Italian

Italian-Style Chicken Broth

A rich, deeply flavorful homemade chicken broth made with chicken wings, necks, drumsticks, fresh vegetables, mushrooms, and aromatic herbs. Slowly simmered for several hours, the combination of chicken bones, connective tissue, and meat produces a beautifully balanced broth with plenty of body and natural gelatin. This recipe emphasizes fresh ingredients, careful skimming, and a gentle simmer to extract maximum flavor while maintaining clarity. A touch of juniper adds subtle aromatic complexity, making this broth an excellent foundation for risottos, soups, sauces, braises, and homemade pasta dishes.

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 5 hr
Total: 5 hr 30 min
Serves: 20
Makes: 5 qt
Difficulty: easy

Russell Toris@russelltoris

One-Pot

Ingredients

20Servings

½ lb White Mushroom, crumbled by hand
2 lb Chicken Neck
4 lb Chicken Wing, cut into 3 sections each
2 lb Chicken Drumstick
4 whole Yellow Onion, coarsely chopped
4 stalk Celery, coarsely chopped
3 whole Carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
8 qt Water, cold
1 cup Parsley, packed, coarsely chopped
15 pc Thyme
2 tbsp Black Peppercorn
12 whole Juniper Berry, lightly crushed
6 whole Bay Leaf, crumbled

Makes 5 qt

Nutritionper serving

Calories: 90
Carbohydrates: 2 g
Protein: 7 g
Fat: 6 g
Sugar: 1 g
Sodium: 80 mg

Method

Prepare the Ingredients

Wash and prepare the vegetables, coarsely chopping the onions, celery, and carrots into approximately ½-inch pieces, cutting on the bias where practical to expose more surface area. Crumble the mushrooms by hand and cut each chicken wing into three sections at the joints. Lightly crush the juniper berries to release their aromatics.

Combine the Chicken and Vegetables

In a very large, heavy stockpot, combine the crumbled mushrooms, chicken necks, wings, drumsticks, onions, celery, and carrots. Pour in the 2 gallons of cold water, ensuring the ingredients are submerged. Use a stockpot large enough to accommodate the ingredients without overcrowding.

Bring to a Gentle Simmer

Place the stockpot over high heat and bring the liquid just to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to medium-low or as needed to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for approximately 20 minutes, periodically skimming away the foam and impurities that rise to the surface. Avoid vigorous boiling, which can cloud the broth.

Add the Herbs and Aromatics

Once the initial foam has been skimmed away, add the parsley, thyme sprigs, black peppercorns, and lightly crushed juniper berries. Crumble the bay leaves into the pot. Adding the herbs and spices after the initial skimming prevents them from being removed along with the foam.

Slowly Simmer the Broth

Continue cooking at a gentle, uncovered simmer for approximately 4½ hours. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain only occasional small bubbles at the surface. Skim any additional impurities as needed. The extended simmer extracts flavor and gelatin from the chicken bones and connective tissue, producing a rich, full-bodied broth.

Remove the Chicken and Strain

Remove the stockpot from the heat. Using tongs, carefully transfer the chicken pieces to a plate to cool. Strain the broth first through a colander to remove the vegetables, bones, and larger solids, then strain again through a fine-mesh sieve for a cleaner, clearer broth. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and reserve it for another preparation, such as chicken salad or chicken ravioli.

Cool and Store

Rapidly cool the strained broth using an ice bath or by dividing it among shallow, heatproof containers. Once cooled, transfer to airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. If freezer space is limited, the broth can be reduced by approximately half before freezing, then diluted with water when ready to use.