How to Make Homemade Chicken Broth from Leftover Whole Chicken

Don't throw away those chicken bones!

I cooked a whole chicken on Saturday in the crock pot, with an onion, some garlic, fresh herbs from the garden, and about 2 cups of water. I carved enough of the meat to make chicken and dumplings. This big pot of soup lasted us two lunches and three dinners.

Today (Tuesday), I de-boned the chicken, getting every last bit of meat off the bones. I was able to get 4 cups of meat from the leftover whole chicken (in the container on the right).

 The container on the left had the leftover bones, onion, garlic, and herbs that had been in the crock pot. To make my homemade chicken broth, I simply transferred the contents of this container to a pot on the stove, added 2 more cups of water, brought to a boil, then simmered a couple hours (well I only simmered about 30 minutes because I needed my broth sooner, but the longer it simmers, the better). :)

 After the bones simmer and the water reduces, it's time to strain. You can also season your broth with salt and pepper if you like. You could use this for anything! It freezes well and makes a great base for homemade soup! I used it in homemade Spanish rice, enchilada sauce, (any kind of sauce for that matter!), soups, skillet meals; the possibilities are endless!

 I was able to get about 4 cups of homemade broth out of this whole chicken. And that doesn't include the broth that I stole from the crock pot on Saturday to make the chicken and dumplings!