Making your own chicken broth is incredibly easy, cheaper than store bought broth, and can be made with leftover items that might otherwise have gone to waste! When I began making my own vegetable and chicken broth in an effort to save money, I used vegetables bought specifically for the broth and cooked it on the stove top. Once I realized how versatile broth is, that you can use just about any variety of vegetables and swap the stove top for the Crock-pot, my method for cooking broth was forever changed. No more buying vegetables specifically for broth, and no more monitoring a pot on the stove top for hours. By using ingredients already on hand, and throwing everything in the slow cooker, I saved both time and money.
Tips for making your own broth:
- As you’re cooking throughout the week, save vegetable odds and ends that you may normally toss out, such as the tops of zucchini and squash, the seeds and tops of bell peppers, the outer cabbage leaves, and the tops or seeds of tomatoes. I throw all of these leftovers into a gallon size plastic freezer bag that remains in my freezer at all times. As I cook, I add to the bag. When I’m ready to make stock, these vegetables add great flavor.
- Add any variety of vegetables you happen to have. Celery, onions and carrots make a great base, but I often throw in leftover pieces of bell pepper, tomato, turnips, cabbage and squash.
This time my chicken broth included green pepper cores, tomato pieces, onion, celery, cabbage leaves and parsley.
- Add salt to taste when the broth is finished.
- Save the bones from rotisserie, baked chicken or turkey to make stock.
- Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer. If you don’t have one, line a colander with paper towels and pour broth through.
Mesh strainer.
Finished and ready to strain and store!
Easy Crock-Pot Chicken Broth
Ingredients
- Leftover chicken bones with or without scraps of meat and skin
- 1 onion quartered
- 2 carrots roughly chopped
- 2 stalks celery roughly chopped
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 tsp peppercorns
Instructions
- Note: Vegetables listed may be substituted for whatever you have on hand.
- Place all ingredients in the slow cooker.
- Fill slow cooker with water until liquid is about 1 inch from the top.
- Cover and cook on high for four hours or low for eight to ten.
- Discard bones and vegetables and strain broth through fine mesh strainer.
- Store in refrigerator or freezer. I like to store broth in quart size mason jars to use throughout the week or freeze in quart size freezer bags.
Love slow cooker recipes? Check out my favorite slow cooker recipe posts:
Cheap and Easy Slow Cooker Beans
How to Make Vanilla Yogurt in the Slow Cooker (Pin Test)
Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Curry (Pin Test)
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