At first glance you may say, “Jenna, I thought you were a quick recipe blog…”. And yes, you’re right, but this is a basic recipe that I think EVERYONE should have in their arsenal. Not only is it great to freeze, think about the $$$ you’ll save making your own broth with just scraps that you would have otherwise thrown away anyway. Not to mention, it’s way more flavorful when made at home. Bone broth is nourishing, warm, and full of benefits that I’ll discuss in more detail below.
If you followed along on my Instagram stories, you know this is a long process… but it’s mostly set and forget. So, you can go about your day and let your broth do its thang. It’s as easy as roasting your bones & vegetables, and adding them to a pot with water to simmer on the stove all day. In the end, you’ll have a rich and nutrient dense stock that’s great as an ingredient, or as a mid-afternoon sipping snack!
Bone Broth Vs. Regular Broth
What’s the difference?
Broth– Usually made by simmering meat, aromatics, and vegetables for a short amount of time (up to 2 hours). This creates a light and flavorful base for soups or sauces.
Bone broth– Simmered bones and some meat, aromatics, and vegetables for a long amount of time (12-24 hours) to extract nutritious vitamins, compounds, and proteins from both the bones themselves and the vegetables. Similar to a traditional stock, but with additional health benefits because of it’s long cook time. It is slightly thicker and less salty than traditional broth, and can be used for the same purposes, as well as drinking straight.
Ingredients
There is no right or wrong here, when it comes to ingredients. I simply store my leftover vegetables and rotisserie chicken carcasses in a freezer bag until I feel like I have enough for a flavorful broth. I would recommend, though, having at least two chicken carcasses to really make the process worthwhile and have enough rich broth. Of course, I would suggest using at least the ingredients listed in the recipe below, for full flavor, but if you have to omit or add ingredients that’s okay too. Just don’t skimp on those chicken bones!!
Health Benefits of Bone Broth
Like I mentioned above, the long cook time is designed to break down the collagen and proteins in the bones. As the ingredients simmer, they infuse the water with vitamins in a way that’s easily absorbable for your body. By the end of the process, your bone broth will be pack with:
- Collagen, Glucosamine, & Chondroitin
- Amino Acids
- Vitamins A & K
- Omega 3 & 6 Fatty Acids
- Minerals like iron, zinc, manganese, magnesium
Basically, bone broth has a lot of good in it! These components are important vitamins, minerals, and proteins for joint health, strong bones, hair, skin and nails. Additionally, the broth is known to have anti-inflammatory properties and is beneficial to gut health.
How to Serve
I love that bone broth is very versatile. Add it to soups and sauces or use it as a flavorful pasta cooking liquid and serving broth. My favorite way to prepare it, though, is for sipping. Heat the broth over the stove or in the microwave, and add to a mug with a slice of lemon. Perfect to warm and fill you up on a chilly afternoon, and really enjoy the rich flavor of your hard work!
Questions? Message me below!
Bone Broth
Ingredients
Assume All Ingredients are Frozen*
- 2 rotisserie chicken carcasses with as much meat picked off as possible
- 1 onion halved
- 1 head garlic halved
- 4 carrots
- 4 stalks celery
- 1 knob ginger medium (about 3 inches), peeled
- ½ lemon
- 8 cups water **
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Spread all ingredients out evenly on a prepared baking sheet.
- Add to cold oven to thaw ingredients as oven heats to 425°. Once oven has reached desired temp, roast ingredients for an additional 15-20 minutes or until slightly browned and fragrant.
- Add roasted ingredients along with water and salt to a large stockpot or dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook over low heat for 12 hours***, or until broth has thickened slightly, and bones have lost some of their rigidity.
- After 12 hours, remove from the heat and let cool (30 min-hour)
- Strain your broth, making sure to frequently push on the solids to extract as much broth and flavor as possible.
- Transfer strained broth to a fridge or freezer safe container. Broth will keep in the fridge for a week, and the freezer for 6 months. I like to portion mine so it's easy to pull a few cups out of the freezer at a time when I'm ready to use it.
- Broth should be slightly gelatinous after cooling in the fridge. It will go back to a liquid state once heated again.
- Enjoy sipping your broth out of a mug, or use it as a nutritious soup or sauce base.
Notes
Ingredients subject to change– I collect my vegetables that are leftover/on their last leg in a freezer bag until I feel as though I have enough flavor for my broth. Feel free to add or subtract any ingredients outside of the 2 chickens. **8 cups of water may not be right for your broth- use just as much as you need to cover the tops of the chicken in your pot. ***After 4 hours your broth will be like traditional chicken stock. You can pull it here if you don’t care for the added benefits of the slow cook, although if you’ve waiting this long, you might as well let it cook the full 12.
**DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor. The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
