The Homestead Way of Life

Can Your Own Chicken Broth

Making your own is easy and you will know that your  broth is healthy and natural.

Place a 3-4 lb. chicken (gizzards removed) in a very large pot and fill with water to cover.   Add one onion, peeled and halved, 3 carrots, chunked, 2 celery stalks, chunked and 1 TBS. of peppercorns.

Bring to a full boil and then simmer for 90 minutes covered.  When done, remove chicken from broth to a platter and cool.  Remove all of the meat from the bones and save it for chicken salad, soups, etc.

Strain the vegetables out of the broth and freeze.  You can use them later in soups, stews, etc.

When the broth is cool, strain it through several thicknesses of cheesecloth into a large bowl or pot.  Cover the pot and put it  in the fridge overnight.  In the morning, skim off all of the excess fat which will have solidified at the top.

Now, get some pint or quart jars, wash them, and keep them hot in a 250 degree oven or boiling water.  Get your canning lids ready also.

Place the recommended amount of water in your pressure canner and start the fire under it.  Bring your chicken broth back to a boil and ladle it into the hot jars, leaving one inch headspace.

Process at 11 pounds pressure - 20 minutes for pints, 25 minutes for quarts.

That's it!  Now you have your own, homemade chicken broth ready for delicious soups, stews and other recipes.  I'll post a couple of good soup recipes in the next couple of days.

Blessings!

Lisa

And guess what?

12:21, 2006-Jan-28 .. Posted by spinninggrandma

I just took a bunch of chicken parts out of the freezer to do that very thing today!!! Fantastic!!

I am going to try this...

06:46, 2006-Feb-1 .. Posted by patintenn

I need to get a pressure cooker...I am afraid of these things. My mom scared me to death with her cooker while I was growing up. But it is time for me to own one and USE it!!
Thanks for the recipe. This is something I never seem to have enough of.

Pat in Tenn

Untitled Comment

05:01, 2006-Feb-8 .. Posted by OurLittleHomestead

Thanks Lisa!! I hope to do wayyyyyyyy more canning this year.....and I hope to do this in a big way when we butcher later this year ;)

Lis

chicken broth

06:53, 2006-Apr-18 .. Posted by Anonymous

Last Thanksgiving I pre-begged turkey carcuses from the ladies at church, in-laws, sibling's in-laws, etc. And because everyone seems to celebrate Thanksgiving on different days, my Turkeys were spread out a bit. I spent a week cooking these down with carrots, celery, onions, spices, and then another few days canning. I ended up with some 40 quarts of turkey broth, (I only have 17 left! thankfully I am not making so much soup now) which can be used wherever chicken broth is called for.

turkey broth

04:26, 2006-Apr-19 .. Posted by morningsunshine

I left the previous message about the turkeys. I realized after I left it that I wanted to add my plans for this year: I am saving the outer onion peels, carrot peels, celery going soft, etc in the freezer so when turkey time comes again, I do not have to buy as much fresh produce for my broth. just a thought.
I also heard that apple peels, cores can be added to give broth an interesting flavor.