The Best Chicken Broth Recipe (Italian Brodo di Pollo)

It was the chickeniest chicken broth I'd ever tasted, so rich and deeply flavored that every other broth I'd had paled next to it. Today I'm sharing those secrets. With a pressure cooker, there's zero skimming, and it's ready in 30 minutes, or slightly 45 for a richer broth, or 1 ½ hours to pull out even more collagen, instead of the usual 2 to 3 hours on the stovetop.

Few ingredients work harder in your kitchen than a well-made chicken broth. I use it for tortellini in brodo, Venetian duck ragù, authentic bolognese, chicken noodle soup, risotto, lentils, cilantro-lime rice, refried beans, chicken tortilla soup, and more. Once you taste it made this way, you won't go back to boxed.

The Secret to the Best Chicken Broth?

The most obvious part of making the best chicken broth is using high-quality, antibiotic-free, free-range chicken whenever possible. But not everyone can afford that, much less find it in their local grocery store.

Here in Italy, Anna (like most other Italian nonnas and restaurants) often uses at least part of a gallina (an older egg-laying hen seen in the photo above) specifically raised for making the richest, most flavorful Italian brodos.

But you'll be happy to know that while premium chicken will give you the best start flavor-wise, it's not necessary to make great chicken broth(and this isn't one of the secret ingredients)!

Anna's technique works absolute magic with regular chicken too (yes, even standard American supermarket chickens), thanks to a couple of flavor-enhancing secret ingredients below:

• Chicken (bone-in and skin-on): Cuts like backs, wings, feet, necks, legs, or thighs (and preferably non-GMO-fed, organic free-range chicken)
• Onions: I wash the whole onion, then halve it, and I leave the peels and ends on. I've never had a bitter broth, but go ahead and peel them if you're at all worried about that:)
• Carrots: (halved, no need to peel or trim off the ends)
• Celery (just half a large rib is enough for us because we really want the chicken flavor to shine through, but add more if you love a nice backnote of celery.
• Salt: Sea salt or Pink Himalayan salt are my top choices because they have beneficial minerals that add to the nutritional value of the chicken broth. Diamond Crystal Kosher salt works fine, too, though. Avoid iodized table salt, which has a metallic iodine flavor and anti-caking ingredients that can make your broth taste bitter.
• Cinnamon stick (a small piece): You can use ground cinnamon in a pinch, but using a 1 to 2-inch piece of whole cinnamon stick is better. It adds an almost undiscernible layer of extra warmth and flavor that you have to taste to understand. The stick also imparts milder, sweeter notes than ground cinnamon.
• Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano rind: This adds another layer of flavor, extra minerals, and absolute umami deliciousness to the broth. Never throw out these hard cheese rinds (even from your wedge of American Parmesan). Instead, save them in the freezer until you're ready to use them.
• Water: Use filtered water or good drinkable cold tap water.

See recipe card for quantities.

Which Chicken Parts Make the Best Broth (And Which Ones to Avoid)

This is critical information that often gets glossed over, but it makes a HUGE difference in your results. Not all chicken parts are created equal for broth-making.

BEST choices for flavorful, gelatinous broth:

• Chicken Carcasses/Backs: The absolute best value. Tons of bones, some meat, loads of collagen from the connective tissue. Often, they're dirt cheap ($0.50-$1.25 per pound). This is what I use most often, along with a leg and a wing or two.
• Chicken wings: Perfect bone-to-meat ratio with lots of joints full of collagen. Makes an incredibly gelatinous, silky broth. Usually $1-2 per pound.
• Chicken feet: You can typically find them at Asian markets, specialty butchers, or local farmers' markets or farms. They add amino acids and unbelievable silkiness from all the collagen and gelatin in the skin and joints. I use them for my chicken ramen broth and chicken bone broth. They lack flavor, though, so you should use them in combination with other parts, not alone. See below for how to clean them and remove their nails and skin.
• Chicken necks: Similar to backs, lots of bones and connective tissue. Great for broth!
• Chicken thighs and legs: More expensive than backs or wings (depending on where you live), but still excellent. Great flavor and plenty of gelatin from the bone and dark meat.
• Leftover roasted chicken or rotisserie chicken carcass: Save your leftover bones in a bag in the freezer and add them to 1-2 pounds of raw chicken. The roasted bones add an even deeper, richer flavor. Don't use ONLY a roasted carcass, though, unless it's all you've got--the broth will be thin. Always add some raw chicken if you can.
• Whole chicken: Works fine, but it's absolute overkill, and there's no reason to include expensive chicken breast meat (which has the least flavor, no connective tissue, and the meat ends up the driest). If you're working with a whole chicken, I recommend cutting out that precious breast meat and using it for panko-crusted chicken breast or any other delicious chicken recipe where you can actually appreciate this meat (see what I mean below)!

