How to Freeze Chicken Broth

Do you end up with leftover chicken broth when you’re cooking? Find out how to freeze chicken broth in small portions, so you only thaw what you need.

How to Freeze Chicken Broth

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When I’m cooking, I almost always end up with chicken broth left over. I usually buy the boxes of chicken broth, because most recipes need more than a can, and let’s face it, the boxes are easier to handle. BUT, most recipes don’t need an entire box of chicken broth. Unless you’re making soup. So I always have some leftover. And I pop it in the refrigerator, and then I forget about it, and then I need to throw it away.

There’s a better way! You can freeze chicken broth leftovers!

When I make my Homemade Chicken Broth (get the recipe here), I freeze it. That recipe makes 6-8 cups of broth, and unless I’m making Homemade Chicken Soup (get that recipe here), I won’t use it all. So into the freezer it goes!

My favorite way is to freeze in muffin tins and ice cube trays. The muffin tin I have holds about 1/3 cup of liquid, and my ice cube trays hold about 4 Tablespoons. I freeze the broth in smaller batches, and only take out what I need.

Before you get started, fill your containers with water to see how much they hold. Then you’ll know that if you need 1 cup of chicken broth for a recipe, and your muffin tins were 1/3 cup each, you need to take out 3 frozen broth discs. Then put your broth in a container that pours well. It’s tough to pour out of a can and get it into those small ice cube trays. Pour directly out of the broth box, or use a measuring cup with a good spout. Remember, broth is mostly water, so it will expand a bit when it freezes. Make sure you don’t fill your compartments too full, or you’ll end up with frozen chicken broth all over the place.

Freeze the ice cube trays and muffin tins overnight. Then set them out at room temperature for a few minutes, just until the edges start to warm up a bit. This will make it easier to pop the frozen cubes out. Pop all the cubes and discs out, then put them in Ziploc freezer bags. Date the bag, and store the broth in your freezer for up to 6 months.

If you want to freeze in larger portions, that’s easy, too! Just pour as much chicken broth as you want into a Ziploc freezer bag. This is one time you’ll want to splurge and use actual Ziploc bags instead of store brand. When I’m freezing liquids, I think the other brands leak too often. While a quart bag will technically hold 4 cups, I usually only fill those with 2 cups of broth. I think it helps prevent leaks, and makes everything freeze a little easier.

Lay the bags flat on a cookie sheet and freeze. Then when they are frozen, you can stand them up or stack them for easy storage.

You can use frozen chicken broth right out of the freezer. Since you know how much broth is in each cube (you did measure first, right?), just grab as many as you need and toss them into whatever you’re cooking. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the cooking time to let the frozen broth melt.

You can also thaw the frozen broth in the refrigerator overnight. Put the frozen cubes in a covered container. If you’re thawing a bag, make sure it is in a bowl with a lip, so any leaks are caught. Otherwise it will make a mess of your refrigerator. (Just trust me on this one…)

What other “leftovers” do you want to freeze? Leave me a comment, and I’ll help you figure out how to freeze them!

Enjoy!

Free Printable Freezer Inventory

Never lose your carefully frozen food in the back of your freezer again! Grab a free printable inventory page for your freezer and you’ll always know what you have on hand.

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