Whole Chicken And Stock
This easy meal prep chicken and broth recipe is your secret weapon for streamlined weeknight dinners. Using just a few simple ingredients and your pressure cooker, you’ll have tender shredded chicken and a flavourful, nourishing stock in just 30 minutes.
It’s a low-effort, high-reward base you can transform throughout the week. And it’s one of the most effective things a pressure cooker can do!
I use a pressure cooker for this recipe—specifically the Breville Fast Slow Go. An Instant Pot works equally well. I’ve also included stovetop instructions as an alternative method.
Once I’ve got the shredded chicken and stock, I sometimes use it to make a big chicken soup—this can be done quickly since the stock is already prepared. Alternatively, I mix the chicken meat with mayo and pickles for a delicious chicken salad and use the stock in seasonal soups like zucchini or pumpkin.
Whole Chicken And Stock
Deliciously tender shredded chicken and flavourful stock in one!
Serves:
6
Prep time:
10 minutes
Cook time:
30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 whole organic chicken
- 1 large brown onion, quartered
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp salt
- A few sprigs of thyme and/or rosemary
- 8 cups filtered water (or enough to cover the chicken)
METHOD
Pressure Cooker:
- Place the whole chicken in your pressure cooker.
- Add all vegetables, herbs, and seasonings.
- Pour in filtered water until the chicken is fully covered (about 8 cups).
- Seal the pressure cooker lid and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.
- Allow natural pressure release for 10–15 minutes, then release any remaining pressure manually.
- Carefully remove the chicken and set it aside to cool slightly.
- Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl or jars, and discard the vegetables.
- Once cool enough to handle, shred the chicken, discarding the skin and bones.
- Store the chicken and broth in separate airtight containers in the fridge (up to 4 days) or freeze for later use.
Stovetop:
- Place the whole chicken in a large stockpot.
- Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns, salt, and herbs.
- Pour in enough filtered water to fully submerge the chicken (about 8 cups).
- Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer with the lid on for 3 hours. You may need to move it to a different (smaller) burner if it is bubbling too much. Skim any foam or impurities from the surface as needed. If you need to top up with more water, do so.
- Check that the chicken is fully cooked (internal temp of 74°C) and tender.
- Carefully remove the chicken and set aside to cool.
- Strain the broth into a large bowl or jars through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the vegetables.
- Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it and discard the skin and bones.
Notes
- Broth can be frozen in portions for up to 3 months.
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