How to Make Chicken Broth

Making chicken broth is stupid simple. You literally add everything to a pot, walk away, and come back to liquid gold that makes everything healthier and tastes better. No sautéing, no skimming (if using a pressure cooker), no complicated techniques, zero fuss.

Pressure Cooker Method (My Go-To Method for Speed & Ease):

Step 1. Add all ingredients to your pressure cooker. Close the lid and bring to high pressure over high heat. Once high pressure is reached, reduce the heat to the lowest setting while still maintaining pressure and...

• Cook for 30 minutes if you want to still enjoy more tender chicken meat for other dishes.
• Cook for 45 minutes to extract more flavor from the meat and create a jiggly broth (it won't be like my 8-hour jello-like tonkotsu ramen broth, but it'll be nice and jiggly).
• Cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours to extract the most collagen, gelatin, and minerals from the bones and knuckles.

Step 2. Turn off the heat and allow for a natural pressure release (this takes about 15-20 minutes and yields clear, beautiful broth instead of a cloudy one). Once pressure is fully released, carefully open the lid.

Step 3. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer (or a cheesecloth-lined colander) into a large bowl or pot, discarding the solids (reserving the chicken meat for another use). Taste and season with additional salt as needed. Skim off excess fat if desired, though I usually leave it for flavor.

Note: If you're in a hurry and you don't care about having a clear broth, run cold water over the top of the pressure cooker for a quick release. Your broth will still taste just as delicious!

Slow Cooker Method:

Add all ingredients to a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours. Strain, season, and skim as above. This method is great if you want to start it in the morning and have it ready for dinner.

Timesaving Hint

Don't bother sautéing your aromatics first. After making broth hundreds of times, I've learned it's an unnecessary step that doesn't add enough flavor to justify the extra work.

Focus instead on the quality of your chicken and vegetables-that's what actually matters. And always start with COLD water, not hot-it helps extract more flavor as everything heats up together gradually.

What Makes This the Best Chicken Broth

Living in Italy has shown me that homemade chicken broth (brodo di pollo) is an institution here. Our local butchers and even supermarkets sell specific chicken cuts (backs, necks, wings, feet, even leftover chicken carcasses) exclusively for making brodo. These "scraps" are culinary gold, not garbage, and they cost almost nothing.

The real game-changer is Anna's cinnamon stick, plus the hard cheese rind I add. The cinnamon creates this incredible depth and balance. No, it doesn't taste like dessert! The Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano rind adds umami and body that has officially also received Anna's stamp of approval!

These two ingredients are what help separate restaurant-quality broth from the watery, undrinkable boxed and canned chicken broth.

I've used boxed broth plenty, especially during my years as a private chef in NYC, cooking for five families with completely different needs. Sometimes convenience wins. But look at how pale even a good store-bought broth is next to homemade, and the only ones that are truly sippable cost too much to use regularly.

Brands I've used extensively: Swanson, Pacific Foods Organic, Better Than Bouillon (America's Test Kitchen's winner), Kettle & Fire, Kitchen Basics, Imagine Organic, College Inn, Progresso, plus store brands from Whole Foods 365, Trader Joe's, and Kroger.

