Pork Free Pressure Cooker Chicken Stock

Total time2 hr

Prep time15 min

Cook time1 hr 15 min

5.0

(18)

A rich, deeply savory homemade chicken stock is one of those kitchen staples that genuinely transforms everything it touches — soups, risottos, braises, pan sauces, you name it. This pressure cooker method pulls incredible flavor from chicken backs, necks, and wings in a fraction of the time a stovetop simmer would take, making it completely realistic on a weeknight. The apple cider vinegar is a quiet workhorse here, helping to draw minerals and gelatin out of the bones so the finished stock has that glossy, full-bodied quality you just can't get from a carton. Aromatics like fresh thyme, parsley, bay leaves, and a skin-on quartered onion build layers of savory depth without any fuss. Store-bought stocks can be a minefield of hidden additives and ambiguous ingredients, but this one is entirely straightforward — chicken, vegetables, herbs, and water. After chilling overnight, you'll skim off the solidified fat and be left with a clean, golden stock ready to refrigerate for the week or stash in the freezer for up to three months. Once you have a batch on hand, you'll wonder how you ever cooked without it.

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Ingredients

8 servings

3 lb chicken backs, necks, or a mix of bony pieces (or 1 whole carcass plus 1 lb wings)
2 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, quartered (skin on)
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
4–5 sprigs fresh thyme
4–5 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp salt
10 cups cold water (or enough to reach the max fill line)

Instructions

1
Add the chicken pieces, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, apple cider vinegar, peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, and salt to the pressure cooker insert. Pour in the cold water until the ingredients are just submerged, stopping at least 2 inches below the max fill line.
2
Lock the lid and set the pressure release valve to the sealing position. Cook on high pressure for 60 minutes.

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