…in the Instant Pot!

A meal-prep experiment in preparation for postpartum that turned out to be killer! The PDF recipe is attached at the bottom of this post.

This is part two of my adventures in making stock and broth! My first recipe for Oxtail Bone Broth (which is technically “beef stock”) was such a fun experiment, and I’ve used up my 9 Cups of it in the past month already, adding it to various other fall stews. I feel so accomplished knowing I made that broth, and the result was of course delicious.

What is the difference between stock and broth?

The Food Network Cooking School has a perfectly detailed explanation on their site, but simply put, stock is made by simmering animal bones to extract the gelatin for a richer flavor that is complemented by the addition of herbs, vegetable mirepoix, and aromatics. Broth is flavored primarily by meat with a shorter simmering time and has a milder flavor. After making this recipe, the flavor is most definitely stock – ultra-rich tasting and divine. I used it to make my most recent batch of cilantro lime rice!

Inspired by the best advice I’ve received for postpartum (“save your future self from dinner woes and spend time meal prepping”), I decided to home-make this chicken stock for the very first time. And just like bone broth, this is not a meal, but it is a very nutrient-packed drink and soup-based replacement for postpartum meals and recovery. I put it on my list of third-trimester deep-freezer preparations, and it turned out to be a solid recipe that I’ll be keeping around.

This recipe hails from The Instant Pot Bible by Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough and is my adaptation and re-creation of their tried and true recipe!

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Chicken Stock

Makes 9 Cups

Ingredients

• (2.5 lbs) chicken wings
• (2) medium carrots, cut into 2″ pieces
• (1) large parsnip, cut into 2″ chunks
• (3) medium celery stalks, with any leaves, cut into 2″ pieces
• (1) large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• (2) large garlic cloves, peeled
• (2 tsp) salt
• (2 tsp) whole black peppercorns
• (10 Cups) water
• optional: leftover bones from a recent rotisserie chicken

Also required: 6-qt or 8-qt Instant Pot.

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Directions

1. In your 6-qt or 8-qt Instant Pot, add the chicken wings, carrots, parsnip, celery, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover with 10 Cups of water, or as much that will fit without going over the Max Fill Line. Lock the lid in place and make sure the valve is OPEN, or set to VENT.
2. Set the Instant Pot: SLOW COOK // HIGH // 5 HOURS, with the KEEP WARM selection OFF. Press START.
3. When it’s finished cooking, remove the lid. Set up a colander with a double layer of cheesecloth and strain the broth into a large mixing bowl or otherwise. Reserve the meat. Taste your liquid gold.
4. Allow the broth to cool for 1 hour at room temperature, then store in freezer-safe jars or other airtight containers. Refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to 3 days, before transferring to the freezer, for up to 3 months. If freezing your broth, be sure to leave about 1/2″ headspace in any container to leave room for expansion.

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Notes & Recommendations

• Reserve the meat! We made chicken quesadillas out of the leftover cooked wing meat, or you can freeze it for another recipe, like chicken tortilla soup. You could use this chicken stock as the base for the chicken tortilla soup as well!
• On that note, I also recommend reserving the vegetables as part of your snack. My daughter loved the roasted carrots and onions, and she tried the parsnips out of the pot.

• I found cheesecloth at our local large grocery store for about $3.50. You could also use a fine mesh sieve. Avoid having a devastating moment like I almost did when I was making bone broth my first time ever and set up your strainer AND bowl before you forget and start pouring the broth through the colander straight down the sink (face palm)…(I luckily only lost a second’s-worth!)

• Allow the broth to cool at room temperature for an hour before transferring to any glass jars, just to be safe! Enjoy a cup of broth on the couch while you wait for it to cool.

Label your broth and use it within 3 days in the fridge for anything from ramen, store-bought chicken stock replacement in soups, or straight sippin’.

Xx, Paris