Bone broth is one of the most healing foods that you can consume and make from something that many of us just throw away. It can help to protect and heal your gut lining, boost skin heath, and improve joint function. Bones themselves are rich in vitamins and minerals including calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. The connective tissues provide the body with natural compounds from the cartilage. Tissues and bones also contain collagen. Cooking collagen turns it to gelatin, which provides the body with amino acids, which are the body block for proteins that allow our body to be strong and healthy.
Broth vs Stock vs Bone Broth
Homemade bone broth has a long cooking time of 24 to 48 hours. This time allows all the beneficial nutrients to be extracted from the bones and other ingredients. Store-bought stock just doesn’t have this benefit and often also includes additives and preservatives like MSG, yeast, etc. Regular soup broth/stock is often just made from meat, veggies and herbs, and is cooked for a very short period of time. With the much longer cooking time, bone broth has the most flavour and nutrition benefits.
Chicken vs Beef
Taste matters. Personal preference plays a huge role in consuming broth. Chicken has a much lighter flavour while beef broth has a richer taste. Their health benefits are similar as they both are great for the gut, skin and joint health. Chicken broth needs to be cooked for about 24 hours, and beef needs to be cooked for about 48 hours. The low slow cooking process is the secret to getting all the health benefits. The nutritional content is affected by the cooking time, the ingredients used, and how much fat you keep in the broth after it is finished.
Chicken Bone Broth Recipe
Bone broth is really easy to make, as you simply throw all the ingredients in a pot and let it cook. The cleaner the ingredients, the cleaner your broth is. So if you want, you can go organic free-range, antibiotic or hormone-free. That is really up to you. I enjoy my broth sipped as tea on a regular basis, but it can be added to your regular everyday cooking to enhance flavour or to be used as a base for soups and stews.
INGREDIENTS
3 lbs chicken bones – carcass, necks, feet, wings, whatever you have
3 carrots
3 celery stalks
2 medium onions – peeled and cut in half
3-4 garlic cloves
1 tsp Himalayan or sea salt
½ tsp pepper
2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
Other spices to add if desired – thyme, parsley, oregano, sage
12 -14 cups of water
DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients in a slow cooker
Then add in the water
Simmer for 24 hours and no more than 48
Optional to remove some of the fat (skimming it off the surface)
Remove from heat and allow to cool
Strain out the solids
Cover and chill. I store mine in mason jars for up to a week in the fridge or 3-4 months in the freezer.
If freezing in mason jars, stay well below the neck of the jar when filling to prevent cracking of the glass due to expansion.
Thaw and enjoy anytime!
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