An easy, step-by-step guide to making chicken bone broth! Simple ingredients and fool-proof methods yield a beautiful broth perfect for soups, sauces, and more!
Ingredients
1 carcass
Chicken carcass
(Bones and carcass. **)
12 cup
Water
(filtered)
2 tbsp
Apple cider vinegar
1 pinch
Sea Salt
(generous - to taste)
1 dash
Black pepper
(generous - to taste)
2 sprig
Rosemary, fresh
(Rosemary/herbs (leftover from roasting chicken / optional))
1 medium
Lemon
(sliced; (leftover from roasting chicken / optional))
Instructions
To a large pot or Dutch oven, add the bones leftover from a whole roasted chicken (including legs and wings that may have been on the serving platter), or the bones from 1 chicken purchased from a butcher. (Note: This can also be done in a Crock-Pot or Instant Pot.)We also like adding the lemon wedges and rosemary that were cooked with our whole roasted chicken (optional).
Top with filtered water until generously covered (about 12 cups / 2880 ml). This should reduce down by about 1/3 or 1/2, leaving you with 6-8 cups of bone broth.
Next, add in a bit of salt and pepper to season the broth (you can add more later to taste).
Then add apple cider vinegar, which is added primarily because the acidity breaks down the collagen and makes it more abundant in the broth. You can also sub lemon juice, but we prefer apple cider vinegar.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for at least 10-12 hours, or until reduced by 1/3 to 1/2. The more it reduces, the more intense the flavor will become and the more collagen will be extracted. We find 12 hours to be about right.
Strain and discard the bones. Either use immediately or store in glass jars and freeze up to 1-2 months or more. Just be sure to leave a couple inches at the top of the jar to allow for expansion in the freezer.Note: Bone broth typically gelatinizes when refrigerated because of the collagen content. But don't worry — that's normal. When reheated it liquifies once again, just like store-bought chicken broth.
Notes:
** you can use the drippings and giblets from the Whole Lemon Rosemary Chicken recipe to add to this broth. Feeling adventurous? Add in chicken feet for an extra boost of collagen.
Bone broth has been handed down for centuries and for good reason. Bone broths are rich sources of collage, glucosamine, and minerals including calcium and magnesium, making it the perfect food for healing injuries or joint pain. It is also rich in gelatin, which can help heal the gut, boost your immune system and fight inflammation.
Not making a whole chicken? Ask your local butcher or deli counter if they sell leftover bones or chicken backs.
Adapted from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
