Risotto. Warm the chicken bone broth in a separate pan, then add it to the rice gradually, stirring as each ladleful is absorbed. The rice releases starch into the bone broth, which is what gives risotto its texture. The bone broth gives the dish a gentle savoury base without making it heavy - more on cooking grains this way on the bone broth pasta page.
Noodle soups. Chicken bone broth is a natural base for chicken noodle soup, ramen-style bowls and clear soups with ginger, greens or spring onion. Season the bone broth, add noodles and toppings, and the dish comes together quickly. More on the bone broth soup recipes page.
Poached chicken. Poaching chicken in water keeps it moist; poaching it in chicken bone broth does more. The meat takes on flavour as it cooks, and the liquid left behind becomes more useful, not less. Use it for soup, rice, sauce or a second light poach.
Grains and pulses. Rice, quinoa, couscous, orzo and lentils absorb the liquid they cook in. Replace water with chicken bone broth and the finished dish has a savoury base before anything else is added. It is a simple way to add protein and flavour to everyday food without changing how you cook.
Light braises. Chicken thighs, leeks, fennel, beans and root vegetables all work braised in chicken bone broth. The result stays gentle, but it has more structure than the same dish cooked in water.
Pan sauces and gravies. For roast chicken, pork or lighter vegetable dishes, chicken bone broth makes a cleaner gravy than beef bone broth. It suits herbs, lemon, mustard and white wine. The method is on the bone broth gravy page.
Steamed greens and vegetables. A shallow layer of chicken bone broth under greens, carrots, leeks or cabbage seasons them as they soften. Reduce the remaining liquid quickly with a little butter or olive oil.
Congee and rice porridge. Rice simmered in plenty of chicken bone broth breaks down into a soft, savoury porridge. It is easy to eat, easy to adapt, and useful when you want something warm without making a full meal.
A simple sipping mug. Warm chicken bone broth with a slice of ginger, a little salt if needed, and a squeeze of lemon. It is the mildest bone broth for drinking on its own. That same mildness is why it works well under cacao in a bone broth hot chocolate.
Why chicken broth suits lighter dishes
Chicken bone broth is useful because it has restraint. It gives food a savoury base without making the whole dish taste strongly of bone broth. A risotto still tastes of rice, butter and cheese. A noodle soup still tastes clean. Poached chicken stays delicate.
That is also why chicken bone broth takes seasoning well. Ginger, soy, miso, lemon, herbs, chilli and garlic all pair with it, so you can adapt it to clear soups, grain bowls, pan sauces or warm mugs. It is one of the easiest bone broths for cooking, and you can shop bone broth across every format when you need a carton to hand.
Beef bone broth has its place, but that place is usually deeper and slower: stews, ragus, French onion soup and red-meat gravies. Chicken bone broth is the everyday one. See more on beef bone broth recipes, and the full set of bone broth recipes. A good free-range chicken bone broth is worth keeping in for this kind of everyday cooking, and our notes on how to choose a bone broth help you judge one from the label.
