I swear if there was one thing I had to choose and tell you to learn how to make at home, it would be bone broth. Yes, I repeat, bone broth. I know I tell you in nearly every recipe how easy it is to make but honestly, this recipe is so damn easy. It simply takes time. It is a staple in this household that will never disappear I tell you! It has found a place in our weekly meal prep routine for years and years and for good reason.
Our Classic Roasted Chicken is a weekly meal in our home. Once our family has ravaged a whole bird, I ALWAYS throw whatever is leftover into a crockpot to make bone broth. I then season up the broth and make chicken soup. By then it is time to repeat the process. Did I mention how cost effective a whole bird is? It can make up a minimum of two plus dinners for my family and the broth itself will last the whole week.
Want to eat whole foods, organic ingredients, locally sourced but trying to figure out how to do so on a budget? Buy a whole bird from your local farmer, roast your bird and enjoy it with your family, then take what is left and make into bone broth. Alright follow that up with taking your bone broth and make it into chicken soup. Add that to your arsenal and thank me later.
You can literally feel yourself heal from the inside out when sipping on a cup of warm bone broth. It was most definitely a crucial part in healing my gut a decade ago, hence why, it has remained in my diet ever since. It may take time to cook but virtually no time to prepare and will provide you and your family with so many benefits.
You can work the liquid gold into so many dishes but ultimately, my favorite thing in the world is to sip a cup of seasoned broth on a chilly morning. I add it to replace water when making rice, it makes a great addition to sauces, soups, marinades, goodness the list goes on. Let’s get after it.
But before I send you off I can’t help but note that I have the most dumbed down version that exists and is fool proof. Most recipes add vegetables and seasonings to the broth itself, I personally like to make the mineral rich broth with bones, vinegar, salt, and water…that is it! After the broth is finished, I then choose to season it up and add vegetables/make soup or do whatever it is I would like for the week. The possibilities are absolutely endless.
Ingredients:
Bones & Scraps from a Whole Baked Parker’s Old Time Farm Chicken (approx. 4lb)
18-20 cups Filtered Water to fit 10 quart Crockpot/Slow Cooker
3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
-helps to draw out the minerals in the bones
2 teaspoons quality Salt
Directions:
Put the chicken/bones into the slow cooker.
Add filtered water, apple cider vinegar, and salt. The water should cover the bones.
Turn the slow cooker on high heat until the water comes close to a boil. Turn the setting to low for 6-12 hours.
Turn off the slow cooker and let the broth cool completely.
Strain the broth and separate the chicken and bones. Pick what is left of the chicken from the bones. Store the leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge or get ready to make bone broth chicken soup. Discard the bones.
When ready to season, pour broth into a big pot on the stove. Warm it back up and season to taste. Salt, pepper, rosemary, parsley, bay leaves, garlic and garlic powder, onion and onion powder, carrots, celery, are all possibilities for making a delicious tasting bone broth. I Allow your bone broth to sit on the stove on the lowest setting to pick up the flavor of the added ingredients. The longer it sits the more flavor it will hold. Don't be afraid to add more seasonings a second or even third time to reach your desired taste. I often use a portion of broth to make chicken soup while the rest gets strained one more time for other dishes throughout the week.
Broth will keep in the refrigerator for a week. Great to freeze as well.
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT, BONE BROTH!
Note:
I make up a batch after a chicken roast dinner in the evening. When I wake up, I turn off the crockpot and allow the broth to cool until I am ready to take on the final steps.
You can use a whole bird, whatever you have left of a bird, or just chicken bones for this recipe (I most often use whatever we have left of a whole bird after eating a chicken roast).
Feel free to add the veggies like carrots, celery and onions to your broth for the full cook time of 6-12 hours. For whatever reason, I prefer not to add my veggies until my second time cooking the broth over the stove. I guess I hate having no use for the mealy vegetables after they have cooked down for endless hours vs. having them round out the flavor to my broth but and can be eaten in my soup afterward.
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