What You Actually Get

• Flavor. Even the best organic low-sodium stock tastes thin and one-dimensional. Fine in a pinch, but never that "best thing I've ever eaten" moment. The gap is obvious in a dish like tortellini in brodo, where the broth is at least half the dish.
• Processing. It's processed food, even the organic kinds. Often "natural flavoring" that can hide MSG, preservatives for shelf life, concentrate added back to water, and months sitting in plastic-lined cartons.
• Cost. See below. It's the part that surprises people.
• Control. You pick the chicken, set the exact sodium level, know it was made yesterday, and can add ginger or turmeric if you want.

What a Quart Actually Costs

This makes just over 2 quarts using chicken backs and wings at $1 to $2 a pound, so a full batch costs less than one quart of the cheapest organic boxed broth. If you make it weekly like I do, that adds up fast.

Bottom line: homemade takes a little time, but it's almost entirely hands-off. The flavor, the ingredients, and the savings make it worth it.

Variations

• Herbed Chicken Broth: Add a sprig of fresh thyme, rosemary, or parsley to the pot along with the other aromatics. Remove before straining. This is lovely for French-style dishes.
• Ginger Chicken Broth: Add a 2-inch piece of fresh ginger (smashed, no need to peel) to the pot. This is amazing when you're fighting a cold or want extra anti-inflammatory benefits.
• Garlic Broth: Toss in a whole head of garlic (halved horizontally, no need to peel). You can use raw or roasted garlic, they both add great flavor.

Equipment

• Pressure cooker or Instant Pot (6-quart or larger): This is my preferred method for speed and flavor concentration. I use my pressure cooker at least twice a week. If you don't have one and make broth regularly, it's worth the investment.
• OR Large stockpot or Dutch oven (6-7-quart or larger): For the stovetop method.
• OR Slow cooker (6-quart or larger): Optional, for the overnight method.
• Fine-mesh strainer: For straining out the solids. I just use a regular fine-mesh strainer, and that works perfectly. Some people like to line it with cheesecloth for super-clear broth, but I find that unnecessary and a waste of time.
• Storage containers: I prefer tempered glass canning jars like quart Mason/Ball jars and Italian (Bormioli Rocco) Quattro Stagione liter jars for refrigerator and freezer storage. You can even repurpose old pickle jars, etc. But any freezer-safe containers or heavy-duty freezer bags will work.

• Chicken pot pie or casseroles: Any dish with a heavy sauce works well. The sauce gives the bland chicken moisture and flavor.
• Chicken salad: Shred it and mix with mayo, celery, grapes, and seasonings. The added ingredients mask the fact that the chicken is a bit bland on its own.
• Chicken penne pasta: Shred the meat and add it to your favorite tomato pasta sauce (while it's not the best thing you're ever going to eat, it's a very resourceful way to save money and feed your family).
• Chicken Breakfast "sausage": I like to add the deboned chicken to a hot skillet with EVOO, a little rubbed sage, and/or poultry seasoning, and salt. Sauté it until the chicken is crispy and has taken on some of those traditional breakfast sausage flavors, and serve with eggs and buttered toast! We love this, and it's actually healthier than most breakfast meats (win-win)!
• Chicken tacos: Shred and season heavily with taco seasoning, lime juice, and a bit of fresh broth to moisten it. Use for quick weeknight tacos.
• Fried rice: Dice it small and toss it into fried rice, where soy sauce, aromatics, and egg will give it tons of flavor.
• Add it back to soup: The most obvious use is to add the shredded chicken back into chicken noodle soup or other soups where it'll soak up the broth flavor again.
• Dog food topper: If you choose to cook the broth for 45 minutes to 1 hour in the pressure cooker (or 3 hours on the stovetop), you may find the meat too dry to do much else with. If this is the case, mix the shredded chicken into your dog's regular kibble as a special treat or give it to a neighbor who has a pooch. Just try not to let it go to waste if you can help it. (More on safely feeding broth to dogs below!)

If you use chicken feet, bare bones, or carcasses, obviously, there won't be much meat to save. But with backs, wings, thighs, or legs, you'll get about 2 cups of perfectly usable chicken that you can doctor up (repurpose) and save money!

