Bone Broth 101 (recipe included)
It has been thought to be an elixir for energy, longevity. beauty, and for healing. Whatever the reason you opt to try bone broth, there is no argument that the all powerful liquid is dense in nutrients and protein. While it can be pricey at your local health food store, making it at home is dirt cheap. Other than the chicken carcass, chances are you have all the ingredients (or some variety of it) already in your pantry or in your fridge.
In my opinion the simplest way of ensuring you have bone broth all the time is to make roast chicken for dinner once a month. Of course it entirely depends on how much you consume it. If you are going to be using it for cooking and drinking daily, you may want to up that to once a week. One chicken will yield around 100 ounces of broth and it freezes very well. In fact the best store bought bone broths are found in the freezer section.
If you don’t want to deal with roasting a chicken yourself, you can also buy a rotisserie chicken at the store. Just remove the meat and proceed with the recipe!
What makes bone broth so much different from chicken stock?
Short answer: the amount of collagen protein in the finished product.
Long Answer: Bone broth is made by breaking down the joints between the bones and collagen, protein, and other nutrients going into the broth. This is done by adding apple cider vinegar (or any vinegar or wine) to your liquid. Bone Broth is also traditionally cooked with veggies and herbs (medicinal or otherwise) for the purpose of increasing the nutritional value… not just for taste. Ashwaganda is a popular add in and is know for it’s uplifting properties.
Bone broth also needs to cook longer than traditional stock. Ideally you want to cook it on low until the joints have been dissolved to the point where the bones look “clean”.
Good news is despite its differences, it can be used the same way. Use bone broth in lieu of your traditional stock or broth to increase the amount of protein in your dishes!
Why I switched to Bone Broth… for everything.
My daughter would not eat meat for a long time. She still does not like chicken. Since she is a toddler I found it difficult to make sure she was getting enough protein. She was great with vegetables and will eat an entire avocado in one sitting, but the lack of protein was concerning. So I started cooking her brown rice (which she loves) with bone broth.
Over time I noticed that everything I cooked with bone broth tasted so much better than regular stock. I felt healthier. Given how simple it is to make it. I added it to the regular rotation of things we keep on hand. Now I actually drink it in the afternoon to get an additional boost.
I also give it to my dog as it’s really healthy for animals in small doses.
NOTE: If you are cooking bone broth for your kiddos or animals make sure all ingredients you are adding are good for them. Specifically watch the herbs. Many herbs are not good for kids. Of course cook your broth with vinegar and not wine if you are feeding to your furry friends. The alcohol will probably cook out so its less risk for children (although I would still be cautious), but grapes in wine can cause your dog to go into renal failure. So watch those ingredients.
My Favorite Recipe for bone broth:
Ingredients:
1 carcass of a young roast chicken, ripped apart and some meat left on bones.
5 large carrots peeled and clipped
2 cups of chopped celery
3 cups of chopped leeks
1 bunch of fresh thyme
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
2 TBSP of poultry seasoning
2 TBSP of pink Himalayan salt
1 gallon of filtered water (or enough to cover the entire carcass)
Optional: Medicinal herbs, additional veggies, ashwaganda, really the add ins are limitless. This is one of those recipes you can play with and make your own.
In a large stockpot or large cast iron dutch oven add all ingredients and cook on low for 5-7 hours until the bones are “clean”.
Let the pot completely cool. Strain out the bones, etc through a mesh strainer into a large bowl preferably with a pour spout. Pour into 16 ounce mason jars and refrigerate or freeze. It will last about 5 days in the fridge or up to a 6 months in the freezer.
TIP: If you are roasting this chicken yourself, cook it in a large dutch oven and use the same dutch oven for the broth! After I roast the chicken I take the meat off and put the carcass back in the pot I cooked it in and pop it in the fridge until I’m ready to make the broth the next day. You will get the max amount of protein, collagen and nutrients because you will be cooking it with pan drippings.