Homemade chicken bone broth is an essential cooking staple that has been nourishing households for centuries. A powerful immunity booster, it is an incredibly easy superfood to make all year round, and especially beneficial in times of sickness.
What is bone broth?
Bone broth is a nutrient-dense liquid, made by simmering parts of the animal that are normally hard to digest (bone, marrow, feet, skin, tendons and ligaments) in water, often with added vegetables. Across hours of cooking, vitamins and minerals are extracted from the ingredients into the liquid, which is strained and then used as a base in meals.
Benefits of bone broth
It has long been held that bone broth prevents and cures a multitude of ailments. In traditional Chinese medicine, bone broth has been used to support digestive health. For centuries, it has also been referred to as “Jewish penicillin”, for its ability to relieve colds and nourish pregnant women. Rich with collagen, amino acids, trace minerals and vitamins, bone broth has been associated with a long list of health benefits. It may:
- support digestive health
- prevent the absorption of pathogens and toxins
- support the organs
- reduce inflammation and joint pain
- strengthen skin, hair and nails
- assist with weight management
- boost relaxation and restorative sleep
- keep you hydrated
How to use bone broth
Bone broth (especially chicken bone broth due to its milder flavour) can be easily incorporated into cooking to increase the health profile and flavour of meals. Some people like to sip bone broth straight, but you can include bone broth in:
- soups
- stews and casseroles
- bolognese sauce
- curries
- gravies and sauces
- risotto
- rice and grains (instead of water)
- sauteed vegetables
- braised meats
How to get the gel
The key feature of the perfect bone broth is the gel. Due to the collagen in the animal parts, high quality bone broth should result in a gelatin-like consistency (after refrigeration), rather than watery. There are a few factors to making a gelatinous broth:
- Use good quality bones from the butcher, and incorporate parts with lots of joints. Feet, necks and wings will contain the most collagen, resulting in more gelatin-rich bone broth.
- Use apple cider vinegar. The acid helps break down the connective tissue, and assist in drawing the collagen from the bones.
- If you have time, soak the bones in the water and apple cider vinegar overnight, to allow more time to draw the collagen from the bones.
- Ensure you have the right water to bones ratio. A general rule of thumb is covering the bones by no more than 5 cm.
- Do not boil the bone broth. Rapid boiling for long periods of time will deteriorate the gelatin. Another reason to avoid boiling is it results in a cloudy broth.
How to store bone broth
If you are storing your bone broth in the fridge, you can use any container. Refrigerated broth should last about five days.
If you want to save your bone broth for the future, you can freeze it, using ice cube trays, zip-lock bags, plastic containers, or glass jars. Whichever method you use, make sure you allow the broth to come to room temperature before freezing.
It’s also a good idea to leave the broth to cool in the fridge overnight. This allows the fat and any impurities to come to the top of the container. The fat will solidify and can be easily removed. Some cooks like to use this fat in their cooking, or freeze it alongside the broth, and some will just discard it.
If using glass jars, do not fill them to the top, as the broth will expand once frozen. To prevent the glass from breaking, place the lids on loosely. Tighten the lids after twenty-four hours in the freezer.
Ingredients needed
- Chicken bones: carcasses, feet, necks, wings.
- Water (enough to cover the chicken by no more than 5 cm).
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar.
- Peppercorns and herbs, like bay leaves, parsley, thyme, etc (optional).
- Vegetables or vegetable scraps (optional): onion, garlic, celery, carrot, etc. When you’re preparing dinner, save those stalks and peel, and pop them in the freezer till you are ready to use.
Equipment needed
- Large pot or slow cooker (note: a small pot would make it difficult to control the temperature and the liquid would evaporate quickly).
- Mesh strainer.
- Storage containers/jars.
Chicken Bone Broth Recipe
Slow cooker method
- [Optional step] Soak the bones in the water, and add apple cider vinegar. Allow it to soak in the refrigerator from anywhere between 2 hours to overnight.
- Transfer all the ingredients into the slow cooker (using the same water you soaked the bones in). Make sure the bones are covered by no more than 5 cm of water.
- Cook for 12 hours.
- Strain the broth using a mesh strainer and (once cooled) store it in containers or jars.
Stove top method
- [Optional step] Soak the bones in the water, and add apple cider vinegar. Allow it to soak in the refrigerator from anywhere between 2 hours to overnight.
- Transfer all of the ingredients into a stock pot (using the same water you soaked the bones in). Make sure the bones are covered by no more than 5 cm of water.
- Keeping a close eye on the pot, cook on medium heat to bring the liquid to a simmer. Froth or foam will start forming at the surface, skim this off and discard. Using a mesh skimmer will avoid any loss of liquid. After the pot has been simmering for about thirty minutes and no more foam is forming, turn the pot down low so it is gently simmering. Make sure the lid is on to avoid too much evaporation.
- Cook for 6 hours. Check every so often to make sure the liquid isn’t at boiling point.
- Strain the broth using a mesh strainer and (once cooled) store it in containers or jars.
Once you’ve tried it, let us know in the comments how you went with your bone broth!
Stephanie Philippou, co-founder of Litany of the Home, is a Catholic wife and mother of eight in Melbourne. She has a heart for instilling liturgical living in her home, loves ordered spaces and often laughs at her own jokes.
