This warming bone broth recipe is perfect to consume if you are newly postpartum, or during any time of your life when you could use some extra nourishment. It’s simple to make and can be used in a huge variety of dishes, or drank on its own.

This recipe uses chicken bones, but you can make bone broth using pretty much any type of animal bones. Here I am using the carcass of a chicken, which was left over from a roast dinner.

Chicken Bone Broth easy recipe pin. Mason jar containing bone broth with striped tea towel wrapped around the base.

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Benefits of making your own bone broth

Making your own bone broth may seem like a lot of extra effort to go to at first. Especially as stock cubes and cartons of bone broth are readily available to buy. However, the more often you make your own bone broth from scratch, the easier it will become.

Consuming a dish that has been prepared with love and intention can provide so much more nutritional value than something that has come out of a carton. You have control over the ingredients and how it has been made. In my opinion, making bone broth from scratch is well worth the effort!

How to use bone broth

Bone broth can be drunk on its own as a warming drink. It is especially good for newly postpartum mothers in need of energy and replenishment. It is also good for anyone suffering with gut health issues, or for those following the GAPS diet.

Bone broth can be used in any dishes where stock may be called for. You can use it as a base for your soups and stews. It can be added to curry, chilli, risotto and pasta dishes. You can also thicken it by using flour and make in to gravy. It is always worth having some bone broth on hand!

Ingredient Notes

Use organic ingredients wherever possible.

Whole organic chickens can be expensive. If cost is an issue then chicken feet are often a more affordable option. Chicken feet can be a bit gross to look at, but they contain large amounts of collagen, which helps contribute to healthy skin, hair and joints.

Filter your tap water to help remove any chlorine or other nasty chemicals from your water.

Don’t forget the apple cider vinegar! The acid in the apple cider vinegar helps to extract the minerals and collagen from the bones.

Use good quality salt like pink Himalayan or Celtic sea salt. These contain more minerals than refined table salt.

The sizes and amounts of vegetables shown in the ingredients list below is just a guideline. You can use slightly more or slightly less, depending on what you have to hand.

You can also use vegetable scraps and peelings, instead of the whole ingredients shown below. If you are organised enough to hold on to your onion skins, carrot peelings and celery ends then by all means use these instead. I’m not that organised, so I tend to just chop up what I need each time I want to make bone broth.

Ingredients:

Whole carcass of a roast chicken
3 medium size carrots
2 celery stalks
1 large brown onion
2 cloves of garlic
1.5 litres (6 cups) of filtered water
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
3 dried bay leaves
Large pinch of pink Himalayan or sea salt
Black pepper

How to make chicken bone broth

STEP 1

Take the meat off of the roasted chicken and place the bones in to a slow cooker (I use a Crock Pot) or a large saucepan with a lid.

STEP 2

Roughly chop the carrots, celery, onions and garlic. Add them to the bones in the slow cooker / pan.

If you are using organic carrots and onions you can leave the skins on, just give them a wash first.

STEP 3

Pour over approximately 1.5 litres (6 cups) of filtered water.

The amount of water you will need depends on the size of your pan. Leave space of at least an inch or so at the top, so that it doesn’t boil over.

STEP 4

Add approximately 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. It doesn’t have to be a precise measurement, just add a splash in.

Then add the 3 bay leaves, salt and pepper. Again these amounts don’t have to be exact measurements, but you will need a decent amount of seasoning, so don’t skimp on the salt especially.

STEP 5

Set the temperature to high.

Once it has begun to boil, turn the temperature down to a lower setting to let it simmer.

You can pretty much leave it once you have lowered the heat to a simmer. However, you may want to check on it every now and again to give it a stir, or to add some more water if the level starts to look low.

Allow to simmer for at least 8 hours (up to 24 hours) if you are using a slow cooker, or 2-4 hours if you are simmering in a saucepan on the stove.

Drain the bone broth

Once the bone broth is ready you will need to separate the liquid from the solid ingredients.

I use my steamer for this task, so the solid ingredients are caught in the top colander section and the liquid drains through to the saucepan part below.

To avoid splashes you may want to use a large spoon to scoop out the solid ingredients first. Then pour the remaining liquid slowly into the colander.

If you don’t have a steamer then a colander, or sieve, sat over another large saucepan will also work well.

Once you have separated the solid ingredients from the liquid broth, you can then return the solid ingredients back to the slow cooker and fill it back up again with water, salt and apple cider vinegar to repeat the process.

You can make several batches of bone broth with the same bones and vegetables!

Using a large spoon to scoop out the solid ingredients first.

How to store bone broth

Once you have your liquid bone broth you will want to store it in a mason jar, or similar glass container with a lid.

If I don’t have a spare mason jar to hand I will pour it in to several glass jam jars with lids.

Bone broth can be stored in the fridge for up to a week, or the freezer for up to 3 months.

If you are planning on freezing your bone broth, be sure to leave a gap of a couple of centimetres at the top of the jar, as the liquid will expand when it is frozen.