China Rose Wellness | Holistic Health Coaching WorldwideNourishing Bone Broth - China Rose Wellness

I don’t know about you, but when it starts getting cold outside, warm and nourishing soup immediately comes to mind. I not only love the fact that you can pack a lot of nutrition into a compact, one pot to wash meal, but you can clean out your produce bin in the process!

The key to a truly healthy soup is homemade bone broth. Properly prepared stocks are nutrient dense, providing minerals from the bones, cartilage, marrow and vegetables. Adding acidic wine or vinegar helps to pull out these minerals, particularly calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

Stock is also a great source of gelatin which aids in digestion, help to heal the lining of the intestinal tract, and is a rich source of amino acids. Conventional stocks or broths that you can buy off the shelf often contain many undesirable ingredients: corn syrup, sugar, monosodium glutamate, caramel coloring, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil… The list goes on.

Here is a recipe for simple chicken stock from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. If I could only keep one of my cookbooks, this would be the one!

Chicken Bone Broth

1 whole free-range chicken or 2-3 pounds of bony chicken parts (necks, backs, breastbones, and wings)
Gizzards from one chicken (optional)
2-4 chicken feet (optional)
4 quarts cold, filtered water
2 tablespoons vinegar (We prefer apple cider vinegar.)
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 bunch parsley

If you are using a whole chicken, cut off the wings and remove the neck, fat glands, and the gizzard from the cavity. By all means, use chicken feet if you can find them — they are full of healing gelatin! Even better, use the whole chicken with the head on.

Cut chicken parts into several pieces. Place in a large stainless steel pot with water, vinegar, and all vegetables except parsley. Let stand for 30 min. to 1 hour. Bring to a boil and remove scum that rises to the top. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 6 to 24 hours. The longer you cook the stock, the richer and more flavorful it will be. About 10 min. before finishing, add parsley which will impart additional minerals.

Remove whole chicken or chicken pieces with a slotted spoon. Meat can be reserved for other uses. Stain the stock into a large bowl and reserve in your refrigerator until the fat rises to the top and congeals. Skim off this fat to use separately for cooking and reserve the stock in covered containers (like Mason jars) in your refrigerator or freezer.

*Notes: The stock will stay good in the fridge for up to four or five days. You can use it as a base for soups,stews, grains and sauces. If I have been in a pinch and picked up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store one night, I will save the carcass for stock the next day. Chicken feet are available from many grocery stores or you could ask your butcher to save you some. They’re really cheap and add a lot of gelatin to your stock.

Chicken Bone Broth

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply