1 chicken carcass cut into quarters (mine was from a 5 lb. chicken)
3 quarts (12 cups) water
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt (I like real salt)
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp parsley chopped fine
onion slices (I used about 1/2 of an onion)
1 cup rice or crumbled-up crackers or breadcrumbs (optional)
Divide the carcass into four pieces and put them into a large pot filled with the 3 quarts of water. Add the rice if you like, and then heat the pot until it is simmering. Add the herbs and spices and use a spoon to stir everything around a bit.
homemade chicken broth recipe
My broth ingredients ready to simmer
Cover the pot and let it simmer until the bits of leftover meat have fallen off the bones. Every once in a while, it’s a good idea to just check to make sure the water level is ok, and add a bit more if it looks like it’s getting too low.

I usually simmer mine for about 10-12 hours, but you can let it go for even longer depending on how much time you have, or if you’re running short on time, you can let it simmer for less. The longer it simmers, though, the more nutritious the broth will be.

Finished simmering and ready to strain.
Once the broth has finished simmering, strain it through a colander into a large bowl, and then it’s ready to use for soup or homemade gravy, or any other recipes that call for broth. I like to divide my broth into smaller freezer-safe containers so I can just take a little out of the freezer whenever I want to use some for soup or chicken pot pie or something like that. I like to use 8 ounce Mason jars so that my broth is already pre-measured and I can easily take out a cup to use in a recipe.