I've got a weekly habit with huge anti-aging perks that you can read more about here, here, and here. It's great for digestion, detoxification, and increasing HCL (stomach acid) production because it's very high in minerals and the amino acid glycine.
Yep, I'm talking about bone broth. Before you say "I don't want to make bone broth," just hear me out, I may be able to change your mind by how easy (and delicious) it is...
Time for a little confession...
I spend very little time in the kitchen. Actually, now that I think about it, I spend more time doing dishes than I do actually preparing meals! One of my (many) secrets is the wonderful ready-to-eat organic rotisserie chicken from my local grocery store. I pick up 1-2 of them PER week and I always have cooked organic chicken on hand for saucing up, soup, or whatever I can mix up fast and easy. Now comes the most important part-- the carcass! DO NOT THROW IT OUT. Follow these simple instructions to get into a weekly anti aging bone broth routine...
What you'll need:
- Large strainer (like this)
- Large glass container with lid, about 2 quarts (like this)
- 5 quart slow cooker (like this)
- Apple cider vinegar (like this)
- 2 chicken carcasses, or various chicken parts
- Water to fill the remaining room in the slow cooker
Fool-proof Bone Broth Recipe:
- Keep a Ziploc bag in your freezer that you designate for chicken parts. As soon as you've taken all the meat of off, place the whole carcass in the bag and keep in the freezer! By the end of the week I have 2 chicken carcasses in my freezer taking up way too much space. That's when I know it's time to make bone broth.
- Get out your slow cooker and put both carcasses in the pot, add water to fill and 2-4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and turn the slow cooker on high. I often add in a few chicken feet if I have them on hand. You could also add bay leaves, garlic, onion, veggie scraps, whatever, but totally optional!
- Once it's bubbling, turn down to low or to warm overnight. The total cooking time for my broth is usually 16-30 hours. Sometimes I'm lazy so I let it cook for longer, if I'm not ready to deal with it yet.
- I consider it done when i pull out a bone and the bone is weak and i can crack it in half, indicating that the minerals have been leached out.
- Strain the stock and store in your fridge for up to 4-5 days.
- Once it's cooled thoroughly in the fridge, it will have a jello like consistency, and the fat will have collected at the top. Remove the fat and discard.
- Enjoy the broth all week long to beef-up the nutrition in your daily meals!
How to use bone broth during the week:
- Base for a quick soup: just add a protein, fat (like avocado) veggies (if desired), salt, and spices!
- Have a mug of bone broth before bed with some fruit to help down regulate stress hormones and help you sleep.
- Add 2-4 tablespoons of bone broth when you're cooking rice, making a stir-fry, etc. for an instant chicken flavor (and added nutrients!)
- Have a mug of bone broth with your breakfast if you are not a coffee drinker.
Is bone broth already a part of your anti aging routine? Please share in the comments!
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kelly
The prepared chicken are still nasty. Filled with "delicious" carragean and recently one had organic maltodextrose. I wouldn't find that healthy, organic or otherwise
Samantha Rodes
What can you do if you cannot make bone broth? In my case, the kitchen in my house is small and does not filter smells/odors from cooking very well. Hence, neither I nor my family ever cooks anything in there that would be pungent- even just making some toast in the toaster oven creates a scent.
Would substituting with a Grassfed, Hydrolyzed Collagen/Gelatin Powder (Great Lakes Brand) be enough? All you do is mix about a tablespoon with warm water.
Susan
Hi. After it's been in the fridge, and the fat has collected at the top, do you have to throw that out? I thought I could use it in place of ghee or coconut butter when sauteeing something.
Catherine
I usually throw mine away, since chicken fat is higher in PUFA fats, and I would prefer to saute with butter and/or coconut oil.
It's really up to you and what works for you diet, budget, lifestyle.
Thanks for reading,
Catherine
Eva
I save it and make rendered fat candles. Better than soy wax candles and less wasteful.
Terry
I also use Great Lakes gelatin so what are your thoughts on that?
Drea
Hi. I am a whole-hearted bone broth believer. I make it from a whole chicken, natural of course. I buy the fresh chicken, put it in a granite wear roaster pan, cut the legs and wings off and put them so liquid will cover them. I place carrots, onion, garlic, celery and my herbs in there along with some vinegar and wine to get the minerals out of the bones. It only takes less than 2 hours in the oven usually. I take the meat and veggies out, strain the juice through cheesecloth lined parchment, and place in containers. I freeze the broth once it it cooled in ice cube trays. I then transfer the cubes into freezer bags. I love it. It's delicious. The purchased box broths, even organic, seem to make my stomach sick or give me indigestion. Not so with homemade broth.
Barb
So, I had never made broth before until this past thanksgiving. I put the carcass in a deep pot, covered with water and put some spices in it. I simmered it on low for house, then strained it and put in the fridge. The next day it looked just like a herb colored jello, it was not something you could scrap the fat off the top, it was a solid gelatin all the way through. I thought I must have done something wrong and threw it out. What should it look like?
Catherine
Hi Barb,
Sounds like you made it correct! Did you remember to add vinegar too? It does turn to gel in the fridge (that is one of the signs of a good bone broth). Sometimes if there wasn't a lot of fat on the carcass, there will not be much fat at the top. Hope that helps!
Catherine
Mirna
Thank you Catherine! That's good to know!
Do you throw out the chicken skin after you make the broth? Or do you eat it?
Thanks!
Mirna
Catherine Crow, NTP
Usually I serve the chicken skin with the chicken breast, thigh, etc. so there isn't much left to go in my bone broth bag. It's mostly just the chicken bones.
I hope that helps!
Catherine
Jacqueline
Your recipe doesn't mention adding water, or how much?!....
Catherine
Just add water to fill the pot, just so long as its a standard size slow cooker.
Abundantly,
Catherine
Jenifer
Thanks for your post! I had a quick question. I make my broth in a large stock pot. I use chicken bones, veggies like carrots, celery & scraps, as well as vinegar. I cook it until the bones fall apart, but I have never had it turn to gel in the fridge. It's always a deep golden liquid. Do you know if I'm doing something wrong?
Thank you!
Jenifer
Could it be that I use too much water & not enough bones?
Robin
Instead of using rotisserie carcasses, is it possible to use organic raw chicken bones after removing the meat?
Catherine
Of course! Raw or cooked bones work.
Jenelle
Your article percfetly shows what I needed to know, thanks!
Bonnie
I don't make the broth but have eaten chicken bones (marrow) since my teens, I'm 57 now. Is that giving me the same benefit as your bone broth?
Justin
Can I use gelatin to get the same benefits as bone broth? I see others have asked this question here but I haven't seen a reply. I am considering starting the gaps diet which uses bone broth to heal the gut among other things. I live in a vegetarian household and it would be difficult for me to make the bone broth.
Catherine
Bone broth is more beneficial than gelatin/collagen because bone broth actually contains minerals that are leached from the bones during the cooking process.
Abundantly,
Catherine