Slow Cooker Whole Chicken Bone Broth
This chicken bone broth is the easiest way to make bone broth! Using a whole chicken in the slow cooker yields both shredded chicken and rich bone broth.
Why you’ll love this slow cooker whole chicken bone broth
Bone broth is a powerhouse ingredient! It’s packed with collagen, healthy fats and protein, and is far tastier than plain ol’ stock that you’ll find on the shelf at the store. It seems like a daunting, time-consuming thing to make with hard-to-find ingredients, but this version is the easiest one you’ll find. All you need is a whole chicken, some vegetables, and you’ll have perfectly cooked, shredded chicken and nourishing bone broth.
Here’s why you’ll love it…
- You get to meal prep a whole chicken! This recipe yields a whole chickens worth of cooked chicken, which you can use to make soup with the bone broth, or make
- Packed with flavor! Traditional boxed chicken broth is nothing compared to homemade chicken bone broth! It has a much deeper flavor, packs more protein, and is more nutrient-rich.
- It’s nutrient-rich! Some studies suggest it can help reduce inflammation, and it’s a natural source of collagen (source)
Recipe Ingredients
- Whole chicken. Yes, just a whole raw chicken! It’s very helpful if the chicken still has the neck as this adds extra collagen.
- Carrots, celery, and onion. You can also add other vegetables to flavor the broth like sweet potato, but I feel like this is classic.
- Herbs. I use thyme, sage and rosemary.
- Apple cider vinegar. This helps pull minerals from the bones.
How to make whole chicken slow cooker bone broth
Step one. Add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker, ensuring that the chicken is fully covered with water. Add more water if needed.
Step two. Remove the cooked chicken meat from the chicken. Shred and set aside.
Step three. Cook the chicken carcass on low for 18 hours
Step four. Strain the broth and allow to cool before storing the fridge or freezer
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Flavor your broth to your liking. You can easily flavor your broth a variety of ways, like with parsnip, fresh herbs, sweet potato, etc.
- Add chicken feet for extra gelatin. Yes, chicken feet are a great source of collagen! I recommend using a butcher’s knife to cut off the nails.
How do you store chicken bone broth?
- Store it in the fridge in glass for 3-4 days.
- Freeze it for up to 3 months
What do you do with the shredded chicken?
You can do just about anything with it! It’s delicious shredded chicken that you can use just as you would any other shredded chicken, like…
- Add it to soup
- Make tacos or a sandwich
- Add it to a salad
- Enjoy it with any side of your choice.
Recipe FAQS
When collagen-rich broth cools, it forms a solid gel. This is a great sign that it’s filled with collagen, like a natural gelatin!
It’s still filled with goodness even if it doesn’t gel, so don’t worry!
Recipes that Use Chicken Broth to Try…
Slow Cooker Whole Chicken Bone Broth
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Ingredients
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- ½ yellow onion, quartered
- 3 lb whole chicken, uncooked
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 3-4 leaves fresh sage
- ¾ tsp salt
- 8 cups water
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker, ensuring that the chicken is fully covered with water. Add more water if needed.
- Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 6 hours. Carefully remove the chicken meat from the slow cooker (check temperature for 165F), leaving the carcass in the slow cooker.
- Shred the cooked chicken and allow to cool before storing in the fridge to make salads, soup, etc!
- Keep the chicken carcass back to the slow cooker and continue cooking on low for 18 hours.
- Strain the broth and allow it to cool before storing the fridge for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
I’d love to try making this but my slow cooker only lets you do a maximum of 8 hours. It’s really supposed to be 18?
It takes a long time to break down the chicken bones! You can just reset the slow cooker when it reaches zero to get to the total cook time.
This recipe was very easy, and turned out well. I liked the idea of using a crockpot vs watching a pot on the stove top. We will be using this recipe again.
Thanks!!
Can you cook this in an instant pot? And if so, how do you adjust the times?
Can I cook it on the stove top? Don’t have a slow cooker at the moment. How long should I cook it?
Some recipes say to skim the fat before storing, and save the fat for cooking with. Do you just leave it with your broth?
I strained to remove particles which still allows the fat.
Personally, I skim most of it but it’s going to depend on how fatty it is!
How would you adjust the cooking time for a 6lb chicken? Thank you! Excited to try this.
There’s a tool in our recipe card where you can 2x the recipe! I would start by checking that out, and just add as much liquid as your slow cooker can hold that will cover the chicken.
What do you do with the veggies? do you eat them or throw them away?
You can save them to compost or blend it into the broth for a chicken/veggie broth!
This is my go to bone broth any time a recipe calls for chicken stock. Most definitely better than any store bought. Worth the time and effort!
Yay, so glad!!
How long will this broth last in the fridge, sealed in a mason jar?
I keep it for about 5 days!
Thank you for this recipe. I read another read that said throw out the solids and I didn’t want to waste perfectly good chicken.
I love this recipe for the yummy broth and minimizing waste!