The Instant Pot really is the perfect way to cook this tender chicken and the resulting batch of bone broth. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you could certainly prepare the chicken in a covered Dutch oven or other heavy pot on the stove top (adjusting the cooking time as needed) and then allow the broth to simmer for several hours to come together. I like to use chicken legs for this recipe. They’re flavorful and provide plenty of components for the bone broth. If you prefer, you can substitute another cut of chicken and adjust the cooking time as necessary. Browning the pieces in batches ensures that they will be cooked evenly.
Pat each chicken leg dry with a clean paper towel. Season each piece liberally with salt and pepper.
Select the Sauté setting on the Instant Pot. Allow the pot insert to heat up before adding approximately 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, coating the bottom of the pot. Add a few of the seasoned chicken pieces, skin side down, to the pot. Do not overcrowd the pot, add only as many pieces as can easily fit in the bottom of the pot. Two whole legs fit well in the bottom of my 6 quart pot.
Sauté the chicken without moving the pieces for 4-5 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces to the other side and brown without moving for another 4-5 minutes. Remove the browned chicken pieces from the pot to a platter or casserole dish and continue with the next batch of uncooked chicken until all of them have been browned, adding more olive oil if necessary. Don’t worry if a bit of the skin sticks to the pot and separates from the chicken.
When all of the chicken has been browned on both sides, return all of the pieces in the pot. Cancel the sauté setting on the Instant Pot. Add 1 cup of bone broth, stock, or water to the pot. Secure the lid for pressurizing, turn the valve to sealing, and select the Poultry or Meat setting for 10 minutes. When the 10 minutes have passed, allow the pressure to dissipate naturally for 10-15 minutes before turning the valve to venting to safely release any remaining steam.
Remove the lid from the Instant Pot and transfer the cooked chicken pieces to a large platter or dish. I like to allow the pieces to cool slightly before removing the tender meat from the bone. Place the shredded chicken in a container for storage in the refrigerator. Add a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid to the chicken, tossing to coat. This liquid will keep the chicken moist and prevent it from drying out in the refrigerator.
Return all the inedible bits from the chicken legs (skin, bones, tendon, and fat) to the cooking liquid that remains in the Instant Pot.Add 2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to the Instant Pot. The vinegar will help to extract the calcium from the bones as the bone broth is cooking. Add enough water to cover the contents in the pot, taking care not to exceed the max level. Place the lid securely on the Instant Pot, turn the valve to “sealing”, select the soup/broth setting for 120 minutes, and allow the bone broth to cook.
When the 120 minutes have elapsed, allow the pressure to dissipate naturally for 15 minutes before turning the valve to safely vent the remaining steam. Remove the lid and strain the contents. I like to store the bone broth in large Mason jars in the refrigerator for use during the week. For long term storage, bone broth can be frozen in freezer safe containers, but mine never lasts that long.