Homemade Chicken Bone Broth
Homemade Chicken Bone Broth is a flavorful base for soups, stews, and sauces. Along with its fantastic flavor, bone broth is a nutritional powerhouse that can help boost your immune system and improve gut health. Once you try this, you'll never eat store-bought again!
Equipment
- Slow Cooker Optional
- Oven
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chicken bones and pieces such as roast chicken bones, chicken back bones, and chicken wings
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 large onion peeled and halved
- 1 large carrot peeled and chopped
- 3 quarts filtered water
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken Bones
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and rinse the bones. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400°F. Place the bones in a colander, rinse under cool water, and pat dry with paper towels.
- Roast the bones for 30 minutes. Arrange the bones in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until golden-brown, about 30 minutes.
- Cover the bones with water and vinegar and let sit for 30 minutes. In a large stockpot place water, vinegar and hot boans. Let sit for 30 minutes.
- If you can boil water in a crockpot, place water, vinegar and bones in the crockpot. If using a crockpot, transfer water, vinegar and bones to the crockpot and cook at the lowest setting possible.
- Stove-top variation. If your crockpot can not boil water, place water, vinegar and bones in a stock pot and bring the water to a rapid simmer over high heat for 1 hour. Skim any foam that forms.
- Check the pot occasionally, skimming off any foam that collects on the surface and adding additional water as needed to keep the ingredients covered. Cover and keep the broth at a low simmer for 24 hours.
After 24 Hours
- Add the onions and carrots and cook for another 12 to 24 hours, adding more filtered water as needed to keep the bones covered. The broth is done when it is a rich golden-brown and the bones are falling apart at the joints.
- Strain the bone broth. When the broth is finished, strain and cool the bone broth as quickly as possible. Set a strainer over a large pot or even a stand mixer bowl and line it with cheesecloth if desired. Carefully strain the bone broth into it. Discard the spent bits of bone and vegetables.
- Cool the bone broth and store it. Prepare an ice bath by either filling a sink or basin with cold water and ice and set the pot of broth inside the ice bath. Stir regularly until the broth is cooled to about 50°F, about 15 minutes. Transfer the broth to airtight containers or jars. Refrigerate or freeze.