Why make chicken broth from an old hen? Well, if you keep laying hens, you’ll find that every year or two, some of your flock slow down or stop producing altogether. While these old hens may be too tough for roasting, they’re perfect for making deeply nourishing chicken broth. Turning them into rich, golden broth is a frugal and respectful way to honor their service—and it yields a versatile, mild tasting and nutrient dense liquid that can be sipped on its own or used as a flavorful base for soups, sauces, and stews.

five jars of chicken broth made from an old hen

Do older chickens taste better?

No, the meat of an older chicken is tough and chewy and is definitely not prime eating. However, if you keep layer hens you will periodically have a batch of old hens that need to be culled and replaced with new layers. It would be a shame to just throw them away so making a healthy and nourishing broth from old hens is the way to go.

What are old hens good for?

Because their meat is tough and chewy, they are NOT suitable for roasting. They benefit from long, slow cooking in liquid, like in braising or poaching. My go to method for using them up is to cook them in stock, peel all the meat off the bones and chop it finely with a sharp knife. It can then be added to Chinese chicken soup, chicken pot pie or chicken salad. Even after 2-3 hours of cooking, old hens’ meat won’t be as good as a young chicken’s (it will still be a bit stringy and dry) so this is the only way I have found to use it. Or you could make the broth and then shred the meat and give it to your cat or dog.

Why bother making chicken broth from an old hen?

I want to be a good steward of my resources, so it makes sense for me to cook and eat any hens that aren’t laying well any more, rather than throw them away. Also, because we free range our flock and give them plenty of greens and nutritious scraps, their meat is way healthier than any chicken we could get at the grocery store, so I want to make use of it for our family rather than just give it to my cat. Bone broths in general are very nutrient dense, especially rich in the amino acid glycine which is beneficial to our skin, bones, hair, as well as being soothing to our digestive system.

Are chicken feet good in broth?

Yes, they are rich in gelatine and a great way to add some collagen into your diet, so do not cut off the feet before you place the hens in the stockpot. Only peel off the outside membrane of the feet when you are defeathering the birds. I wouldn’t however add organs such as heart or chicken liver to the broth, as they will likely give it an unpleasant taste. The livers and hearts can be pan fried in some butter instead or turned into pate.

Ingredients for the old hen chicken broth

1-2 old hens
4 medium carrots, scrubbed
1/2 – 1 medium onion, peeled and halved OR a few celery stalks
4 cloves of garlic
1 bay leaf
a few peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons unrefined salt, or to taste
optional: a few twigs fresh thyme or rosemary

Directions for making chicken broth from an old hen

Step 1

two old hens half onion garlic carrots and bay leaf on a marble countertop

You will need one or two old hens, depending on the size of your stockpot. I had room enough for two. Don’t remove the feet – they are great for adding extra gelatine to your stock. For flavor, you will need some vegetables. I used carrots, onions and garlic. Celery would make a nice addition too. I also used a large bay leaf. If you have fresh thyme or rosemary, add a few sprigs to the pot as well if you like.

Step 2

metal stockpot with two old hens bay leaf carrots onion and garlic

Place the hens, vegetables and any seasonings in the stockpot. If you want to use the broth as a base for sauces and soups you do not need to add any salt at this point if you prefer not to. I did because I wanted to make the meat more flavorful.

Add enough filtered water to cover.

Step 3

stockpot with old hens carrots onion bay leaf and water

Bring the stock to boil and skim off any foam that comes to the top. Then reduce heat to low and simmer the stock for 2-3 hours (depending on the age of the birds) – that’s how long it takes to get the meat soft and easy to peel off the bones. Towards the end of cooking, you could add some fresh parsley, both for flavor and because it is rich in minerals.

Step 4

a large pot with chicken broth a funnel a jar of broth and a bowl of shredded chicken meat standing on a kitchen table

When the cooking time is up, strain the stock into another pot. If you want a very clear broth, strain through a colander lined with cheesecloth. I don’t usually do that as I don’t mind it being a little cloudy.

shredded chicken meat on the left chicken skin and bones on the right

Then remove the meat from the bones. I got about 500 grams (just over a pound) of meat off of my two old layer hens. After peeling off the meat, you could return the bones and skin to the broth and cook for another few hours for a richer broth. Or just discard the bones and pour the broth into jars.

five jars of old hen broth standing on a wooden tray.

I got about 3.5 liters of broth but your yield will depend on how many hens you used and how much water you had added at the start of cooking.

This chicken broth is also suitable for freezing and canning (skim the fat off before canning so your jar lids seal well).

How to use old hen chicken broth in recipes

Any time a recipe calls for stock, you can use this chicken broth. I even use it in recipes that call for beef or lamb stock. Chicken stock is very mild tasting so nobody notices the difference.
Whenever you want to cook rice, use broth instead of water. It will make rice more flavorful and more nutritious.
It can serve as a base for any soup. Simply saute some onions or celery with butter, add chopped vegetables of your choice, season well and add enough of the broth just to cover the veggies. Cook until the vegetables are soft and blend with a stick blender for a delicious, smooth soup.
Chicken broth is also great simply sipped hot in a mug. It is a traditional remedy for colds and flu. It tastes great with a pinch of salt and a pinch of chilli powder.