I’m constantly looking for ways to make inexpensive meals without making my life harder. Not perfect meals. Not meals that require me to spend the whole day in the kitchen. Not meals that make my family look at me like I’ve lost my mind. Just simple ways to make the food I already bought stretch a little further.
Because groceries are too high to be throwing food away and then turning around and buying something else to replace it. That’s how I ended up making broth from chicken bones and vegetable scraps.
But honestly, this is not really about broth. It’s about creating small systems at home that help you waste less, spend less, and make the next meal easier.
The Little Freezer Bag That Started It
I started saving vegetable scraps after seeing a content creator on Instagram do this. At first, I thought it was genius. Not because broth is exciting. It’s broth. But because they were using things most of us throw away without even thinking about it. Onion peels. Garlic peels. Carrot peels. Celery ends. Bell pepper tops. Little pieces from vegetables that usually go straight in the trash.
Instead of throwing them away, I started putting them in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. That’s it. That’s the whole system. When I’m cooking and I have scraps that would work well in broth, I add them to the bag. I don’t have to make broth that day. I don’t have to add anything special to my grocery list. I don’t have to plan a whole project around it.
The scraps just wait in the freezer until I need them. And that is exactly the kind of system I like. Small. Simple. Useful.
But Isn’t Broth Cheap?
Yes, broth can be cheap. This is not me trying to convince you that you can never buy a carton of broth from the store. I buy things from the store too. But there is a difference between buying cheap broth because it works for your budget and throwing away food you already paid for and then buying broth because you didn’t realize you could make it from what you had.
That’s the part that made me think differently. I had already paid for the chicken. I had already paid for the vegetables. The bones and scraps were going to be thrown away. So if I can turn them into 6 cups of homemade broth with less than 10 minutes of hands-on work, that makes sense to me.
Not because it saves a huge amount of money in one day. But it is one more way to get the most out of what I have already bought. And when you’re trying to feed a family on a budget, those little things add up.
Where My Bones Came From
This particular week, I was making chicken and dumplings. I cooked about 6 to 8 chicken legs, removed the meat from the bones, and saved the bones for broth. In the past, I’ve also used the carcass from a whole chicken, so you do not need chicken legs specifically. Use what you have.
That is really the point of this whole thing. This was not a separate grocery trip. This was not an extra meal plan. This was not me buying a bunch of ingredients just to make broth. This was me looking at what I already had and asking, “Can I get one more use out of this?”
How I Made the Broth
I made mine in the Instant Pot. First, I sautéed the chicken bones for about 3 to 4 minutes. I’ve seen people say this helps bring out more flavor. I can’t tell you I’ve tested it enough ways to prove that, but it was easy, so I did it. Then I dumped in my frozen vegetable scraps and added a little apple cider vinegar.
After that, I added enough water to cover the bones and scraps. I added bay leaves and black pepper because that is what I had on hand. I did not add salt because I like to keep my broth salt-free. That way, when I use it later, I can control the salt in the actual meal.
Once everything was in the Instant Pot, I pressure cooked it for about 2 hours. You can also do this in a regular pot on the stove. I’ve made broth that way before too, and honestly, I don’t have a strong preference. The Instant Pot is just easier for me that day. And I didn’t have to check on it much. Hands-on, this took me less than 10 minutes.
I sautéed the bones, dumped in the scraps, added water, and turned the Instant Pot on. That’s the kind of from-scratch cooking I can get behind.
What I Ended Up With
After the broth was done cooking, I strained out the bones and vegetable scraps. I ended up with about 6 cups of broth. And I’m not going to lie: it smelled and tasted better than store-bought broth. But the best part was knowing what was in it. No guessing. No reading a long ingredient list. I didn’t have to wonder why there are things in my broth that I would not have added myself. Just chicken bones, vegetable scraps, water, bay leaves, and pepper.
My family is picky about a lot of things, but broth is not one of them. Once it’s used in soup, gravy, rice, casseroles, or chicken and dumplings, nobody is worried about whether it came from a carton or from my freezer scrap bag. And that is what makes this work for my home. It helps me behind the scenes without making dinner harder.
How I’ll Use It Later
This broth is now a starter for future meals.
I can use it for soup.
I can use it for gravy.
I can use it to cook rice.
I can use it in casseroles.
I can use it the next time I make chicken and dumplings.
That means the next time I’m cooking and need broth, I already have some. I’m not starting from zero. That is the bigger lesson here.
Sometimes, making home life easier is not about doing something huge. It’s about setting up small systems that help your future self. The freezer scrap bag is one of those systems. It takes almost no effort to keep, but it gives me something useful later.
A Quick Note About Storing Homemade Broth
This was my first time freezing broth in mason jars.
I used wide-mouth jars and made sure to leave space at the top because liquid expands when it freezes. If you fill the jars too high, they can break.
You can also use freezer-safe containers or freezer bags if that feels easier.
Because this is homemade broth, make sure you cool and store it safely. The USDA says leftovers should be refrigerated within 2 hours, used within 3 to 4 days if kept in the fridge, or frozen for longer storage. Frozen leftovers are of best quality within about 3 to 4 months.
This Is the Bigger Picture
I don’t want a home that depends on me constantly running to the store, constantly starting over, or constantly feeling like I need more before I can make something work. I want a home that works with what I already have. That does not mean I make everything from scratch. That does not mean I never buy convenience items. That does not mean every little thing has to become a project.
It means I’m learning to pay attention. I’m learning to notice what can be used again. I’m learning to build small systems that make feeding my family a little easier and a little less expensive. This broth started with chicken bones and vegetable scraps. Things I would have normally thrown away.
And now I have 6 cups of broth ready for another meal. That may not sound like a big deal, but to me, that is the kind of thing that makes my home run better. Not fancy. Not complicated. Just practical.
And sometimes, practical is exactly what we need.
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