Hi everyone! As promised I am going to post my bone broth recipe. There are tons of recipes on the internet and Pinterest and there are many different ways of doing it. The premise is really quite simple and you can’t really screw it up. It is the idea of boiling bones, cartilage and any connective tissue until they are soft and break. The healing properties in these bones are amazing! You can use just about any animal- chicken, beef, turkey, wild game, fish... doesn't matter. The time it cooks just depends on the softness of the bones. I make chicken because I find it easier and it is done in 24-30 hours. Turkey is my fave but it takes days for those bones to soften! Fish bones cook up quick but not as palatable for my kids. I find beef to be too greasy. So I choose chicken. You can get bones from a butcher or you can buy whole chickens. I will post about using whole chickens. I have a large stock pot so I use 2 whole chickens.
-2 whole chickens frozen
-Fill pot with water
-cook the chickens until done (usually 1-2 hours). Remove from pot, allow to cool, then peel the meat. I portion the chicken into baggies, separated by white meat and dark meat. We use some of this meat for our dog and the rest to help make dinnertime super fast and easy! When you have cooked chicken meals get whipped up quick! (think stir-fries, quesadillas, chicken parm, chicken Caesar salads etc.)
-The bones, connective tissue, gristle, cartilage all go back into your pot. The cartilage is important as that is where the collagen comes from. Only the skin gets thrown out. If skin ends up in your pot it’s not a big deal, as you can skim the fat off later.
-Add salt and about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. These two things help draw out the nutrients out.
-Add vegetables for flavor. This step is not important, as its only for flavor. I usually use 2 carrots, 2 celery, one whole onion and a few cloves of garlic (neither of which I peel. Throw them in whole).
-Fill with water, cover and bring to a gentle boil or simmer. This step can be tricky depending on your stove. If it boils too hard everything evaporates and not enough and it won’t cook.
-In 24 hours check the bones by squeezing them with your fingers. If they break easily it’s done! If not it needs a few more hours.
-Strain, allow to cool, then jar and refrigerate or freeze. FYI mason jars are great but they will crack in the freezer if your soup is too warm. Plastic is great but make sure the broth has completely cooled before putting broth in.
-Any fat will float to the top once it has cooled and become solid so when you are ready to serve it just skim it off and throw it out.
If you are consuming this as a healing remedy or cleanse, I highly recommend drinking it on an empty stomach in conjunction with a clean diet (very important). This can mean different things to different people but if you have allergies, intolerances or sensitives you should cut those foods out completely for the broth to be most effective. If you have IBS, leaky gut, bloating, depression, celiac, cut out gluten for sure! If you looking to maintain good health you can consume it at any time of day and even cook with it (making rice, sauces, etc.) Watch for my next blog where I will go into more depth on this topic.
