Chicken Bone Broth

  Okay, so I mentioned that everyone in our house is sick, and it is not allot of fun dealing with four sick kiddos. I love this time of the year but it also marks the dreaded cough and cold season. So I have been going through allot of recipes for homemade soups, and broths.. I LOVE broths, they are super easy to make and can add tons of flavor to dishes. When I first learned to make chicken broth I started with a raw chicken carcass, garlic, celery, onions and etc... it was boiled until the chicken was cooked and then I used the chicken for soups, casseroles, and so on..

  Then someone shared with me a recipe for chicken bone broth, not only is it super flavorful but it's really healthy. Bone marrow provides lots of nutrients and is very good for the digestive system. Now the broth is a rich golden brown, darker then regular broth, and has a more concentrated flavor. With cold and flu season creeping up it's a great way to help fight off colds. So I thought I would share it with you guys.

   I love to roast whole chickens, and when most of the meat has been removed I like to use the carcass to make bone broth. I also like to use my crock pot because as suggested to me I let my broth simmer for about 36-48 hrs. The goal is to let it simmer until the bones crumble. Now I have had some people tell me that you can break the bones prior to simmering and that it cuts down on the cooking time. However I have never tried that..

To make the broth you will need:

•  A whole cooked chicken with the meat removed (It doesn't have to be a whole chicken carcass, I also use the bones from grilled chicken, I just throw in the legs, breast, and etc.)
• Water
• a whole garlic bulb
• 1-2 med onions
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste (I like to use sea salt and fresh cracked pepper)
• Fine mesh strainer

Now you can add whatever else you would like but keep in mind that some vegetables and herbs can get bitter if cooked for long periods of time, so i wouldn't add them too early into the cooking process. 

Drizzle the olive oil in the bottom of the pot and then add the chicken bones. Rough chop the garlic and onions, you don't even have to remove the skins if you don't want to, and add them along with the vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add water until the chicken and vegetables are covered about 3/4 of the way. Now let it simmer on low for about 48 hrs, adding water when needed to keep the water level at the original height. Now like I stated you don't have to simmer for the 48 hrs, but I would stress that you should at least simmer it for about 24 hrs. Either way when it's done strain your soup with the strainer, and enjoy!

Now bone broth can be made with any kind of bones you wish to use, pork, beef, lamb so don't be afraid to try it with some thing other than chicken bones.