How to Use Homemade Chicken Broth

This is where homemade broth really shines. Once you have it in your fridge or freezer, you can use it throughout the week to add more flavor to all your meals. Here's what I use it for regularly (and why I make it at least once a week):

Pasta and grain dishes:

• Authentic Bolognese Ragù (uses broth for depth)
• Venetian Duck Ragù (essential ingredient)
• Risotto (homemade broth is a necessity for making the best-tasting risotto, not water)
• Mediterranean Couscous (same thing as the risotto, I'd never use water for the best couscous)
• Cilantro-Lime Rice
• Rice pilaf (a favorite of my old clients), farro, quinoa, bulgar wheat, barley in broth instead of water (game-changer for flavor)

Beans and legumes:

• Authentic Tex-Mex Refried Beans
• The pan-cooking liquid for Homemade Potstickers
• Ham and Beans
• Lentils or Lentil Soup
• Split Pea Soup
• Any bean or legume dish (broth adds so much more flavor than water)

Other tasty uses:

• Deglazing pans after searing meat or vegetables (picks up all those flavorful browned bits)
• Braising liquid for braised pork belly, pot roast, short ribs, chicken thighs, or any braised dish
• Mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower (use instead of milk for a dairy-free alternative)
• Gravy base for any pan gravy or sauce
• Cooking liquid for vegetables to add flavor
• Base for any sauce that needs liquid and depth

Problem 1: My broth is cloudy instead of clear.

Solutions:

• Start with cold water, not hot or warm water
• Don't let it boil rapidly-maintain a gentle simmer (bubbles should barely break the surface)
• If using a pressure cooker, use natural release instead of quick release to get a clear broth (the above photo shows a quick-release chicken stock).
• Skim the foam off the top during the first 10-15 minutes of cooking if making broth using the stove-top method.
• Strain through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth to remove impurities and vegetable pieces in the broth before serving.

Problem 2: My broth doesn't have much flavor.

Solutions:

• Use better chicken parts (backs, wings, necks, thighs, and feet have WAY more flavor than breasts)
• Don't use too much water (ingredients should be just barely covered, not swimming)
• Simmer longer (3+ hours stovetop, or try 60-90 minutes in a pressure cooker instead of 30-45 minutes)
• Add a saved roasted chicken carcass for deeper flavor
• Make sure you include the cinnamon and cheese rind (they add tons of depth)
• Season with more salt at the end-sometimes broth just needs salt!

Problem 3: My broth is too salty.

Solutions:

• Next time, salt very lightly (or don't salt at all) during cooking and adjust at the end
• If it's already made: add a peeled, quartered potato to the broth and simmer for 20 minutes (the potato absorbs salt), then discard the potato
• Or dilute with water or more unsalted broth (though this reduces flavor overall)
• Or just use it in recipes that don't need additional salt

Problem 4: My broth didn't gel when refrigerated.

Solutions for next time:

• Use more collagen-rich parts: backs, wings, feet, necks (not breasts!)
• Add chicken feet if you can find them, because they're full of gelatin
• Simmer longer to extract more collagen (try 3+ hours stovetop or 60+ minutes in the pressure cooker)
• Use less water-you want ingredients just covered getting the chicken meat to water ratio is part of making sure you get the jelly-like broth
• Add a roasted chicken carcass or raw chicken with lots of knuckle and joints (wings especially)

Note: Ungelled broth still tastes great! It just won't have quite as much collagen/gelatin, which means slightly fewer health benefits and overall body. It's still a 1000x better-tasting and better-for-you than store-bought!

Problem 5: My broth tastes weird or off.

Possible causes:

• I doubt this one will ever happen, but it could be because you used spoiled chicken. Always use fresh chicken that smells fresh with no off odors of any kind, that's within its sell-by/use-by date.
• Didn't refrigerate promptly, and bacteria grew-broth should be refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking, although I've gone longer and not had any issues. That said, don't double-dip into the pot with utensils you've been tasting it with, and then leave it unrefrigerated. This can transfer bacteria and allow it to flourish.
• Added bitter vegetables like broccoli stems, cabbage, or too many bell peppers
• If any of these happened, toss it to be on the safe side:)

Health Benefits of Homemade Chicken Broth

Beyond tasting infinitely better than store-bought, homemade chicken broth is genuinely good for you. This isn't just old wives' tale stuff about chicken soup being healing-there's real science behind why this works.

