Best Chicken Bone Broth
I never let a whole chicken go to waste.
First, we eat the chicken. Then I pull most of the meat off the carcass, leaving a little meat on the bones, and use what’s left to make broth. If I’m not making it right away, I throw the carcass in the freezer and save it for later.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken carcass
2 whole carrots, peeled and sliced lengthwise
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 Onion, sliced in half
1 handful fresh spinach
2–3 sprigs fresh thyme
Water, enough to cover the chicken and vegetables
A generous sprinkle of coarse salt
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Method
1. Roast the bones.
If I’m making the broth right after we eat the chicken, I put the carcass back into the roasting pan, or right into the cast-iron pot I’ll be making the broth in, and roast the bones until they’re nicely browned and golden.
You don’t have to roast the carcass again for it to make good broth. I just like doing it because I feel like it makes the broth richer and gives it a deeper flavor...
2. Make the broth.
Put the chicken carcass in a large pot. Add the carrots, celery, spinach, thyme, coarse salt, and apple cider vinegar.
Add enough water to cover everything.
3. Simmer.
Bring it to a gentle boil, then turn it down and let it simmer slowly for several hours, usually until the carrots are tender and the carcass falls apart. The longer it simmers, the richer and more flavorful it gets.
4. Strain.
Remove the bones and vegetables, then strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer.
5. Cool and store.
Let the broth cool before transferring it to containers. Keep it in the refrigerator for several days or freeze it for later.
And I use this broth for EVERYTHING.
I use it instead of water when I’m cooking rice, grains, soups, sauces, vegetables, and pretty much anything that can use a little extra flavor.
And in the cooler morning drink a mug of it for breakfast.
Written by Rachel Wilson
Rachel is a flower farmer and seasonal living writer on the New England Shoreline. She writes about gardening, gathering around the table, and finding a little more magic in everyday life.
