuff turned out!

Prep is super easy. You basically just toss a whole chicken into a pot, dump in a bunch of hardly even cut up veggies, add some spices and let it go! It takes a little planning ahead though ’cause you do have to refrigerate it overnight before you can it. But let me tell you, the flavor is incredible!

I’ll share the recipe for the broth first, and then I’ll tell you how to can it.

Chicken Broth

• 1 whole uncooked chicken; or 4 lbs uncooked chicken pieces with bones
• 2 large onions (do not peel skin off), cut into large pieces
• 2 large unpeeled carrots, washed and cut in half
• 2 large celery ribs, cut in half
• 10 peppercorns
• 1 head of garlic (leave skin on), broken into cloves
• 2 Tbsp salt

Place all of the ingredients at once into a large stockpot. Add enough cold water to the pot to fill it 3/4 full, covering the chicken. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Skim off any floating fat and stuff. Continue simmering, covered on low for 4-5 hours (or you can cook in a crockpot on low for 9-12 hours). Next, turn the pot off and allow it to cool down before transferring it to the fridge to sit overnight. In the morning, remove any fat from the top, then put it back on the stove to heat through. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and veggies, and strain the liquid through a colander or cheesecloth.

Now that you have your finished broth, you are ready to can it. And truly it couldn’t be easier! (Although, freezing it is an option!) The above recipe made enough for me to set aside 4 cups of broth for my chicken noodle soup, and 5 pints of canned broth for later usage.

To can your broth… (you’ll need a pressure canner)

Pour the strained broth back into the stockpot and bring it to a gentle boil.

Have your hot, sterilized jars and lids ready.

Using a ladle, pour the hot broth into a hot jar.

Fill the jar, leaving 1″ headspace.

Wipe the rim of the jar with a wet rag, then screw on the two piece lids.

Once your jars are full, process them in a pressure canner. Pint jars for 20 min, Quart jars for 25 min. at 10 lbs pressure.

And there you go! Delicious homemade broth all ready and waiting in your pantry for a future meal.

I can’t believe how easy this was to make. Seriously. I’ll definitely be making more of it for my food storage. And FYI, this paired with the homemade chicken noodle was TO. DIE. FOR.

So what are you still hanging around here for? Go make your own!!