Making Chicken Broth

  I started with one normal size pressure cooker a few years ago and when my crockpot met an unfortunate incident with the floor the husband bought me a even larger second one. Having two has made chicken broth day so much easier. 

 When it comes time to make chicken broth which happens every three or four months it is a whole day affair. But it doesn't take up much of my actual time, but it is a day that I need to be home to keep an eye on the pressure cookers as they do the work.

I like to use the cheapest chicken that has bones in it for making broth, this time around it was drumsticks.

I use carrots, garlic, onion, and mushrooms along with the chicken to make the broth. I do not season the broth when I am making it as I like to that when I use it. 

When it comes to the carrots if I am using whole ones I just give them a good scrub and don't peel. Often I use whatever sad looking carrots are in the fridge, which sometimes could be baby carrots.

The onions just get a quick peel and cut in half 

The garlic just gets the ends chopped off, I don't even peel it as I strain the broth.

As a family we don't eat mushrooms, they just don't appeal to us but when it comes to making broth I toss in a container, I think it adds something to the broth. 

All of this in then placed in the pressure cookers, I use enough of the mixture to fill the cookers almost to the top and then add water and a splash of apple cider vinegar  to break down the chicken bones. Set the pressure cookers on the chicken setting for one hour, and I let them naturally cool for about 30 min after the cycle finishes. Then strain and place the broth on the stove in my extra large pot that holds 17 quarts.  Then place the now mushy mix of  veg and meat back into the pressure cookers add more fresh veggies and chicken if you have them left from the beginning add water and repeat the process. I do this about 3 times just keep reusing the veg and chicken and I will have about 17 quarts of broth. This takes about 8 hours, during this time I leave the broth that is finished simmering on the stove and that reduces it some more. 

If I am doing this in the winter and it's a nice cold day, I will portion it out into the containers and then place out in the snow until the broth cools and then I freeze it. If it's summer time I will try my best to have a open freezer and place the broth in there, also a sink of ice helps to cool it quickly. 

Lots of wonderful chicken broth to use in soups, and other recipes.