Homemade Chicken Broth with Garlic & Herbs

Pour cold water over a whole chicken. Garlic, onion, herbs — throw them in. Two hours later you have broth that tastes like something. Not like the box. Like actual chicken.

Why You’ll Love This Homemade Chicken Broth

Takes 2 hours total, mostly hands-off. Slow cooker works too if you’ve got time. You’re basically just watching a pot simmer.

Costs less than buying it. Way less. One chicken, some scraps of vegetables, herbs you probably have sitting in the fridge right now.

The fat layer that hardens on top — save it. Chicken fat cooks everything better. Roast potatoes in it. Sauté vegetables in it. Don’t waste it.

Tastes better than store-bought because it actually tastes like chicken. Not salty. Not thin. Real depth.

Freezes for months. Pour into ice cube trays when it’s cold, pop them out once frozen. Use one cube or ten. Whatever you need.

What You Need for Homemade Chicken Broth with Garlic and Herbs

Whole chicken. Skin off. About 4 pounds. Don’t use rotisserie — too seasoned already.

Garlic. Three cloves. Halved, not minced. You want pieces that come out whole.

One large onion. Quartered. Yellow works. White works. Red’s fine too but it colors the broth pink.

Fresh thyme and rosemary. One sprig each. Not dried. Dried tastes like hay. Fresh is the thing here.

Two bay leaves. Not one. Two.

Star anise. One pod. Sounds weird. Makes sense once you taste it — adds a depth that sneaks up on you.

Salt and white peppercorns. Teaspoon each. The peppercorns stay whole so you can strain them out. White doesn’t look like black specks floating in your broth.

Cold water. Two and a half liters. Cold matters because you’re pulling impurities out, not sealing them in.

How to Make Healthy Chicken Broth

Dump everything into a large pot. Chicken on the bottom. Aromatics around it. Water covers it all.

Crank the heat to medium. You’re looking for a boil but you’re not in a rush. Takes maybe 10 minutes to get there. Don’t walk away — watch for when it starts bubbling hard.

Once it’s boiling, foam rises to the surface. Gray, ugly foam. Skim it off with a spoon or a skimmer if you have one. The chicken’s releasing impurities and you don’t want those clouding your broth. Skim twice in the first few minutes, then you’re done with that part.

Turn heat down. Really down. You want a gentle simmer. Tiny bubbles breaking the surface, not a rolling boil. The whole point is low and slow — 1 hour and 35 minutes at a simmer pulls the flavor out without making the broth bitter or cloudy.

How to Get Clear, Rich Chicken Broth

Don’t mess with it while it’s cooking. No stirring. No lifting the lid constantly. Just let it do the thing.

At the 1 hour 35 minute mark, turn off the heat. The chicken’s soft now. Falling-apart soft. Fish it out with tongs — it’ll be hot, so be careful. Set it on a plate to cool. You can pick the meat off later if you want it for something else. Probably good on toast with salt.

All the solids stay in the pot for now. Onion, garlic, herbs, star anise. Don’t eat them. They did their job. Now they come out.

Pour everything through a fine mesh sieve into a big bowl. This takes a minute. Don’t rush it. The broth filters through, the solids stay behind. Discard the solids. You’re left with liquid that’s maybe cloudy still. That’s fine. It’s not about how it looks yet.

Let it cool to room temperature. Takes maybe 30 minutes. Then it goes in the fridge.

Here’s the magic part — once it’s cold, usually 2 hours later, the fat solidifies on top in a layer. White, waxy, solid. Peel it off carefully. Save it or throw it away. Up to you. Most people save it.

Chicken Broth Tips and Common Mistakes

Don’t cover the pot while it simmers. Steam condenses back into the broth and makes it weak. Leave the lid off.

Don’t use a rotisserie chicken. The seasoning messes with everything. Whole raw chicken only.

Frozen chicken works. Thaw it first though. Cold water still, same process.

The time matters. 1 hour 35 minutes. Less than that and it tastes thin. More doesn’t really hurt it, just gets stronger.

If you have a slow cooker, set it on low for 6 hours instead of simmering. Same result. Different pace. Some people swear by it because you don’t have to watch it.

White peppercorns look weird in a jar but they’re less visible in the finished broth than black ones. That’s the only reason.

Bay leaves sometimes break apart. Fish out the pieces before straining if you see them. Or just strain carefully.

Star anise is optional but it shouldn’t be. Try it once. You’ll understand.

Homemade Chicken Broth with Garlic & Herbs

By Emma

Prep:

25 min

Cook:

1h 35min

Total:

2h

Servings:

9 cups

Ingredients

• 1.8 kg whole chicken, skin removed
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 1 fresh thyme sprig
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 star anise pod
• 5 ml (1 tsp) salt
• 5 ml (1 tsp) white peppercorns
• 2.5 liters cold water

Method

1. 1 Add chicken, garlic, onion, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, star anise, salt, white peppercorns, to large pot.
2. 2 Pour 2.5 liters cold water over ingredients.
3. 3 Heat to boiling over medium heat.
4. 4 Lower heat to maintain gentle simmer for 1 hour and 35 minutes.
5. 5 Occasionally skim foam and impurities from surface.
6. 6 Remove pot from heat. Lift chicken out. Set chicken aside to cool slightly.
7. 7 Discard solids: onion, garlic, herbs, star anise.
8. 8 Strain broth through fine mesh sieve into large bowl.
9. 9 Allow broth to cool until lukewarm, then refrigerate until fat solidifies on surface, about 2 hours.
10. 10 Remove fat layer carefully and discard or save for cooking.
11. 11 Use broth immediately or freeze in portions.

Nutritional information

Calories

45

Protein

7g

Carbs

1g

Fat

1.5g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Homemade Chicken Broth

Can you make this in a slow cooker? Yeah. Set it on low for 6 hours. Everything else is the same. Some people think slow cooker broth tastes better because it’s even gentler. Can’t prove it but it works.

How long does homemade chicken broth last in the fridge? Three days if you leave the fat layer on. Four if you remove it and keep it sealed tight. Freezes for months though. That’s why you make it.

What if the broth is cloudy? Not wrong. Cloudy just means there are tiny particles still floating. Tastes the same. If you hate how it looks, strain it through cheesecloth instead of a sieve. Takes longer. Comes out clearer.

Can you use chicken thighs or breasts instead of a whole chicken? Technically yes. Won’t taste as good. The bones and skin are where the flavor lives. Whole chicken is the move.

Should you skim the foam the whole time it’s cooking? Nope. Just the first few minutes when it boils. After that, leave it alone.

What do you do with the fat layer? Cook with it. Roast vegetables, make a roux, sauté anything. It’s seasoned chicken fat — better than butter for most things. Or throw it away. Your call.

Does the star anise really make a difference? Yeah. Adds a subtle depth. Not licorice-forward like you’d think. Just makes the broth taste more complete somehow. Skip it once if you don’t believe me. You’ll miss it next time.

Can you use dried herbs instead of fresh? Dried works but tastes thinner. Fresh is worth having around. One sprig of each is nothing.