Collagen and Gelatin for Gut Health: When you simmer chicken bones and connective tissue long enough, the collagen breaks down into gelatin. This is why your broth may get jiggly and thick when cold (which is a GOOD sign, not a bad one!).

This gelatin supports gut lining health, can help heal leaky gut, aids digestion, and may reduce inflammation in the digestive tract. It's one of the main reasons bone broth has become so popular.

Joint and Skin Health: That same gelatin provides the building blocks (amino acids) your body uses to maintain healthy joints, cartilage, and skin elasticity. Some people say that drinking homemade broth regularly helps with joint pain and gives their skin a healthy glow.

Minerals Your Body Can Actually Absorb: The longer you simmer it, the more minerals it pulls out of the bones (e.g. calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium). Broth serves them up in a form your body can easily absorb and use. You're essentially making your own mineral supplement, but in a form that tastes delicious.

Protein Without Extra Calories: Each cup contains about 5-6 grams of protein from the dissolved collagen and any residual meat, but only about 40 calories. It's incredibly nutrient-dense for the calorie count.

Anti-Inflammatory Amino Acids: Chicken broth is rich in amino acids like glycine, proline, and arginine that have anti-inflammatory properties. This is why chicken soup really does help when you're sick. It's not just the steamy warmth or comfort! It actually has anti-inflammatory compounds plus easy-to-absorb nutrients when your body is fighting off an illness.

Hydration and Electrolytes: The combination of water, minerals, and salt makes broth excellent for hydration, especially when you're sick, recovering from intense exercise, or need electrolyte replenishment. It's basically nature's Gatorade and costs a lot less than premium coconut water like Harmless Harvest (my favorite!).

No Processed Additives: Unlike even organic store-bought broths (Pacific Foods, Swanson Organic, Imagine), you're avoiding processed additives, like "natural flavors" that can potentially hide MSG, preservatives, and chemicals potentially leaching from plastic-lined cartons. You know exactly what's in your broth because you put it there.

Immune Support: The combination of minerals, amino acids, and easily digestible nutrients supports overall immune function. Plus you can customize it with immune-boosting additions like ginger, turmeric, and garlic if you want extra medicinal properties.

The nutrition facts will vary depending on exactly which chicken parts you use and whether you skim the fat, but in general, homemade chicken broth is one of those rare foods that's both incredibly nutritious AND tastes amazing. It's not just healthier than boxed broth-it's actually healthy, period.

To clean them: Rinse the chicken feet well under cold running water. You can trim off the nails at the tips with kitchen shears if you want, but I typically leave them on since everything gets strained out at the end. Plus, the nails contain extra collagen.

Some recipes call for blanching the feet in boiling water for about 5 minutes, then plunging them in ice water so you can peel off the outer yellow skin. Honestly, I skip this step and just rinse them well since we're straining everything at the end.

Once rinsed (and optionally peeled), add them to your pot with the other chicken parts and proceed with the recipe. Don't let the unfamiliarity stop you from making the absolute best, most nourishing chicken broth possible.

How to make chicken broth safe for dogs:

The main difference is you need to omit or drastically reduce the salt and skip the onion (onions are toxic to dogs because they damage their red blood cells causing anemia😢). Here's the best approach when you want to make a batch for your pooch:

• Use chicken bones/backs/wings as usual
• Skip the onion entirely
• Keep the carrots and celery (totally safe for dogs)
• Skip the cinnamon and cheese rind (not harmful, but unnecessary to "waste" on your dogs)
• Use very little salt or none at all
• Skim off most of the fat after cooking

How to serve it to dogs:

• Pour a few tablespoons over their regular kibble as a flavor boost
• Freeze in ice cube trays for a refreshing summer treat
• Mix with their food when they're being picky eaters
• Serve warm (not hot!) when they're sick or recovering

Important notes: Always check with your vet first, especially if your dog has any health conditions. And NEVER give dogs store-bought broth-even "low-sodium" versions often contain onion powder, garlic, excessive salt, or other ingredients that aren't safe for pets. Homemade is the only way to go for dogs!