How to Make Homemade Chicken Broth

If you’ve always been confounded by the thought of making your own chicken broth or stock (a thicker, more reduced, jelly-like version of broth) get ready to be unconfounded.  Once you learn how easy it is to make you’ll have no more excuses.  You’ll have to make it.  

Why would you make your own broth you ask?  

Well ’cause it tastes better.  A lot better.  Loads better.  Better.

Health Benefits from Homemade Chicken Broth

-Boosts immune system

-Aids digestion

-Increases efficiency of protein use

-Provides easily digestible minerals,including calcium

-Can improve symptoms of: joint pain, common cold, peptic ulcers, tuberculosis, diabetes, muscle diseases, infectious diseases, jaundice, cancer, food allergies, colic, maldigestion, inflammatory bowel disease, osteoporosis, pain and inflammation, cramps, muscle spasms, delusions, depression, insomnia, irritability, hyperactivity, anxiety, palpitations, hypertension, high cholesterol, allergies….

The components of a healthy stock mostly come from the bones. 

Nutrition found in bone stocks:

-Calcium

-Magnesium

-Phosphorus

-Other trace minerals

-Gelatin

-Collagen

-Glycine

Onto the Recipe!!

  You want to make sure you aren’t starting it at 10 o’clock at night, because it takes a minimum of 3 hours to turn bones into broth.

To make chicken broth, gather your ingredients.  I set aside some  carrots, onions, celery, parsley stems, salt and pepper.

 We found a turkey on sale for super cheap. We cooked it for dinner one night and used the rest of the turkey for meals throughout the week. Once you have most of the turkey off the bones, you will have the carcass leftover.

Just throw everything into a large stock pot...

And cover everything with cold water.  The water should cover everything by at least 2 inches.

Bring the whole thing to a boil, and then simmer for a mimimum of 3 hours.  After 3 hours give it a taste.  If it tastes like chicken broth, you’re done.  If you simmer it for another 2 hours or so, you’ll end up with chicken stock.  A more reduced, stronger, thicker version of broth.  Also, the more bones in relation to meat you use, the more jelly-like your product will be.

After you’ve simmered the broth down, strain it through a collander into a bowl.  Into a few bowls actually...  You’ve just made a LOT of broth.  

 Use a smaller handle strainer to remove any of the little bits of stuff leftover from the veggies and the carcass.

Once you have the broth fully strained stick it in the fridge overnight to allow the fat to rise and solidify at the top.  Once it’s done that, you can take it out off the fridge and remove the hardened fat with a spoon.

 Once you have removed the hardened fat with a spoon. Take mason jars and fill 'em up!

I usually put a few in the fridge to make with dinner throughout the week.

The rest I stick in the freezer for future use!

Hope you enjoyed this recipe!

Now go make some homemade chicken broth!!