Making your own homemade broth with chicken leg quarters is a fabulous way to save money, and really deepen the flavor of your soups. I love to use chicken leg quarters because they are extremely inexpensive and provide a lot of meat.
Why Using Your Chicken Leg Quarters to Make Broth is a Win, Win!
At my local Walmart, in 2023, I can buy 10lbs of chicken leg quarters for $7.72. Yes, I can simply cook the chicken legs and eat them in a roasted chicken dish such as this delicious roasted chicken legs and sweet potatoes. BUT I also like to get more bang for my buck and cook some of them up making broth.
Using this method provides perfectly cooked, shreddable chicken perfect for this chicken pot pie casserole and this chicken noodle soup. AND the broth I make is enough to add a ton of flavor to both of those dishes. So like I said, it’s a win, win!
3 Recipes To Make With Your Chicken Leg Quarters
As I mentioned above, you can get a lot of bang for your buck buying the 10lb bag of chicken leg quarters from Walmart. It turns out, from just one bag, I can make all three of these meals including the broth recipe below:
- Roasted chicken leg quarters with sweet potatoes and carrots
- Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
How to Continue to Save Money
I originally came up with this recipe and all of these uses for chicken leg quarters when I challenged myself to create 65 meals for just $35 to feed my family for 5 days. To find out more, can watch the video where I share this challenge here or read the whole process and find the recipes here!
FOR MORE INEXPENSIVE FAMILY RECIPES CHECK OUT THESE VIDEOS:
- 3 Delicious Pantry Friendly Meals
- 105 Meals for $115 – Feeding My Family For a week
- The Top 10 Secrets to saving big on food!
MORE WEEKNIGHT RECIPES TO TRY:
- Instant Pot Chicken and Potatoes
- Cheesy Tortellini Bake(My Kids LOVE THIS!)
- Rotisserie Chicken Enchiladas! (These are SO EASY!)
Easy Homemade Broth With Cheap Chicken Leg Quarters
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 9 1x
Description
Making your own chicken broth is the first step to elevating your homemade soups and dishes like chicken pot pie. This easy-to-follow recipe guides you through the process of simmering chicken thighs with aromatic vegetables and seasonings to create a rich and flavorful base that’s sure to enhance your culinary creations. Enjoy the delicious results!
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- A few whole peppercorns
- Water
Instructions
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In a large stockpot, place the chicken leg quarters and add enough water to just barely cover them.
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Over medium-high heat, bring the water to a boil.
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Add the quartered onion, diced carrot, diced celery, and a tablespoon of salt.
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Add the dried parsley and dried thyme directly to the pot for flavor.
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Include a bay leaf and a few whole peppercorns.
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Reduce the heat to a simmer and let the broth cook for at least 1 hour, but you can go up to 5 hours for richer flavor. Ensure the chicken is cooked through.
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Periodically, skim off any impurities that rise to the surface.
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Once done, remove the chicken pieces; they can be used for soups or chicken pot pie.
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Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a container.
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Refrigerate the broth, and when it’s cold, remove the congealed fat from the top.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 2 hours
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