I make a bone broth from organic chicken bones once a week using the carcass from our roast chicken. It makes an amazing broth, full of easily absorbed nutrients such as amino acids and minerals and is not only great for gut health but also makes stews, soups and curries even more delicious!
My mum taught me how to make a stock when I was young – I’ve just added a few more things to mine over the years.
Ingredients:
1 chicken carcass plus giblets/kidneys etc
1 onion, skin on, chopped in half
1 carrot, whole
2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
1 garlic bulb sliced widthways
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
10 black peppercorns
Any herbs you have:
large handful of parsley including stems
coriander including stems
rosemary
thyme
Any other leftover vegetables, I save my broccoli stems, cabbage cores, outer leaves of fennel and anything else that will add flavor. Throw them in the stockpot at the end of the week.
Extra immune boosting ingredients (optional): dried shiitake mushrooms, fresh ginger, fresh turmeric root
Method:
Place the chicken bones into a large stockpot or pressure cooker and add about 3 litres of filtered water.
Add the rest of the stock ingredients and cover the pan with a lid. Bring to the boil then lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
Cook, covered and on low for around 8-12 hours. The longer you cook it the more the nutrients are released from the carcass. If you are using a pressure cooker, you can reduce this cooking time considerably. I would say about an hour would be ample. Strain the liquid and discard the stock ingredients.
This stock will keep in the fridge for 3–4 days or can be frozen for up to 1 month. It will enhance the flavour and nutrient value of most dishes – I use it in almost everything from curries to casseroles or to loosen up leftover food that I am heating up. It also makes amazing soup and is nice as a drink with miso paste stirred into it.
