I’m a food editor who loves to cook, but in my personal life, I often take the lazier route in the kitchen. Shortcut ingredients like rotisserie chicken, precut butternut squash, canned beans, and jarred tomato sauces are staples in my home. I’ll never turn down boxed mac and cheese, either. I’m all for anything that makes getting dinner on the table easier.
But there’s one exception: chicken broth.
When making chicken noodle soup, homemade chicken broth has a real advantage over anything you’ll find in a carton or can. Its richness and depth of flavor is just next-level. Store-bought options really can’t compete.
The catch? The moments I most want soup are often the times I have the least desire or energy to make broth from scratch. No one wants to simmer a pot of broth on a sick day.
My solution: I make a big batch of homemade broth when I have the time, then freeze it in portions I can pull out whenever a soup craving strikes.
The chicken broth cure
One fall weekend, I’ll set aside a day to simmer a big pot of broth. Later, when I’m ready for chicken soup, I can thaw a portion, warm it in a pot, and add whatever else I’m craving like chicken, carrots and noodles, tortellini, spinach and pesto, or black beans, frozen corn and canned tomatoes.
I freeze the broth in Souper Cubes in a few different sizes, so it’s easy to pop out just the amount I need. With the from-scratch stuff portioned out in your freezer, it’s easy to upgrade chicken noodle soup as needed.
How to make chicken broth from scratch
Pick a day when you’ll be home for a while. I like a football Sunday or a rainy Saturday. Grab a large stockpot or Dutch oven, then add a whole chicken and vegetables like onion, carrots, and celery. Cover everything with cool water and let it simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the broth is flavorful.
I’ll put on a TV show and check on the pot now and then, skimming anything that rises to the surface. Once the chicken is cooked through, I remove it and shred the meat. Sometimes, I’ll throw the bones back into the pot and let the broth simmer longer.
You can use the shredded chicken in the soup right away, or use it to make chicken salads, buffalo chicken dip, chicken enchiladas, you name it. (For future soup moments, I’ll often use rotisserie chicken.) When the broth is ready, strain it through a rinsed cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer into a large liquid measuring cup.
For the full step-by-step instructions, see the link below.
How to freeze chicken broth
Transfer the broth to freezer-safe jars, Souper Cubes, or other containers. Let it cool, then freeze. According to the USDA guidelines, at 0°F (−18°C) or below, broth stays safe indefinitely as long as it remains continuously frozen; for best quality, use it within two to three months. (Full disclosure: I’ve kept broth frozen for five months and it was still fine.)
A quick rule: The smaller the portions, the faster they’ll be ready to use. I love Souper Cubes because they come in a variety of sizes, making it easy to have a variety of portions ready to go.
Why homemade chicken broth is better
You can control what goes in.
Cartons of chicken broth are notorious for being sodium bombs. When you make it at home, you can control how much salt to add, along with every other ingredient. Prefer organic? Shop for organic produce and organic chicken.
It’s a great way to reuse vegetable scraps.
I keep a resealable plastic bag in my freezer for garlic and onion peels, carrot and celery ends, and Parmesan rinds. When it’s time to make a batch of broth, I add them to my simmer pot. Instead of throwing them away, I’m turning them into something delicious. Peeling carrots? You’re not being wasteful—you’re just getting ready to make an even better broth someday.
Homemade is just better.
Maybe it’s the love that goes into the pot, or the chance to choose high-quality ingredients. Whatever the reason, the extra effort is worth it. Homemade broth has a richness that can’t be beat.
